**This is a guest post by Brent Jones from BrentJonesOnline.com**
I’m a millennial.
Born in 1985, I never really learned the concept of failure. In fact, most of us millennials will recall receiving participation ribbons just for showing up. We were told daily that we could be anything that we wanted.
We’re also the generation that has never known life without computers.
It should come as no real surprise then that roughly half of all bloggers are millennials, born somewhere between 1980 – 1995. And while the tendency to embrace emerging technologies has been a mostly positive thing for our generation, we are also prone to impatience and narcissism.
We popularized the selfie, after all.
And why shouldn’t we be narcissistic? Our mothers told us every day growing up that we were special, right?
Shouldn’t that translate into publishing really special blog content?
Surely if we hit that magical Publish button in WordPress, readers will flock by the thousands to capture our every word…
…won’t they?
But with more than 152 million blogs online, many new bloggers quickly find themselves discouraged. Their first few posts didn’t garner thousands of comments and millions of shares as expected.
Now listen… if you are not a millennial, that’s okay, too. I didn’t write this post exclusively to address my peers. But I did write it to address a certain sense of self-entitlement that many bloggers seem to embody.
The truth is, we aren’t special. I’m not, you’re not, and Dre is not… no matter what our parents may have told us.
But just because we are not special individually doesn’t mean we can’t create something special collectively. The real truth of the matter is that…
Blogging Is a Contact Sport
Simply put, the more contacts we make as bloggers, the more success we find. And I intend to prove it to you.
In a post I published on my own blog several months ago, I wrote,
“They say that no man is an island, and this is also true of blogs.”
– Brent Jones
(How millennial of me was that? I just quoted myself…)
In other words, no one succeeds on their own… no one is that special.
Have you heard before that epic content is the key to building your readership?
It’s only half-true.
Sure, you need to produce high quality content… nobody is denying that. But there is a ton of useful information freely available on the internet… so what is it then that will make your blog special?
See, great bloggers aren’t just great writers… they’re also great relationship builders. Building meaningful relationships is the key to creating a loyal tribe of followers that care about your blog.
As they say,
People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.Click To TweetYou might blog regularly on interesting and helpful topics. Your writing might be compelling. Your branding and images might be world class. But the real truth of it is that none of those things can force people to care about what you have to say.
Think about it this way.
Which blogs do you read every week without fail? I bet there are a half-dozen or so blogs you follow religiously, and then some others that you check out every now and then. Am I right?
What is it that makes those half-dozen blogs you follow so appealing?
Is it because they feature groundbreaking, earth-shattering, mind-blowing content? The absolute best material you have ever seen?
Maybe.
But probably not.
I bet in a lot of cases the main reason you follow a particular blog is because you feel a connection with its author. You relate to his or her journey, and you trust him or her to guide you in the right direction.
It’s for the same reason you cheer for the local sports team…
It’s because of the sense of relationship and community you feel, even if that team isn’t the best in the league.
Here’s what I mean…
The Making of an Internet Star
Have you heard the name Jenna Marbles before?
(If you haven’t, just ask a millennial…)
Jenna, whose real last name is Mourey, was born in 1986. At the time I am writing this, she has the tenth most subscribed YouTube channel of all time… and bear in mind that some of the nine channels ahead of her include Katy Perry, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, and Eminem.
With more than 15 million subscribers and nearly 2 billion video views, you could say she is sort of a big deal.
And with good cause. She’s witty, personable, attractive, creative… the list goes on.
In fact, her breakout video, uploaded back in 2010, was entitled How to trick people into thinking you’re good looking. That video has more than 62 million views to date.
Have you seen the video?
Pretty funny, right?
But let’s get serious for a moment… was this video the greatest cinematic masterpiece you have ever seen? Is it deserving of 62 million views?
And is Jenna the most…
- witty,
- personable,
- attractive,
- and creative
…person you have ever encountered online?
Of course not.
I know that, you know that, and she knows it, too.
So why did this video gain so much popularity? And how did Jenna manage to build a vlog community of millions of loyal fans?
As the story goes, before recording this video, Jenna was employed by Barstool Sports to write for their sister site, Stool La La. Barstool Sports already had an established following online. So when Jenna uploaded this video to YouTube, she then embedded it on the blog she was hired to write for.
The rest, as they say, is history.
