Hey, everybody.
@shayne here. :)
Those of you who regularly follow me know that, if I wanted to, I could give you a bunch of tips on how to easily and quickly build your personal brand on Steemit -- I have given many of these tips, in fact, and they are very good and they will help you build and grow your following and earn money -- but in this post I'm going to go over the most important tool for your success on Steemit.
Form RELATIONSHIPS!
User @flipstar (fantastic name, btw) said this in my previous post
I want everyone to read that post -- and then read it again.
I'm going to address 2 major points that I see in @flipstar's post.
- Destroyed Newsfeed
- Genuine Connection with Followers
Both of these points are very important, especially the second.
1. Destroyed Newsfeed
This point is better understood in the context of responding to folks who are doing a follow-4-follow approach here on Steemit.
Steemit is a very different kind of social network than what we are used to. Simply having a bunch of followers isn't going to mean anything if those followers aren't genuinely interested in the content you are creating and/or sharing on your blog.
It won't matter that you have 5000 followers if they are all only interested in gaining followers themselves in a f4f scheme -- they won't be reading your content for two reasons:
- They aren't genuinely interested
- They are following so many people that their newsfeed is a mess and they'll never see your stuff
You would be better off having 50 high quality followers who really cared about what you were creating than 5000 followers who are only interested in you being their follower.
2. Genuine Connection with Followers
This one is very important.
Your followers here on Steemit are your greatest asset. Hopefully, these are people who have come across you either by accident or -- preferably -- by suggestion, and they actually want to see the content you are producing and sharing.
Think of these people as your Steemit limbs: they allow you to walk; and the more of them you have, the faster you can move and the more stable your center is.
... That's a really dumb analogy, but I hope you are picking up what I'm putting down, here.
The point is that you need to cherish your followers and respect the time and attention they are giving to you.
The more followers you have, the more responsibility you should take in terms of the authenticity you present to them and the quality of the content you produce.
Respect your followers. Respond to them whenever you can and with as much focus and honesty as you can muster.
They deserve it.
My followers are the BEST on Steemit!
And I'm really not just saying this to placate you guys -- I really do think you are the best.
Just look for yourself!
I mean, I'm not a whale: the amount of SP that I have is minimal compared to the truly influential accounts that dominate Steemit. And on average, my posts earn small payouts compared to those more influential accounts.
However, my posts almost always generate a lot of regular upvotes and comments. Even if those upvotes aren't worth much in terms of actual dollar value -- I don't care. It means that I've been able to respect you guys enough that you regularly upvote my stuff. That means a lot to me. And all of the comments that I normally get are one of the biggest reasons I like to use Steemit over other social media platforms -- you guys actually engage with me here!
Many of the posts I make on Steemit end up with the same amount or more comments as the posts of big whales -- a fact for which I am grateful.
Steemit for the FUN of it
I forgot to mention this one.
It's FUN to build relationships with your followers! :D
So many of the people on Steemit are dynamic, interesting people, and I've learned a lot from many of you!
Thanks so much for the good times, and of course -- thank you for your support!
I'd be nothing without it.
