I feel for this common pitfall – have you?

Happy Saturday!

 

Recently, I feel for a common pitfall…

I can’t believe it, but it did…..

 

If you have been following my journey, you know I am using TikTok as an organic traffic strategy.

 

Recently, I have been engaging to grow my channel. It is important to engage and do so from the bottom up, but I recently jumped on a trend called #teamwork, where people follow you and you follow them to get more followers faster.

 

This short-term strategy resulted in two things 1. pissing off the TikTok algorithm and 2. filling my friends with things I don’t want to engage in or watch that are outside of my niche. 

Let’s back up for a second. The entire reason I am on TikTok is to find my niche and get my content in front of them so they notice me. I am basically stealing traffic from TikTok – or at least that’s my goal. 

 

Traffic is a crazy concept but it’s actually a lot simpler than people make it out to be. 

 

Dean breaks it down by saying traffic is really people. 

Social media platforms are filled with people. In fact, every one of the social media platforms out there from Faceboook to TikTok has like 1 billion people using them. That’s a lot of people.

So, really, our job is to get in front of a fraction of that billion. Get them to notice us.

 

With 1000 true fans, you can make a full-time income online…Let that sink in for a second. Yup, you only really need 1000 out of that 1 billion. 

 

So, to build this group of super fans, you really need to go where your people hang out, create and post content that resonates with them, get their attention, and get them to start to following you. Keep producing great content and slowly, over time, direct them away from that social media platform to your email list and/or your owned asset: website/blog.

 

This is the formula to build those super fans, and this is where my big pitfall came in.

 

I got short-sighted and stopped thinking about my audience. I started thinking about myself and my desire to monetize quickly. I fell for a trap, a dangerous trend called teamwork. I wanted a shortcut and an easy way to start monetizing. I forgot about my long-term goals and the know, like, and trust I have been working on building.

 

I jumped on the Teamwork TikTok trend and started following people just so they would follow me so I could quickly become a  TikTok affiliate and make money.

 

This is a dangerous pitfall that is short-sighted and can flag TikTok and damage the algorithm, your brand, and your long-term growth.

 

I have fallen into this trap and earned some followers but now I am stuck in 200 view jail and I have a ton of people of my friends list I don’t enjoy their content and my fyp page is not showing things in my niche…so now how do I pivot?

 

The only way forward is to do what I was supposed to be doing in the first place: focus on my niche and creating content that provides them value. Build that know, like, and trust and get them from TikTok to my email list and blog. 

 

I need to create content that entertains and provides value over and over again. It is not about me making money it is all about my audience and what I can do for them. Put your own reasons aside; growing your audience is all about your audience. What’s in it for them?

 

First, you give, and then you can get.

 

It is through the giving to my audience that I will get what I want.

 

The audience will help me monetize, but first, I must provide them value and consistently do my absolute best for them. I want them to win, so I win….

 

Let me clarify one thing: on-platform monetization is not the trap I fell for. It was following people not in my niche, liking things to get likes instead of showing the algorithm who I am and what I am interested in.

 

There is a way to properly monetize on social media sites. Some platforms will even pay you just for making really good content!

 

TikTok is one such platform. Being a TikTok affiliate is a great way of making money and providing value to your audience.

 

If you do qualify to be a TikTok affiliate, choose products that are specific to your niche. I bought one of those TikTok microphones and lights; they are great, and others creating content can benefit from them. 

 

11% of households in the US have already made a purchase on TikTok shop, and TikTok only started in 2023- that’s powerful.

It is important that you don’t solely rely on becoming a TikTok affiliate as your business end-game. This is a short-term strategy because, let’s be honest, who knows how long platforms will be around or what rules of the game will change?

 

This is great to tap into but not the only thing to focus on. The real focus should be on the long term. Building and growing your email list and getting traffic to your owned asset – my blog. 

 

All these platforms can be turned down in an instant. Your account can be hacked or shut down. Don’t lose your future; secure it by branching out, building an email list, and owning your own asset.

Shift from short-term thinking to long-term strategy. You want to grow your audience, but you don’t just want any audience; you want to build a list of superfans. You want to build a relationship with your audience. And eventually, you want to provide them with so much value that they want to purchase or follow along with whatever you are recommending. 

 

Off-platform monetization is where it’s at; the money really is in your email list.

 

In the short term, you are growing your audience on and off the platforms, developing an audience through DMs and comments, getting them off the platform onto your list, and visiting your blog.

 

Things come and go, so let’s plan for the future. If things change, it’s okay.

 

So, in conclusion, avoid dangerous trends, be genuine, create good content that provides value to your niche, stay on brand, and engage, engage, engage. 

 

We all hit roadblocks, fall into self-sabotage, fear, get-rich-quick schemes, shiny object syndrome, etc…the important thing is once you figure out that you have fallen for one of these pitfalls, get back up, pivot, and keep going in the right direction.

 

If you need help, I am here to help. If you are ready to start your business or have been trying but are not getting the results you want,  then download this free resource and get all the help you need.

 

You got this, and I am right here with you.

 

Let’s ride from rookie to riches together!

Alison Blaire