The viral hype continued with her followup video, How To Avoid Talking To People You Don’t Want To Talk To. That video accumulated more than 34 million views to date, especially since it was featured by both The New York Times and ABC News.
Why do I tell you this story? Is it to discredit Jenna and diminish her accomplishments?
Absolutely not. I am a huge fan. And much like blogging, vlogging is also a contact sport. Without a loyal tribe of viewers, a vlog is rather pointless.
But it is to illustrate the point that success is often not the result of best-in-class talent; rather, it is often the result of the connections we forge along the way and the exposure those established relationships provide us. And without Barstool Sports, Jenna might not be as wildly popular today…
Much as the saying goes, it isn’t what you know, but who you know that counts.
It isn’t what you know, but who you know that counts.Click To TweetAnd this is especially true when it comes to blogging.
Add a Little Special Sauce to Your Blog
The recipe I generally recommend that new bloggers follow breaks down like this…
- Spend 80 percent of your time networking
- Spend 20 percent of your time writing
Whether you have full-time availability or only part-time hours to devote to building your blog, do not fall into the trap many bloggers do…
That trap is what I like to call content overload.
Many bloggers fall into the trap of working tirelessly to create new content. They spend nearly all their time producing new blog posts, or working to create the most exceptional content possible. Their thought process is that – surely – one of these posts will go viral and turn their blog into an overnight success.
10… 20… 30 posts later…
Nothing.
Still a handful of shares, no comments, and no new subscribers… certainly no sales made.
Because let’s be honest. No one knows that content exists. And the few people that do really don’t care.
Frustrated and annoyed, the blogger resorts to all sorts of shady strategies to drive traffic…
- Forum spam
- Link dropping on social media
- Begging influencers to share their content
You get the idea.
Sure, you might get an influencer with 200,000 followers to share your newest post. But that’s a small win and it’s only a short-term gain.
Think about it.
Wouldn’t you rather have a loyal tribe of 200 readers, each with 1000 followers of their own, who share each and every one of your posts?
Of course you would!
It’s just common sense.
So instead, try this… let’s say you have only 10 hours a week to devote to your blog.
Spend two of those hours creating new content.
(That might mean you are only able to publish a new post once every 2-3 weeks…!)
And spend the remaining eight hours on activities that allow you to add value to others. In other words, spend that remaining time on relationship building.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Blog Comments
Identify bloggers in your niche, and then leave detailed, helpful and positive comments on their newest posts. Focus on identifying 10-20 notable bloggers, and do this consistently… every single week. Before long, that blogger will begin to recognize you, as will others that regularly comment on his or her posts.
Forums, Communities & Groups
Identify forums, Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, and Google+ communities where your target audience likes to hang out. Don’t join those networks to spam your own links! Instead, be helpful and engage in meaningful conversations. By adding value to these groups, you will start to build a following.
Guest Posting
Instead of begging others to look at or share your content, offer to contribute something to their content. Ask if you might be able to participate in a future roundup post, or to write a guest post, or to collaborate on a video or a webinar, or to contribute a graphic of some sort. Figure out what you can do for that other person without expecting anything in return.
Social Media
Make a point of actively adding likes, shares, and comments to posts published by both notable bloggers in your niche and your target audience. This could be as simple as interacting with 5-10 posts daily published by users you follow on each of your social networks.
Does all of this sound like a lot of work?
That’s because it is.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
– Thomas A. Edison
But remember, you’re not special.
You’re going to have to roll up your sleeves and get dirty if you want to make this blogging thing work.
The Proof Is in the Pudding
This afternoon at 2 pm PDT, Dre and I will be hosting a live Q&A session to answer all of your questions about earning an income online…
I hope you’ll attend. If you haven’t already, you can sign up here.
By the way… a year ago today, I didn’t have one single post published on my blog. That wouldn’t come until November. 10 months later, I’m collaborating with one of the most successful visual stylists and branding badasses on the internet.
How did that happen?
Glad you asked. Here is the story:
My wife had been part of The Badass Solopreneur Society for a couple of months. So I had heard the name Andrea Beltrami a couple of times, even though neither my wife nor I knew how to pronounce it correctly…
I started to check out Dre’s blog each week and to share her content…
@brentjonline thanks, brotha!! ✋
— Andrea Beltrami (@DreBeltrami) July 3, 2015
I followed her on social media.
She then hosted a webinar with another favorite blogger of mine, Sue Anne Dunlevie.
