Kimanzi Constable
Contributor
When you start your entrepreneurial journey, you naturally want to
build your numbers. Whether it’s your social media presence, your email
list or just overall visibility, you associate a larger number with
growth.
Larger numbers, however, aren’t as important as you may
believe. Just because an entrepreneur has large numbers online doesn’t
mean it has translated into income for their business. Here are five
reasons why online entrepreneurs need to look beyond the numbers, and
focus on what actually builds a business.
1. The numbers don’t indicate engagement
If
you have a large social media presence, a large email list or a lot of
people visiting your website but you have zero engagement, your business
won’t grow. The best leads are word of mouth and those come through the
engagement of your fans and followers. If your online presence is a
ghost town, the large numbers won’t help your business.
Your goal
should be to engage your audience. Get them involved in the conversation
in a way that they want to tell others. Your community should be so
engaged that your reach goes far beyond your numbers.
2. That personal connection is what creates life-long customers
Several years ago, there was a popular book that went on to become a New York Times best seller called
The Four Hour Work Week.
The book talked about automating your business to the point of being
hands off. While the concept of this book is entertaining, and can work
for a certain type of entrepreneur, the reality is that you have to
establish that personal connection to create life-long customers, .
People
buy from someone they know, like and trust. That will never happen
communicating through a virtual assistant. A customer is a person. The
more they feel a personal connection, the more they buy and tell others
about your business. Marketing genius David Ogilvy said, “The
consumer is not an idiot, she's your wife."
Make that personal connection.
3. The numbers can easily be manipulated
It’s
pretty easy to buy a large following these days and too many
entrepreneurs do. Everyday, on social media and through email, you see
services offering fans for a price. The problem is that those aren’t
real people. They will never buy from you.
Big numbers may look
impressive but they won’t translate into income if they’re not real
people. You have to ask yourself, are the numbers are more important
than the income?
4. Add value and the numbers will naturally increase
As
you add value and connect in a personal way with your audience,
engagement will increase. With an increase in engagement will come more
people sharing about your business. That will increase your numbers
organically.
Great content, products and services create a loyal
fan base that will spread the message all over the Internet. Over time,
those numbers will increase in the best way possible because all the new
fans and followers will already be engaged.
5. Building a business is not about ego
Who
doesn’t like to look at their platform and see huge numbers? However,
we are in business to generate income and make an impact in people’s
life. This isn’t about us or the numbers.
While it’s great to have
those large numbers, and it can be good social proof, your business can
be successful with a small devoted following. You can create lifelong
customers that do all of your advertising for you. We have to focus on
business, not our ego or our emotions.
We own a business in a time
when the economy is recovering. There are many other businesses that do
what we do. The good news is some of the greatest businesses have been
built in down times. To be one of those businesses, you have to stand
out from the competition by building a devoted customer base. Focus on
creating amazing content. Focus on creating irresistible products and
services.
Focus on really connecting and engaging people. When you
do, they will respond and your numbers will build. It’s too easy to get
caught up in the comparison game. That game will derail your business
from growing. Numbers are ok, but real people are better.
Source:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/238981
What I didn't add in the picture was he fact that In-N-Out Burger has bible verses written on their cups and burger wrappers.
Who would have known!?
To whom much is given, much is required. We were all given the wonderful gift of a conscious! We have to protect this precious mind of ours.
