It isn't Me, or You. It's Us.

byklww14

171 followers

Updated 2 years ago

I'm in my second year of WA. I didn't do much with my first year, and that's on me. After some soul searching and watching various training videos here on WA, I came to the very obvious conclusion that I have to do a LOT more research. I had arrogantly concluded that I didn't need to do all that much research since I've been involved with my subject for several decades. I may not be an expert in the field, but I am experienced and very knowledgeable.

BZZT!

Here's the thing. Your content will attract more readers when you meet the needs of your readers. If it's a field of interest to you, it's more likely that you will match your readers interests. You'll have the same questions and you'll enjoy the same kinds of posts. Maybe.

It's not a guarantee.

I have recognized that I didn't have a good grasp on what my target audience wants.

How did I figure it out? I took the wait and see approach. I published what I felt like publishing and waited to see if anyone liked it.

There are a couple of problems with this approach.

1. It's self-indulgent and lazy. Real information/facts will beat "trusting your gut" every time. (If your gut happens to be right, a little research will prove it and you can quickly go on your merry, content-producing way.)
   
2. It takes a while to find out you're wrong. Time = money, in this case, lost money.
   

Research your audience! Get to know them! Go where they like to hang out! Visit niche related forums (fora?)!

I knew all this stuff. But did I do it? No, I proved once again, that knowing what to do, and doing what I need to do, are two very different things.

In all fairness to me, I did visit Quora several times to see what people were asking about in regard to my niche. But I didn't look very hard for niche specific forums. I looked in one or two obvious places, and didn't find much, which surprised me. Then, based on those limited findings, I decided that there weren't any niche-specific forums for me to look at.

Silly wannabe affiliate marketer!

There are a fair few niche-specific forums for me out there. But, I'm pretty sure Quora is NOT used much by my target audience. It happens. I learned something new.

Lizard Brains Rule!

Not putting in the effort to do real research amounts to self-sabotage. Why did I do it?

I've been tired. Not so much physically as mentally and emotionally. Some of it is due to some very trying personal stuff that went on for many years. It's been over for a few years, but it's not the kind of thing you recover from overnight, so I have to cut myself some slack there. I've made a lot of progress, so only a little slack. But I do have to keep my eye on self-care.

Secondly, it's the pandemic, stupid! Everyone has been stressed out to some degree. I've thought myself fairly well insulated from the effects of it, but I've been watching what's happening in the rest of the world enough to know that it's kind of crazy out there. We're all stressed and worried enough to make poor decisions sometimes.

Thirdly, becoming a wealthy affiliate marketer represents big change for me. It's strange and unfamiliar. Our lizard brains fear change and do their best to prevent it. Self-awareness is required so you can put a stop to that before you get too off the trail. I'm working on it every day.

Like you, I have a goal.

My daughters work out there as essential, aka disposable, workers. I fantasize about making enough money to give my daughters (and me!) the freedom to live our lives the way we want to, including staying home and safe when that's the right thing to do.

Then I remember Jay's advice to avoid drama at all costs. It's great advice.

I wish I were better at following it, but I'm surrounded by it. And I'm not alone in feeling this way.

A recent study of "cascading collective traumas" in the US shows that we're all feeling battered by the endless parade of horrifying events. It certainly explains a lot. There's a definition for the term, but I think we all know what it means.

The study makes it clear that current events are piling trauma on top of trauma without giving us a chance to recover and it's having lots of effects. Avoiding, or at least minimizing, news exposure can help, but that can increase the bubble effect. How can we relate well to our prospective audience if we're out of touch with what they're dealing with?

The best solution appears to be a strong, committed, and integrated community. Strong social networks can greatly decrease the negative effects of the seemingly endless cascade of catastrophes.

Could WA be that kind of community?

For some of you, I suspect it already is.

The answer isn't "me" or "you." It's "us."

Wishing all of you peaceful, restful sleep and productive days filled with Google-loving posts!

Karen