I made sure to sign up, and all throughout, I made use of the chat function on the side…
- I answered questions when they were asked of the group
- I asked questions when I was prompted
I think my name was used by both Dre and Sue about a dozen times throughout that hour.
Shortly after, I worked up the nerve to ask Dre to appear on my show, Better Blogging:
She agreed.
Since then, we have referred clients to one other.
And about a month ago, we got the idea to put together this live Q&A session that will be happening this afternoon. I also asked Dre if I could write a guest post for her blog.
And you’re reading it right now.
So, why do I tell you all of this? Is it to emphasize how special I am? How typically millennial I happen to be?
Not at all.
Quite the opposite.
What I am trying to underscore here is how not special I am.
Because if it hadn’t been for investing time into building a relationship with Dre, you may not have ever come across my name, my message, or my blog.
So what it is that will make your blog special?
Well, if it’s anything like mine… it’s the people, relationships, and sense of community you are developing along the way.
If you’d like to attend our free no holds barred Q & A session today {at 2pm PDT}, you can grab the link to join us live {and make sure you get access to the replay} by tapping some love on the ‘HELL YEAH’ button below. We’ll see you there…
Brent Jones is a freelancer, blogger and internet marketer and the man behind BrentJonesOnline.com. He lives in Fort Erie, Canada with his beautiful wife and two dogs.
Hi Brent and Dre!
Thanks so much for this crazy helpful post (and many others!). I’m off to Brent’s website now – learning more about how to find my people (wow that sounds so … biblical ^^). Anyways, shout out to you guys! Looking forward to reading more of you.
Brent’s a pretty cool cat, and he DEFINITELY nailed it on this one. Thanks a whole shit tonnery for the shout out and love, girl!! <3
Hello Dre.
How are you?
Happy to have found your blog. My wife and I started our blogging venture, just a couple of weeks ago. We are a married couple from Mumbai, India and we are very keen on growing a successful blog and one day – hopefully, get to the stage where we can make some money from it, to keep the fires at home burning.
Loved the part where you say about hitting that oh so magical WordPress publishing button and readers flocking by the thousands to see what it is. Wish that were so true.
Over 152 million blogs online?? Wow!!! Plus one more now..ours!!! Lol.
Rightly said, our first couple of posts generated nada for us and it is definitely very disappointing. What do we do now? No idea how to get traffic.
WOW! Love this..blogging is a contact sport. Just love the way you have said it…gives so much more meaning to the whole concept of how to create a successful blog.
Loved your tips on how to grow our blog. Will definitely be of immense help to us, as we are just starting out.
Thanks a lot for this awesome share.
Regards.
Vee N Ric
Vee N Ric recently posted…Countdown To New Year 2016 Life In India
Hey Vee, BIG ass high five for all the epic love for this guest post from Brent Jones – he TOTALLY nailed in on so many levels.
If you’re struggling with traffic the first thing I would do is start investing your time in building relationships with your peers and the movers and shakers in your niche. Blogger outreach {as it’s often called} was a HUGE piece of how I built my brand reach to such an epic place in the last year since I launched. Bottom line, spend more time building relationships and becoming active in groups and forums where your readers hang out and less time creating content for the sake of having new content.
You might also want to check out my free mini course on blog promotion too. You can subscribe for instant access here: https://thebrandedsolopreneur.com/how-to-promote-a-blog-post/
Here’s to your success in 2016 and beyond!
Hi Vee!
Glad you were able to take some value away from my guest post.
I see you left this comment in January… how have things gone over the past few months?
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Charge What You’re Worth with Brennan Dunn
“Brent is a cool cat…”
^ I smell a t-shirt business coming on.
Brent Jones recently posted…Charge What You’re Worth with Brennan Dunn
Hi Lisa…!
Well, I see you posted this comment in January.
And it’s now May.
So my apologies for the delay in replying to you. I really do endeavor to connect with every person who comments on my content.
Between January and now, there has been a lot of new and interesting content published over on Brent Jones Online. I hope you find what you’re looking for.
Best,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Charge What You’re Worth with Brennan Dunn
Hey, Brent,
While I do not want to start off this comment with another “great post here.” I’m tempted to follow suit with this blog’s style: this is a sodding badass post, a terrific knockout.
I must confess that though I’ve been lazy skipping over to your blog to give long reads, the punchy message on influential marketing you delivered on Andrew Warner’s blog last year still continues to help. A lot.
