Are you truly in control of your followers? |

You put so much time and energy into growing your fan base. Why shouldn't the hard work be rewarded? The reason why you should be able to control your fans is essential for creators' success.

Doesn't that all the hard work make a difference?

Being popular on a platform doesn't suggest that you are in a position to manage your relationships with that group of people. If you're not then you're not getting 1.) the people who are seeing everything you're offering, and 2)) the benefits such as community building, monetization and the growth that comes from getting that audience beginning.

Here's the definition of "owning your market" is and why it matters.

What is it that you can do to be able to control your audience? (And why is it so important?)

Being a part of your audience is about building relationships with people in your own way. They know who you are, and what they do in relation to your material, whether they're introducing your brand for the first time or are long-time fans.

The way to establish these relationships is by owning when and how you interact with your customers. They communicate through a platform or channel which you manage, such as the email lists you manage, your online community or your website. This direct communication channel is flexible, meaning it is easy to reach individuals at the appropriate time regardless of whether it's an individual user or your entire email database.

There's a difference between posting content on Instagram and hoping that the algorithm will put your content in front of your fans vs. knowing that your message gets to the right people.

Imagine you're hosting an event for your new friends. In order to ensure that they'll are having a blast You must know some details about them prior to the event What are their food limitations? What sort of music do they like? Are they a fan of alcohol, wine or mocktails?

Just like asking your friends for their preferences can help you plan a dinner party to your guests. Getting to know your target audience more than just "likes" or "follows" helps you create items and contents that will meet their needs.

The outcome? Your business will grow with more sales and happier customers.

What happens if you don't own your audience

If you're not able to control your audience, you miss chances to develop connections, and monetize your followers, make sure your followers get to see your content and also grow your business.

There are three different ways social media platforms make it difficult for you to establish your followers:

Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok do not let you share the followers you've created by bringing them along. It's not possible to message all your TikTok followers at once or create a list of the email addresses of your followers to be able to interact with them according to your preferences.

The algorithms used by social platforms are created to keep users using social media platforms for as long as they can, putting platform profits above users' successes. Changes in algorithms means your users might not see your work right when you post it , if they ever see it at all. The platforms will also highlight other creators' work for your fans and showcase your content in the brand of the platform and not under the one you own.

There's no reason to suggest that content creators shouldn't avoid social media entirely. It's a powerful method to increase your followers and allow new users to find your work -- however it shouldn't be the onlyway to communicate with your fans. Making use of social media along with other avenues (like email) can make a major difference in successfully growing the business of your creator.

Strategies to create audiences according to your own preferences

The most significant aspect of governing your customers is being in the ability to control the experience they have at each stage, whether they're a brand-new subscriber or a regular.

There are many options to make that happen. Two of our suggestions to creators

Begin to build your email database as early as possible

Choose a creator-friendly all-in-one platform

1. Start growing your email list early on

Email is an established and reliable marketing channel for a reason: It's simple and inexpensive to get started as well as building an mailing list before the deadline can yield a wealth of benefits.

Your workshop's success depends on the mercy of the algorithm *.

(*The Instagram algorithm changes frequently and at no notice, which means the info in this graphic can changes. It's among the major reason why people are tired with Instagram and have shifted to their own channels including email, and even private community sites.)

What you do with the place you host these digital goods -- and manage the rest of your business -- can make huge differences, as well.

2. Make sure you use platforms and tools designed for the creator.

Some platforms view creators as if they are in the same place and only produce content and interact with followers on the platform instead of being real people who are working to develop brands and create businesses. These companies don't acknowledge what it means to start and expand a business of creators.

In other words these aren't a good fit for creators.

A Creator-friendly platform lets you manage your audience connections and directing the experience of your audience easier.

"Creators strive to develop their own audience with long-lasting relationships which should not be the reason to be locked into an individual platform. It's your right to enjoy the benefits of your work and effort to wherever you move."

"That implies the capacity to move your data, customers, and earnings with you to a different platform, or , at very least, export off an existing platform, with ease and speed in a quick, easy way."

Creator-friendly platforms also help you reach every person -- clients, students, members of the community who are free, paid subscribers, your mailing list to the extent you need. Send a message to every person on your list or reach a specific student within a class cohort from the same platform.

Platforms such as Facebook don't send information to your email provider. (They don't even let you export email addresses.) This means that you cannot make use of audience information to segment your email list. You have to do more work on multiple platforms to communicate with everyone.

"I need to hire an entire virtual assistant accept members, greet members, moderate them, etc. We use Google Sheets and separate Facebook Messenger software, which costs $30 per month in addition to Facebook's algorithm and interruptions. This is a complete mess."

This is especially crucial if you want to do more than just provide free content. In order to begin monetizing your company with digital content and communities it is essential to have the proper tools.

Set up a platform to share updates with their supporters

Bottom line: The tools you utilize should view your holistically and assist you in your work as an artist rather than just a way for them to generate more revenue. Creator-friendly platforms know how important it is for creators to be in control of the relationship and communications with their followers. If you're given the power to own those things then you're able to create a truly amazing creator business on your terms.

Do you want to begin by using a platform for creators which is focused on your success? Register for a free account today . We are excited to see how you develop.