I have been marketing my business online for some time now. Lately I have been in a slump. I just feel like throwing in the towel. I know I have to keep going but I am just disappointed. I was doing article marketing which seem to do good but I just don't feel like doing creative writting. Please give me words of encouragement.
Hello Michelle, What you are going through is normal. Every marketer experiences a slump from time to time. Use this period to step back, take in the big picture and examine what you are doing (and not doing), then figure out the next step. Whatever you do, don't quit! You said your article marketing was doing good. Maybe you could take 5 of your best articles, compile them into a report and use that as a free giveaway via a squeeze page, to build a list. Or you could compile 25 articles into an ebook and sell from your site. If you have that many articles already written you wouldn't have to do any creative writing. You'll save time and would be creating additional opportunities to develop leads and generate income. That approach ought to lift your spirits and get you out of your slump. Hermas
Michelle, we all hit slumps for various reasons. Sometimes it may not even have to do with your writing but with personal issues that might take time or interfere with your concentration. We can get busy with many things and just either run out of energy or, when doing creative writing, have a hard time concentrating on what you need to do. I go through this with various family issues with a mother in a nursing home, inlaw's with dementia and in a nursing home and things with my kids in their early 20's. I can go great guns working online, which with me is more on forums and with my contact lists, and then I know I just need to sit back and take a break to handle other things, or just to take a break. Do not get discouraged! Hermas' suggestion was great, it is a way to get something done while giving you a break to not have to come up with new articles.
Article marketing has gotten tougher since all of the Google updates like Panda and Penguin. It seems sometimes you have to do twice as much to get half the traffic. Feeling burned out is understandable and I agree we all get into a slump sometimes. Maybe taking a break from it for a few days would help? Sometimes getting away from it allows you to come back with more motivation? Perhaps you could look into different marketing techniques too, and mix up what you are doing a bit? Just a few random thoughts off the top of my head. What ever you decide, I wish you the best of luck. BTW: I liked your honest post.
As the gentleman above said, this is very normal. Take comfort that you are not alone. We all go through slow periods and rough patches. But let me tell you something sweetie, your victory will come out of times like these! Your testimony that will help somebody else will come out of this very moment! You will find success if you just hang in there. Scratch that...Success will find you if you just hang in there! I guarantee you this will happen. You will do well, you will come back to this forum and you will be able to share words of encouragement yourself because of what you went through and you will tell them this very story of how you were ready to throw in the towel but you decided to keep going, keep pushing, keep dreaming, keep MARKETING! Honey, your pain will turn into your paycheck! Don't quit. Give it all you've got. When we start feeling this way, that means that we are in need of more personal development. Work on you more than your business and your business will explode. I am speaking from experience. Get on Youtube and start watching some Jim Rohn videos, Tony Robbins, Les Brown. Fill yourself up with positive personal development tools. Lastly, every time you create a piece of content, do it with ALL POWER! What does that mean? It means that you are focused on your WHY while you are in creation mode. You are not focused on lack. You focus on abundance and freedom while you write that article, while you create that video, while you do that blog post! One more thing. Test other marketing methods. Right now article marketing isn't as popular as it used to because people don't have time to read articles. They go to Youtube and watch people explain things to them. Try turning on that camera and uploading so vids! Let's get it! You're a winner! I believe in you! You can make it! Everything you need is inside of you! ~Melinda
Michelle, I know how you feel. Here's what you need to do: 1. Forget about FREE ads or FREE marketing. 2. Focus all your attention on PAID ads. Test all sorts of places to see where you are able to get some good results. 3. If you are going to start paid ads, send people to your company's sales page so that they sales video can close your prospects for you even while you are not online. Once you start to spend money on ads, you will see results.
@michellej, it will be okay. First, you must remember that the average business does not realize a profit for 5 years and even then, there is no guarantee. So, you must have patience. Next, remember that the whole purpose for marketing online is to connect with people. Online marketing should be utilized as a means of re-vamping your warm market. You are not just seeking prospects. Most of the time, when you get those kind of prospects, they don't tend to stay with you very long. You want to connect with people so that you can build relationships with them. That way, when they become customers, or business partners, there is a stronger foundation. Lastly, sometimes, the most beautiful flowers take the longest time to bloom. In many cases, the longer it takes for you to build your business, the more solid your business becomes. Don't give up. Don't give in. Give it all you've got. Stay Strong.