So, thanks a lot, Brent. And this is just another good one to add to the pack.
As a beginner, I fell flat on my face trying to write and publish one epic blog post per week until I found lots of crickets croaking on my blog. Then I found the tip shared here, “Relationship Marketing,” to be so profoundly useful for me.
Though I indulged in it because I felt it’s the way the gurus suggest we can build big blogs, it’s far more than that for me now. I COULDN’T NOT CONNECT AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS anymore. It’s fun. It’s great. Yes, one may likely never get a ton of favours when he asks, but often, you don’t always have to ask. Because you’ve added a monster load of value to those people you’re networking with, not quite wanting anything in return, they’ll always be glad to help you, even without you requesting.
A case in point was the time I tinkered with my blog and crashed it. Kevin Duncan, Sherman Smith, Siimon Sander (svtmedia.com), all went out of their way to help me. Kevin Duncan shared nothing less than 10 – 15 email messages, asking how he could help and devising several ways to help FTP the blog. Yes, I lost the blog, but that event still resonates with me strongly every time I remember. It made me fall in love with building online relationship afresh; viewing it differently.
So, Relationship marketing isn’t just about building a bigger blog. It’s more than that. I make bold to say it’s about affecting another’s life in a way they possibly can never imagine, in ways they never expected. You help them find holes they’ll need to plug in their own lives; holes they are oblivious to. That’s *sodding* adding value to another.
That’s the only way to keep sane in this almost insane web world filled with folks bugged with the *selfie* syndrome.
Thanks for sharing once again, Brotha.
Hope the year is off to a good start for you, Brent? *missed your blog and jumping over right now*
Warm regards.
— Yusuff Busayo
Soooo true, brotha! Relationship Building isn’t just a catch phrase or strategy, it’s a mentality and approach. It’s about putting people ahead of numbers, it’s about humanizing brands…and it’s a BEAUTIFUL thing! It changed my life and business, so I’m forever grateful it clicked for me when it did or I’d still be sitting here writing for nothing but a bunch of lame crickets.
Thanks a TON for the comment love, Yusuff! Here’s to your continued solo success in 2016 and BEYOND… {fist bump}
And here’s me taking that {fist bump}.
Enjoy the rest of the week.
By the way, did you get my email about the faulty opt-in form?
Hope you’ll fix it soon. And if it’s a mistake from my end, my browser is probably jinxed.
Yusuff Busayo
Yusuff Busayo recently posted…3 Classic Tricks To Write Copy That Catches Hell
Hi Yusuff,
Thanks for your detailed comment.
Wow, Kevin Duncan sure is a nice guy, my friend… I’ve always liked him.
The thing is, when you take relationships out of the equation, what’s really left to a blog? If we aren’t blogging for real, actual, live human beings… what’s the point? It would be a complete waste of time.
As far as my blog goes, I’m almost done re-branding and new content will be available soon. Shifting gears a fair bit. Take a look at the post I linked to in this comment for details.
Best,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…How I Wasted a Year Blogging – and Here’s What’s Next:
Incredible insights! I knew a couple of things, but never had it broken down this way.
Thank you Brent. Do these thoughts suffice if you primary aim is to reach out and impact a community of people?
I also think that a good blogger will strike a balance between building traffic and impacting lives with information. This is where content originality and purpose comes into play.
The danger with focusing on building audience is:
1. You will have a base of jolly focused folks
2. They will follow other bloggers with new subtle tricks.
You may pull a huge “followership” afterall. What is most crucial, for me, is how you influence them!
My thoughts are not sacrosanct too. (LOL)
Stoked to hear Brent put a helpful spin on this one that struck a cord for you. I think these principles are applicable to every approach to business AND life. How about you Brent?
BIG ass high five for the comment love, Afolayan! Have a KICKASS rest of the your week…
Hey Afolayan,
Thanks for leaving a comment.
I think that building relationships with other people is fundamental to influencing communities of any sort… both in person and online.
As they say, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
You can have the brightest words of wisdom ever spoken, but if no one knows about you or cares about what you have to say, those words fall on figurative deaf ears, don’t they?
Much like in sales, people buy from people like they and trust.
And unless people like and trust you, your level of influence will always be limited.
At the same time, I don’t deny that valuable content is important, too… consistently producing high quality material builds credibility for yourself, which helps others to buy into you.
