Creating an Online Presence
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Not kidding; I really was 18 when I interned under my uncle who provides services for Online Marketing. I had no idea what SEO was and I didn’t know how a simple tweak in your heading can improve the chances of your article making an online presence. But it was worth it. I am going to share some of the big but simple lessons I learned during that internship:
1. Write daily. You have to write to create an online presence so that Search Engines can find you. You can write about anything… but keep writing. You never know when your article will become a success. Let me give you a real example: I have an account on 8tracks where I regularly make playlists of the music I admire. I have 41 playlists as of now. For about 2 months I never got more than 80 ‘likes’ for any one playlist and I didn’t have more than 100 followers. It didn’t bother me because creating music and sharing it with people is my passion. Then one day, after I came back from college, I got 80 likes for a playlist I had created the night before. I couldn’t believe it. 2 minutes down, and I had 100 likes; 5 days down and I was up to 1500 likes and 200 followers. How? Because somehow (I don’t know how) my playlist got featured on 8tracks. That made me realize that there is so much good art out there (be it music or writing). The only reason we don’t know about it is because we aren’t aware of it. So the point is: to create awareness. Let people know what you are writing and what you are thinking. You will be recognized someday, I promise. Just keep doing it.
2. Connect. Yes, the internet is a huge platform. And create an account on all the networking sites you can think of. It’s okay if you don’t work on them, but create an account anyway. Create a photoblog on tumblr, start creating playlists of your favourite music on 8tracks; write about your frustrations on twitter… get on to anything you can think of.
3. Persistence is very important. One of the mistaken beliefs that shines through the internet after reading other people’s success stories is that success is a rapid process. Trust me, it takes time. Sometimes you have to stop thinking about the end and start enjoying the process. Enjoy the process of writing and do it everyday. Do not give up. It takes time to create an online presence but once you’ve made it, there is no looking back.
4. Talk to people; this is so important. There are a lot of people like you out there. The best part about the 21st century is the Internet. I love how you can share your thoughts with someone from another corner of the world. I love how writing about your inspiration can actually inspire someone from a completely different cultural background. There is no better joy you can derive out of the internet than to know that you’ve made a difference in someone else’s life.
The best book to buy on Blogging and Social Media success is 30 Days to Social Media Success: The 30 Day Results Guide to Making the Most of Twitter, Blogging, LinkedIN, and Facebook.
Just do it. But don’t forget to relax, enjoy and open your arms wide to hug the whole damn world.