Earlier this week I posted a story on my Instagram showing me pitching a project I’m working on this year, to my sister. It might not be the sort of content you see from your fav influencers you follow but I share it because it’s part of my life and a window into how I have always run my business.
What am I pitching? A summary of results from my latest market research survey that’s helping me shape the content I’m putting together later this year. Pitching to peers, market research and understanding your audience’s needs and desires on a deeper level is something I believe you should be actively doing from day one if you want to monetise your personal brand on your social media.
That might sound straight up crazy to someone who still assumes being an influencer means taking cute photos, receiving gifts and going on trips and events. If that’s you then you are about to undergo an education my friend. Here on the AIW list we take our influencer and PB’s very seriously and these newsletters are here to encourage you how to act like the business you are.
So why am I telling you to adopt the daily to-do’s of a working professional in a marketing role if you are, in fact, a Creator who posts social content?
Manifestation meets Professionalism
Manifestation & Professionalism are two things I adopted in my early career days as a Creator without even realising I was doing it! In fact I’d never even heard of manifestation back in 2015 but acting out the role of a “successful” Creator before it happened paved my way to the success I now have.
We’ve all heard of Manifestation ofc. I believe it’s widely misunderstood and glamourised by many as just thinking success and affluence into existence. You’ll waste a lot of brain cells if that’s how you plan on smashing your career goals bc that sh*it never worked for anyone on its own.
For me Manifestation has always been about a success mindset you must adopt coupled with action, in my case, the professional hard work that mimics the doings of someone already wildly successful.
Here’s the tea: Success as a Creator rarely happens without these two things working simultaneously. One cannot be as effective without the other. If you have both you are in a good place.
A little backstory
In 2015 I was newly fired, had less than 10k followers and found myself as a full time creator whether I wanted to be or not. Overnight my world had turned upside down. I didn’t have a boss, I had no deadlines and I had no pay cheque. But despite that, I kept up the mindset and routine I had when I was “employed” knowing full well that if I didn’t, my chance at “making it” as a full time influencer would melt away.
From the onset I treated my business with the professionalism of an employee working under a hierarchy of managers (me!). I had accountability and responsibility as well as deadlines that my boss (me!) set me.
“Success as a Creator rarely happens without these two things working simultaneously. One cannot be as effective without the other. If you have both you are in a good place.“
Fast forward 7 years and I still apply the same work ethic and levels of professionalism to all my projects and goals and it’s what I encourage everyone to do from the very beginning of their influencer journey.
So back to that unconscious manifestation I was doing in 2015 at my scrubby little kitchen table acting like I was running a six figure content creation business. Fast forward 1 year – I had arrived.
The moral? Treat your business and all it’s endeavours with the respect and professionalism of a FTSE 100 company and watch it blossom.
Your Checklist
1 . Start as we mean to go on
This may not be the phrase I’d employ for my January eating habits (see a lot of Deliveroo and daily wine o’clock’s) but as far as your personal brand goes, from the get go, you need to be operating like an established and reputable brand with a sexy six figure turnover
2. Hold regular performance meetings (with yourself)
Check in with those goals you set at the start of the year is crucial to making them come to fruition. Set time aside to go this quarterly. Analyse what might need switching up in your pitching or content output.
3. Set your monthly, quarterly and annual revenue targets
Set your goals, repeat them, check in weekly with all your accounts and tot up the payments coming in on your accounting software regularly. I do this all the time. Being in touch with how your finances look and grow keeps your head in the game.
Don’t forget to celebrate big deals and wins!
4. Write your to-do list the night before
This sets the tone for my level of productivity the next morning. If I don’t do it I find I waste time procrastinating.
5. Get your shop front in order
If you are replying to brands and clients with a gmail, hotmail or yahoo account plz stop. Registering a domain name costs like £3. There is no excuse for you to be running your company comms this way. No, it doesn’t look cute or cool.
Wanna know how to create the perfect signature? HoneyBook’s professional signature generator is free and so very slick. I just re-did mine and I love how it looks.
6. Media Kits & Rate Cards
An essential step when pitching, it’s mad how many people don’t use these. Media cards are essential to anyone under 10k followers on their socials looking to monetise. Got one but not getting the replies you want, maybe it needs an audit. Check out my service list in my next email.
7. Regularly poll your audience to see what they want and need
Or make a professional survey and link it out on your stories or mailing list. I like Survey Monkey and Typeform.
Thoughts on this blog? Do already implement any of the practices? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.
Shot by Sarah Ellen Photography 