(Dre is a great example of this… she consistently knocks it out of the park when it comes to creating content. Combine that with how down-to-earth she is, and people find it easy to buy into her as a person…)
Have an awesome week and thanks for commenting!
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Start Blogging Faster with Mike Allton
Hey Brent,
Awesome post here on Dre’s blog.
It interesting because I was all about networking and relationships early on, then I fell off from that for a while with guest posting and other stuff, now I’m realizing that building solid relationships is the main objective.
I knew it before, but I know it MORE now.
Content matters but if you don’t have the solid relationships to back you and support you, that content means nothing really.
Really great stuff on Dre’s blog here, Brent.
– Andrew
Andrew recently posted…5 Super Simple Strategies to Capture the Attention of Influencers (Without Being a Jerk!)
Right there with ya, bro. When I first started I totally didn’t understand what boom juice the relationship side of things was. I thought it was all about being a part of a click and shit like that. I’ve since drank the Kool-aid and consider myself a recovering dumbass…well, when it comes to this topic at least! ; ) You and I wouldn’t be having this exchange if we hadn’t seen the light, right? Thank god we did!
GARGANTUAN high five for the comment love on Brent’s post…nothing but love for ya, Andrew!
Hi Andrew!
Jeez, I thought I had already replied to your comment… you posted this almost two weeks ago! Sorry about that.
Replying to you now — LIVE — from Seattle, Washington. ?
I totally understand why people get caught up in just wanting to produce content… I mean, that’s why we started blogging, isn’t it? Because we had something to say.
But the relationships are so crucial, especially if we want to start earning from blogging. After all, people buy from people they like and trust, right?
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my guest post, Andrew!
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Start Blogging Faster with Mike Allton
Thanks for such an informative post. I think sometimes bloggers just need to be brave and get in touch with people and each other. Don’t be so shy!
Couldn’t agree more, Caroline! It’s ALL about connecting and building relationships. Once you have those it’s only onward and upward, which is the brand growth we’re all looking for. Thanks for the comment love and email, lady!
Hi Caroline!
Boy, you’ve got that right…
Take a chance and make a connection… sometimes, the craziest (good) things can happen as a result of just saying, “Hello.”
Wising you a wildly successful week! Thanks for commenting on my guest post.
Best,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Publish Your Writing with Don Easton
Wow, I love love this post Brent and Andrea! I have to admit, I was one of those people who was so focused on creating content.
Shares and follows feels good but it’s actually feels much better if you have real connections.
Not only I get more referrals, but I love the fact that I get more excited to work because I know I’m actually talking to real people.
So yes, meaningful relationships is always the KEY!
Right?! I couldn’t agree more! I get so much business from just genuinely connecting with people instead of pushing more content out. I don’t know where I’d be if I was still a marketing robot…thank god for interventions!
High five for the love, girl – you ALWAYS rock my world! ; )
Meaningful relationships are always the key, Pauline! That’s for sure.
We’ve all been there… continuously pumping out volumes of content to no avail. Or working so hard to drive those shares and comments up that we forget the journey is really about serving one person at a time…
And as you say, real people give you referrals… LOL. Which helps a lot.
Have an awesome day and thanks for leaving a comment!
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Publish Your Writing with Don Easton
Wow Brent,
This is really fantastic and i had to agree with all your points, really made lots of sense.
Indeed, blogging is all about building connections because at the end, what really counts is how many people you know. You can never succeed at it alone no matter how hard you try so, lets all start creating and nurturing those connections now.
Thanks for sharing.
Theodore Nwangene recently posted…125 Marketing Quotes from Top Bloggers
Big ass high five to that, brotha! It takes a village to build a blog, so here’s to fostering our relationships.
You got that right, Theodore! Glad to hear we’re on the same page.
What you’re saying is true — we can all be as awesome as we want, but a blog without a community is kinda like a burrito without ingredients… just kinda flat, flavorless and boring! ?
Keep building those connections.
Best,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Publish Your Writing with Don Easton
I hadn’t thought about it, but you are right. There are some blogs that I follow religiously because I know the author or feel like I know them.
I like that you broke down how much time should be spent building relationships to how much time spent on writing my own content. 80/20 gives me a clear mark to aim for. Thank you!
