Having the right mindset when trying to achieve anything is key, setting yourself up with a good mindset for success on steemit is no different.
How can I be of service here? Is a question we should all be asking ourselves. Being here with the expectation of “making money”, and although it’s a brand new concept of earning with cryptocurrencies and may just sound too easy and too good to be true, maybe it is.
I don’t believe it’s as cut and dry as it appears. Our first initial observation is the trending page and seeing those big numbers on blogs that are earning big money. We might say, “I can do that”.
What we might forget, is what it took for them to get to that level of earning. They must be providing value on some level to their followers. They're being of service in some way.
So, if you find yourself lost, discouraged, and loosing hope in your anticipations of earning on on Steemit. Don’t give up. Ask yourself, am I being of service? Am I providing value? Am I building relationships? Have I found my tribe?
Although, I am still in the process of doing this, I truly believe providing value is what it takes. It’s a matter of looking at the phycological behaviour of humans. Steemit might be new, but people are not. And even though their vote might not come out of their own pocket, they are still going to distribute that vote to who they think deserves it. (Sure, we hear things about people helping each other out, whales helping whales, etc.) Don’t worry about it. It’s just an excuse, excuses will get you nowhere. It does not take away from the opportunity you have to still succeed.
Value, connection, resonance and community are the true stepping stones for building a loyal following. Using this platform is very much like running a business and branding and marketing yourself.
You wouldn’t go start some half-ass business with a crappy product and service and expect people to buy from you just because you spent a few minutes putting up a hand written sign and said “I’m a business now, buy from me” with no vision or value to offer.
As cool as crypto is, it isn’t going to lessen the importance of building trust with your community. And to even attract a community of like-minded people takes work, vision, a clear message and a place where people feel safe and understood. Somewhere they can rely on for information, entertainment or support.
Even though I’m still super new here and learning everyday, I’m quite confident this is the case. To those that find themselves “pissed of” and complaining, I really hate to burst your bubble of the idea of getting on here and making money fast without being of service in anyway.
Do the work. Have a direction to where you want to take your blog, have a plan. Come up with a strategy for how you will make your blog succeed.
First off, if you don’t enjoy creating content through writing, photography or videos or any other form, or you don’t enjoy reading and taking in content or you’re not willing to learn, this might not be the place for you.
To help get you started on a direction and a strategy, here are 10 things you may want to keep in mind:
1. Passion
The first thing you need here to create resonating content is passion. I don’t recommend you start blogging about things that you are unfamiliar with or choosing topics just because they are always trending tags. They are trending for a reason. It just means you’ve got massive competition and for your voice to be heard through that, will only make it harder.
2. Look ahead
New people are joining everyday and the spectrum of topics will grow each day. Choose a category or two that you can harness and be the voice of or create a new tag. If you don’t you can bet someone else will eventually.
3. Commitment/Consistency
Decide on your level of commitment. Are you going to post 2 times a day, once a day, 3 times a week? Decide and try your best to stick with it. People like consistency.
4. Innovation
Be innovative. Steemit, the blockchain and cryptocurrencies are all outside the box concepts. Instead of doing what everyone else is doing, step by step, how can you be different, edgy, interesting and Innovative?
5. Giving
You must be willing to give. You must care about others, and want to see them succeed, you must look at your individual contribution into the platform and want the best for everyone overall. Working with that mindset and that agenda, you will eventually be heavily compensated.
6. Gratitude
Treat your followers like you would treat a customer. Appreciate them. If they comment on your posts, take the time to reply back. Care about them and let them know you care and appreciate them. The unfollow button is as easy to click as the follow button.
7. Clarity
Don’t confuse your audience. Be clear with your message, who you are? What you stand for and what kind of value you’re going to provide? Make it easy for your followers to know what they can expect from you. I believe people make a quick decision to follow or not to follow. Be clear in your posts, username, description, footer, etc. allow those things to quickly sum up what you are about.
8. If you want it to be a source of income, treat it like one.
It’s like any other form of income, you get what you put in, like any job or business. Don’t expect to show up inconsistently, with low quality posts that provide no value and expect that your income will be the same as someone that spends a significant amount of time on their posts and spends time interacting within the communities. It may appear that their is some inconsistencies in the deserving factor within the platform now, we can clearly see that some low quality post are earning more than they probably deserve, but I truly believe, it’s only a matter of time and those type of issues will get ironed out and resolve themselves. Don’t allow witnessing these things compromise your intentions.
If you already have a great idea of the direction you want to go with your blog, great. If you are unsure what kind of content you should create, take some time and explore what you’re passionate about. What are you naturally good at? What could you talk about all day, and never get tired of it? Is there a cause or community you’re part of outside the Steemit platform? What makes you feel good? What pisses you off? How can you contribute to changing the world?
9. Be yourself
It’s much easier over the long term, to be yourself from the beginning. Coming here trying to be someone you’re not in hopes to make a quick buck, you and I both know, it’s the wrong approach. Take some time to honour who you are, your special qualities and believe that you, just the way you are, can be great.
10. Speak up
It can be scary putting yourself out there, with the fear of what will people think, wondering if you’re content it “good enough”, never really having a true measurement. My advice, do it anyway. You have to start somewhere. The more you create the better you get. We can’t expect to come out of the gates, shiny, new and perfect. It’s a learning process and the best way to learn is through action.
I’m rooting for you, I really am. I am one of those people that love to see others succeed. I’m right here beside you leaning as I go too.
What I’ve shared here, is what I believe to be important aspects to succeeding for the long term here on this platform. We want to build solid reputations and keeping these things I’ve listed in mind, will certainly help you get there.
