Okay, I really don’t mean it: Social Media does not suck… but we’re just not on speaking terms right now…
When I first started my blogging, I told you that the purpose of this blog was to track and document my journey as I started my online business from scratch. While I aim to document these action steps, I’ve found myself pulled more to documenting the struggles I have been facing as of late.
This past week, I struggled with what I should write about in this week’s blog, thinking I should be writing more about the nuts and bolts of my journey, all the little nuggets and tangible action steps I’ve been taking. I created a new click funnel all on my own and I created and implemented a new email workflow, which I was totally excited about. Sure, I thought about writing about those accomplishments… but that hasn’t been the biggest focus of these last couple of weeks.
Although the nuts and bolts are super important, I have been a bit more consumed with the struggles I’ve been facing as of late, and the feelings and emotions associated with that.
I’m still in the midst of what I deem the hardest part of this business journey (so far). Perhaps what could be beneficial, for you, my dear reader and blog follower, is for me to continue to document this mountain of a challenge and have you watch me overcome it.
As I have been diving into this online world, I have been continually learning new skills I never thought I needed, nor did I think were necessary for this new business. For example, creating videos for social media (i.e. traffic generation) has been by far the biggest challenge for me yet.
I know I’m not the only one who finds this part of the business to be utterly frustrating and paralyzing; However, from my experience, I find there are few people out there really talking about how they overcame it.
When I started this journey, I expected there to be a lot of work involved, of course. Did I expect I would be hitting a roadblock as big as this, and for it to be this challenging? Not by a long shot. While challenges are to be expected in any business journey, what hasn’t been expected is how much I have been challenged by the social media/traffic generating aspects of this business.
The part that gets me all twisted and tied up are what’s called short videos, where one would post on TikTok, Instagram stories, or Facebook reels. The purpose of these videos is to attract an audience to then lead them to your website and to your newsletter.
How hard could a 1-2 minute video be to make? Not that hard. Just hit record and talk. That’s it.
Unfortunately I don’t find it that easy. I don’t like the lack of structure in my planning of the content for the videos. I would feel more comfortable planning a month of videos at a time, but that proved even harder to do than actually recording the videos. I don’t like feeling “sales-y” in my videos because I’m definitely NOT a salesperson. I feel as though I’m still “searching for my voice” in not only what I say but how I want to say it. That may or may not make sense, but that’s how I see it.
The irony about this experience is while I have found this aspect of my business so challenging, I’m NOT new to marketing for a business on social media, not in the slightest. I thoroughly enjoyed marketing and social media for my private practice, posting educational videos while finding new and effective ways to promote myself and my business to my community. Online marketing for my practice was a huge part of my former life, so I had every reason to think I would enjoy it just as much as I did previously.
Ironically… social media for an online business, particularly affiliate marketing, is a completely different animal than when you’re doing it for a brick and mortar business.
I never expected this to be the case.
While I’m perfectly fine with this newfound epiphany, it’s simply taking me a bit longer than expected to gain my footing and try to figure out an effective strategy that works for me.
Although frustrated, I still maintain the utmost confidence that I will be successful at this venture in time. Why’s that, you say?
Because if this were an absolute cake walk, I wouldn’t work so hard at it. The reason why I will succeed is because this hasn’t come easy. There has been work. I have grown as a person and I have learned skills that will be forever valuable. I have learned skills I didn’t set out to learn, skills that will allow me to have multiple streams of income in the future and will allow me to venture into many different online ventures. I didn’t set out for this, but it is welcomed.
What I hope you can gain from my journey is this: as you watch me overcome this block, I hope it gives you all the motivation and encouragement to realize YOU can do the same. That’s why I continue to write about this, with the utmost transparency, to show you that it absolutely can and will be done.
With that is just taking a bit longer of a learning curve than expected. That’s okay. I’m very much at peace with this. However long it takes, I want to do this right.
Awww, Lauren… I feel your pain. You are so cute, though, and your personality and comedic voice (although you may not think you’re funny… you are) make you so likable. Your voice and how you convey yourself in your writings show your uniqueness. I enjoy your blog posts and following you because you have the “it” that makes this work. It would be hard not to like, know, and trust you, my friend. You’re on the right track…keep it up!
Vanessa, if I ever needed to read something to help boost the self-esteem… I just read it! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the kind words. I thoroughly appreciate you continuing to follow my journey!
Lauren, I absolutely love your video. I had a good laugh, and it brought the biggest smile to my face. We all go through this, social media and sharing our lives and journey is a foreign concept to me and I really appreciate you sharing your journey of overcoming this struggle and getting comfortable being uncomfortable, because that is what this journey is all about, and you are living and sharing it all, and I thank you!