Erika Swafford recently posted…The Easiest Way to Wield Your DSLR Camera Like a Pro
Epic content is great, but there’s NOTHING like relationship building and supporting and celebrating your fellow bloggers to get you the success you want. Now go get em, girl!! ; )
Hi Erika,
Pleased to connect. ?
I know it goes the same way for me… there are some blogs I read without fail every week. And it isn’t necessarily because they offer content I can’t find anywhere else – it’s because of the connection I feel with the author.
Same goes for building our own audiences. If we spend 80% of the time building relationships, we suddenly find ourselves with a lot of people interested in what we have to say the other 20% of the time.
Glad this guide helped you. Have a great week!
Best,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Publish Your Writing with Don Easton
Great reminder Brent, and great piece too.
We must spend more time on the things that matter, and after a while that is not content. I realised this earlier this year and focused more on what is growing my business at the time. Local contacts and relationships. The online ones were not doing it for me.
That has also recently changed and I am refocusing online with people I know and love. But it is hard to do both! I think I need to take a leaf out of your book and allot time each week to do things like this! It is so important and not that much time in the end.
Great stuff
ash
Ashley Faulkes recently posted…5 Insider Tips To Boost Your Next Landing Page
I’m right there with ya, Ashley! Building relationships has been brand changing for me but it’s one of those things that’s easy to let slip in the midst of content creation and client management. I need to set aside time too – so let’s keep each other on it with our typical witty banter! ; ) High five for the comment love and for being one of the coolest cats I’ve met online. ROCK ON, brotha man…
Hi Ashley!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
Years ago, one of my mentors told me this about important tasks:
“They’re easy to do, and easy not to do.”
In other words, they’re important but not urgent.
We all get caught up a little too often in putting out fires and doing the day-to-day tasks, so much so that we forget to see the bigger picture… like the value in building meaningful relationships with other people.
That’s why I have to schedule blog commenting and social interactions each week — because if I don’t, they won’t happen.
Don’t be too hard on yourself though. I’ve got to know you much better over the last couple months — and I think that’s time well-invested!
Best,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Publish Your Writing with Don Easton
Hey Dre and Brent,
Awesome share and I’m SO late to the party. It’s been such a busy day for me and I missed the darn webinar. I hate when that happens darn it.
As I was scrolling through the comments I was about to say that I’m the only Boomer commenting but then I saw Sue. I’m not alone here, we old fogies might not be a millenium kid but we still got it! ?
Well I personally think everyone is special in their own way but when it comes to being online you’re absolutely right Brent. I get tired of hearing how fabulous our content has to be in order to get people’s attention but just getting their attention is no longer enough.
I’m kind of annoying when it comes to that relationship building stuff but as you very well know, it just works. None of us can do this alone, we need the support and help of our fellow bloggers so just be nice, help them out and just maybe they might want to do something nice for you. Don’t expect it though so just know that coming into this.
Love this post and congrats for the guest post. Sorry I’m late but I’m off to share it and make sure my friends see it tomorrow.
Have a fabulous evening both of you.
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…How To Write For Your Target Audience
You and Sue are the BEST relationship builders I know, Adrienne! I’ve learned soooooo much reading and devouring your content and just watching how you do things, so I’m kind of having a girl crush moment right now that you’re commenting on my piece of real estate! ; ) Seriously though, keep preaching that relationship building stuff…you’re changing lives in the most epic ways! High five for all the love on Brent’s post, lady!!
Why thank you Dre, I appreciate that and Sus is definitely pretty awesome I agree.
You read my content? Really? Well I’ll be darn, I didn’t know that so thank you for sharing that with me and you happen to rock your content as well my dear. You ARE the branding queen in my book and people really should listen to what you have to share, me included. I kind of suck at all this consistent stuff but I’m working on it. Oh yeah…
I appreciate you saying that, I think those who skip over the relationship building part of this are just accidents waiting to happen. I mean come on now! You cannot do this alone just like me helping Brent get this post shared around cause I know he rocks and I know YOU rock too. That’s what friends are for right!
Thanks Dre for your response and keep rocking our world with your awesome content now. We appreciate you.
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…The Ultimate Guide to Creating a Video Interview Series
Hey Brent,
It’s a coincidence that I ran into your post. I just read about how the Alexa rating doesn’t matter when determining the success of a blog and this post compliments this.
Brent you are many years younger than me but yet much wiser. Especially when it comes to blogging.
You are definitely an influencer and you can attribute most of your success through networking. That is key and I do most of the tasks you mentioned here! You can definitely not go wrong with them!