Words of encouragement: we all go through it at some point. We just get BORED. Even working for ourselves can, at some point, become a task. My advice to you is to change things up a little. Sometimes I go work from the library. Most of the librarians know me and will send struggling students to me while I am there to help with their writing or research. Also, take a break. It's okay. It really is!
Hi Michelle, I am new here and came across your post. I just wanted to say Don't give up! You can do this... you started i for a reason.. so think back to why you got into it in the first place. Refresh you memory about your 'why.' There is a quote I always turn to which goes: “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people cant.” - Anonymous! Keep at it.... you will find your mojo again
This works for me if I ever need encouragement to grow my business, I watch the TV show "The Apprentice UK" it is now in its 10th season and I have learned so much about business from it! I recommend watching it.
Hi Michelle Don't give up, that's just wasted time, they always say the point you are most stretched is because you've nearly made it. Reading all the above comments, some really fantastic advice. What a caring community this is proving to be.. Best Wishes
I hear ya! I have felt like that many times... way more than I care to admit. I am finding myself very drawn to the 'magnetic law of attraction' lately. I am finding myself relaxing more and have discovered that by just resting and focusing on what I want to see happen, letting myself FEEL like it was already happening and then just letting the universe decide how to bring it to me is a way more fun way to work than all the stressful ways I WAS doing things. I know I sound like a humming, cross legged weird-oh, but there is actually a great truth to the law of attraction and what they teach on 'The Secret'.... if you haven't watched it, you should - it's free to watch online at the website, I believe. Let me know what you think of it.
Article marketing takes time and that's where people get it wrong. They don't put enough time in. But if you create come great content by focusing on creating some content everyday instead of doing everything in one day, you'll create content that is more strategic and clear. As soon as you learn something new or communicated with someone, take what you've learned and write the main keywords down. Teach those strategies in your articles or blog post. Article marketing is the best way to get long term results but they dont happen right away. But decide what you want to do to get the right kind of people to see you as someone that knows what you are doing and someone they can trust. The thing is that people promote get rich quick, but nothing successful is quick but artcile marketing is powerful. So many people tried rehashed or respun articles and passing them off as new content, the search engines have banned them. Bad linking, and the same article on more than 1 site too. Most do things to game the search engines and most don't have results. You can rise above them all when they drop. You do it the new way and just make it good, unique content, get a few relevant links to it and give it time. Look down the road. Not next month and you will have success in whatever you do. Just keep doing something that keep you growing your credibility. The thing is that you have to remember that others in your niche have been doing this and doing it a lot longer than you. But you will find that once you start doing these things and growing people will be attracted to you and want to be part of whatever you are doing. You will attract people that will do business with nobody else. Just keep on moving and maybe get some help from somebody that teaches how to build your expertise. Check out someone in your business online, that you think is doing well and see what they are doing. You'll probably see that what I'm saying is true. They have their own way to build their business besides the way that is taught. Usually through articles or blog posts : ) Rick
Reading these posts gives me some hope, I've tried article marketing and even tried the spinners that are promoted without any results. I think that articles are a thing of the past; it's getting more saturated, this IM business we promote. From my observations, the best way to sell is to provide a motivational product: not a wahm per se, but something like what Rhonda Byrne made[The Secret]. Maybe it's a good time for us to think about Kindle ebooks? I'm learning things on this forum each time I log on. I just have trouble with my self image but I'm working on it.
Interesting, As many have posted, the one thing you don't want to do is quit and give up on your dream of being successful in your own business. You must admit to yourself that failure is part of success, no failures, no success, it is that simple. Do not get down on yourself if you are not seeing the success you were hyped up on achieving. Sadly, the hype factor sets people up for failure as they will have expectations of get rich quick, and real businesses just do not work this way. It takes time and money to build a successful business, but never quit is lesson number one. Sure, you can change companies or products your promote, but never give up is my best advice, you will never know when your business will take off on its own, just be patient. Success to all,
First, Happy New Year to You Michelle! Now about you current situation; don't give up! As an entrepreneur, we have to travel a different rood. I would like to leave you with this; "He who holds the GOLD, make the Rules!" . Continue your walk, and know you are not walking this rood by yourself. There are many of us walking with you. Roger