Alison, I’m so very glad you were able to smile. I truly feel it makes all this crazy uncomfortable-ness all worth it. I’m definitely trying to be comfortable being uncomfortable (I love that, by the way). Thank you for the words of encouragement!
Lauren, congratulations on not giving up and pushing through! I have the utmost confidence that you will figure this out. I wish you the best and will be sending you good vibes throughout the week as I work on my own video journey. It is so frustrating! You will find your voice, and you will roar like a lion!
Nakina
Nakina Lawson recently posted…Learning Can Be Uncomfortable and Hard
Thank you Nakina! I appreciate the vote of confidence and the support! It makes all the difference.
Hi Lauren,
Great post, funny title. 😆
You’re doing amazing! Being able to create funnels is huge… get great at it and you can create another stream of income by creating funnels for other businesses.
I understand the video and TikTok issue, it’s not the easiest thing for me either. I’ve made TikTok videos but not nearly as many as I could have. We just got to keep pushing through it getting better at it. Not even sure if I’ll ever like it but hopefully I do 🙂
Here’s to success!
Denny
Thank you Denny. It always helps to read that others “out there” are right where you are. It helps to know we are all going through the same thing.
Overcoming obstacles is a great mindset in what we are doing here. The technology has become so advanced these days and the Affiliate System is a good example of that. It seems to work smoothly once it’s set up. Soon it will be ready for Prime Time!
Your journey is enlightening and I learn so much by how you handle these tech issues. I know nothing about funnels. Probably time for me to read Russel’s books. 📚
Kate, I’m glad to read that you have been able to learn something from my journey. It makes it all worth it!
You and me both! Your outtakes look eerily similar to mine, but I deleted mine right away. 🙂 I ask myself, “how can this be so hard?” I am accustomed to talking in front of hundreds of people, yet I can’t make a silly informative video??? It is a different animal. But your final video products do look great and are so authentic! Please keep it up. And, as I mentioned to you earlier, you have inspired me so now I have 3 videos out there for the world to laugh at…HAHAHA! Thanks for documenting your journey and making us all feel like we are not alone. Have a great week!!!
You and me, Ernie… totally cut from the same cloth! It seems as though our journey’s are so similar. No worries… I definitely intend to keep it up. It helps to have the support of people like yourself!
Lauren,
Your honesty about the struggles you’re facing is both relatable and admirable. I know it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that every step forward should be a tangible victory, but sometimes the real growth happens in the midst of the struggles.
Your willingness to share your experiences, even when they’re tough, is incredibly valuable for others who may be on a similar path. It’s refreshing to hear someone speak candidly about the difficulties of navigating the online business world, particularly when it comes to areas like creating engaging social media content.
Remember, every roadblock you encounter is an opportunity for growth and learning.
Your determination to overcome these challenges, despite the frustrations, speaks volumes about your resilience and commitment to success.
Keep pushing forward, stay true to yourself, and know that your transparency and authenticity will undoubtedly resonate with others who are also striving to carve out their own path in the digital landscape.
Keep inspiring others!
CJ
Thank you for this, CJ. It’s not easy being transparent and vulnerable about the struggles, but like you point out: it can only help others. I truly appreciate for you saying this, and makes it that much easier to continue to share my struggles… as well as the wins!
Hi Lauren,
I think you’ve stumbled on a great idea. here. Post a video of your out-takes! I reckon your follower numbers would swell just seeing how genuine and human you are. I’m like you and struggling to come up with decent content for my videos. I’ve tried scripted ones that come across as being so false and unscripted ones where most of the dialogue consists of “ers” and “ums”, not to mention the blank looks at the camera. I guess we just keep at it. Quantity over quality. Eventually, we’ll come up with a masterpiece. Keep it up!
Andy
Andy Jacobs recently posted…More TikTok Adventures
Andy, I’m so glad you enjoyed the outtakes! I figure.. you gotta be able to laugh at yourself, right? I’m in the same boat as you, just trying to get better and better…. and as I’ve mentioned before, it certainly helps to read that others are struggling with the same challenges. Thank you for riding along with me!
Lauren, Your blog post resonated with me on so many levels. It’s refreshing to see someone share the ups and downs of their entrepreneurial journey with such honesty and transparency. Your willingness to document not just the successes but also the struggles makes your story relatable and inspiring. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a successful online business. Your perseverance and resilience will undoubtedly lead you to success in due time. Thank you for sharing your journey and inspiring others to pursue their dreams with courage and tenacity. Thanks, Atif
Thank you Atif! I appreciate the vote of confidence. I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
Before you know it you’ll be singing and tap dancing at the same time you produce another interesting and informative video. Great blog!
I think you’re right! There’s a good chance of that…