Thanks for sharing! Have a good one!
Sherman Smith recently posted…9 Ways To Not Waste Your Time Blogging
I couldn’t agree more, although I don’t like to admit that when it comes to making Brent’s head even bigger than it already is. ; ) All joking aside, he sure does know his shiz though, so I’m stoked he put this gem together to share on my blog. High five for the comment love, Sherman!!
Hi Brent,
This is one of the best posts I’ve read this month. ? Seriously, love your millennial angle on this important topic.
Building relationships is so crucial to blogging. It took me some time to embrace that 100%. I enjoy meeting people online and getting to know them, The thing is, I still sometimes get too focused on content and let the relationship building slide. Between you and Adrienne Smith this week, the message is getting hammered through my thick skull in a good way.
You gotta make time each day to build relationships. No getting around it.
As a member of Gen X, I gotta say your portrayal of millenials as narcissistic, participation trophy displaying d bags is spot on…just kidding. ? Truth be told, Gen X and Boomers have their share of selfie snowflakes. I sure hope they read this too. ?
See ya around,
Matthew
I 2nd that, Matthew – Brent totally NAILED IT! It took me far too long to embrace that building relationships was where to focus my efforts, so I hope other’s will be saved from the wasteful act of lobbing their content out there without knowing better through this article too. High five for the comment love and for becoming part of the Society, brotha. We need to jump on a call and chat sometime, I see you all over and REALLY need to practice what I just got done preaching. ; )
Yeah Andrea, I’d like to chat sometime as well. You can email me anytime and we’ll make that happen.
I know Brent has met some great people through my activities and what’s cool is thanks to him, I have now met you, and some other great folks too.
You’re someone I’ve noticed on my interwebs radar for awhile as well. You definitely have a lot going for you with your branding and your digital marketing has got it going on. Looking forward to participating in the Society. ?
Awwww, thanks for the wicked case of warm & fuzzies. Consider an email in your inbox! I can’t wait to finally connect and get my Matthew time on. Chat soon, brotha man!! ; )
Hi Matthew,
That’s quite a compliment coming from you… I consider you to be the first influential dude I really connected with a year ago when I started blogging and freelancing professionally.
You were also my first guest on Better Blogging…
And you’ve helped me out in numerous other ways.
Don’t be so hard on yourself, because I think you do an excellent job at relationship building.
And it certainly isn’t just millennials that think of themselves as special little snowflakes… it’s just disproportionately millennials who think that way. lol
Chat soon,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Find Targeted Readers with Don Purdum
Brent,
You have become one of my favorite people online, dude. You are REALLY good at what you do and its fun to watch you grow.
This is the second Andrea you’ve introduced me to. ? Both are millennials who get this.
Talk soon,
Matthew
Your skull isn’t thick Matthew and I agree with Brent, I think you’re pretty influential yourself. Glad the message is coming through though loud and clear. ?
~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…How To Write For Your Target Audience
Ok, I may be a bit biased since I admire Dre so much and since Brent is my husband, but this post was EPIC!
We were raised to think we’re special little snowflakes… and most of us live our lives that way. We take without understanding how to give first. I just watched something where Gary V. said most of us expect our relationships to give us 99% of their time… which is totally unrealistic.
So, we should totally give, give, give first… only then, can we build a community of friends online who also like reading our blog posts. ?
Andréa Christine recently posted…Buying Social Media Followers Is Bad For Business
A-freakin-men to that, sista! It’s crazy how entitled we get and how hard it is to overcome. It took me a long time to get to a place of true giving but daaaaaaayum has it changed everything in the most amazing ways. And really, let’s be real, giving feels even BETTER than getting most times so it’s actually a bigger win/win. High five for the love, girl!!
Hello, love. <3
I appreciate your bias. ?
Yeah, Vaynerchuk is the king of knocking people down a few pegs back to reality… he’s kinda my hero. lol
We definitely need to take an interest in others before we can expect them to be interested in us. And sometimes it stinks because we take an interest in people who never reciprocate… but that’s okay! Life isn’t always fair!
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Find Targeted Readers with Don Purdum
I loved this post! I’m a millennial too (born in 1983). But I actually have the opposite problem than what’s stated in Brent’s post. My mom instilled in me the fear that I am NOT special, unique, etc. And that idea was reinforced during my formative years in school (as an inner city youth in a struggling school district there were no activities to participate in, let alone for which to receive participation trophies). So I’m fighting a lot of negative self-talk that holds me back from posting, from networking, and from generally putting myself out there.
This post was such a great reminder to me that I need to try harder to stop being the antisocial social-networker. Thank you so much!
Tillia Monier recently posted…On the art of being alone
Oh yeah, that inner self hatin bitch is the WORST! Don’t let her get to you, you HAVE to believe in yourself, which I know is real hard sometimes but it’s going to hold you back in soooo many ways. I’ve struggled with negative self talk for most of my life too so I know the anti-social battle real well. Start finding like minded peeps to reach out to, peeps that have been open about their struggles and keep it real…those people will help you take baby steps towards believing in yourself. The crux of the problem for our type is the ruminating ALONE…don’t do it. Let other’s be a part of your struggle and the doubts and fears WILL start to subside. You’ll have more kickass days then suckage days, which will start adding up and take the edge off the doubts.
I’m over here cheering your badass on, you got this, sweets!!
Hi Tillia,
So glad you found value in my post, my fellow millennial!
Just to address a point you and Dre both made… I think sometimes the idea of negative self-talk is thought be a uniquely female problem.
It isn’t.
I second guess myself all the time… and usually before I hit the Publish button on anything, I sit there wondering… why would anybody care? Am I really an authority on this topic…?
I can’t pretend that I grew up as an “inner city youth in a struggling school district” — experiences are all relative. But what I can say is that self-doubt and limiting beliefs affect us all.
If you ever want to chat one-on-one Tillia, I’d be happy to connect.
Best,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Find Targeted Readers with Don Purdum
Well Brent, to be honest, you really know how to make sense out of things the right way! kudos to You Man!
“I think my name was used by both Dre and Sue about a dozen times throughout that hour.” Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is one among many indicators (other indicators are increase in sales, loyalty) that suggest that your Relationship Marketing efforts are successful.
So next time you want to know if your relationship marketing efforts are paying off, keep check on WOMM, increase in sales, customer loyalty (1).
Thanks Dre! ?
References:
1. Exploring relationship marketing in membership associations Nathan A. Vincent and Cynthia M. Webster Department of Marketing and Management, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
Arshad recently posted…Word of Mouth Marketing: 20 Shocking Facts about WOMM
Couldn’t have said it better, brotha! If you’ve got people talking you up because they know and dig you then you’re on the right road. There’s NOTHING like some good old WOMM. Big ass high five coming at ya for the comment love, Arshad – Brent totally killed it on this one. ROCK ON, brotha man…
Arshad! You’re such a great guy. I love that you cite sources in your comments… very cool!
Thanks for your kind words! I know if I run a seminar or a webinar, I really appreciate audience participation. So I figured if Dre and Sue were opening it up to questions or feedback, I should be as engaged as possible.
At the time, I hadn’t talked to either of them very much, although I respected them both. So I was glad I was suddenly at least on their radars!!
Have a great day my friend.
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Find Targeted Readers with Don Purdum
Thank you so much Dre for the privilege of publishing a post on your blog! I really hope your readers enjoy it, and I will certainly respond to any comments on this post!
Chat with you this afternoon at 2 pm Pacific!
Best,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Find Targeted Readers with Don Purdum
I only share my real estate with top shelf badasses so thank YOU for being the allstar brotha from anotha motha you are!!
Hi, Brent,
LOVE this post (even though I found out you are young enough to be my kid!)
Relationships are the key – (and name dropping – thanks for the shout out!)
I get questions from new bloggers every day and connecting to other bloggers is one of the first things I recommend.
Thanks for the great read.
Sue
Sue Anne Dunlevie recently posted…How to Create Content that Generates 1,000 Visitors Every Single Day
Brent made me feel like an old lady too, Sue – damn kids! ; ) Thanks for all you do to help us, lady – you’re the QUEEN of relationship building and have taught me soooo much I can’t begin to tell you!!
Well, hold on now… Dre, if I remember correctly, you’re not that much older than I am… and Sue? You don’t look a day past 26.
Yep, I’ve lived to be the wise old age of 30. It’s tough to get more millennial than being born in 1985, isn’t it?
Glad you enjoyed the post and happy to mention you, Sue. You rock!
Have a good one,
Brent
Brent Jones recently posted…Find Targeted Readers with Don Purdum