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Future Self-Published blog entries will be available on my website charmbaker.com

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Self-Branding: When Will YOU Finally Start?

Read why my 2016 Focus went from Fiverr.com to Just Charm!


Self-branding is something that I have realized was important  for a while, however, I have to admit, I have done a piss pour job of demonstrating it.   Having the right attitude about self-branding is something worth giving sincere thought to.  Failing to develop a self-promotional attitude is counterproductive to whatever you hope to achieve online.

For years, my own son (the business major) has scolded me about my bad habit of latching on to someone else and THEIR dream.  Since I've been a freelance writer, I have rallied for other websites and online businesses that I found to be worthy.  I have spent a significant  amount of time and manpower (or woman-power) singing the praises of everyone but myself.  Clearly, this is no way to effectively brand yourself, not when you're busy promoting someone else's name.

2016 Plans Change

This year, my intention was to hit the ground running, by launching a Fiverr.com related blog, and devoting all my time to promoting Fiverr gig providers like myself.  Fiverr is a great site for finding creative ways to generate online income, especially if you have a wild imagination.  For freelance writers like me, there is a great demand for a variety of writing related work.  I've used the site off and on for several years, but last year I really began to experience a lot more success, primarily because I started using video presentations.

My initial intention this year was to generate more Fiverr sales for the gigs I planed to provide, while at the same time, helping to market and promote other Fiverr gig providers. The idea to shift my focus and concentrate on me - just Charm - all started when I was having trouble uploading acceptable videos to the Fiverr website.  I made the decision after experiencing a series of creative, technical, and finally administrative difficulties.  During this time, my son continued to caution me about exerting so much time and effort to yet another name that wasn't mine.  I thought seriously about what he was saying, and knew he was right.  Then and there, I decided to change my plans.  Fiverr would be the last thing on my mind, at least for 2016.

Believe in You

I considered my previous record of getting fixated on everyone's good idea but my own.  I told myself, there comes a time when you truly have to believe in YOU.  For me, that means self-branding instead of always promoting someone else and their brand.

PERSONAL EXAMPLES:

Years ago, I fell in love with Constant Content - a site I still earn money from, although I haven't written anything new in a while.  Any writer who is familiar with this site knows that it can be difficult to write for because the administrators are extremely hard to please.  My point is, when I first discovered the site, in addition to writing as a ghost writer for Constant Content, I was so ga-ga for them, that I created a website specifically to promote them to other writers.  You can imagine the time that it took to do this; time away from my actual writing!

Bubblews was another writing platform that I was hooked on and began to excessively promote, even when others were having financial problems with them.  I created two blogs that were dedicated to the site, one for the existing writer, and one to inform those who were interested in joining.  Bubblews turned out to be a fraudulent company that schemed lots of writers out of the writing compensation they earned.  But even if this had not been the case, it was a mistake on my part, to devote so much energy to helping someone else's brand.  The year that I wasted fooling around with Bubblews (for a few hundred bucks), I could have been marketing the novel I had only published less than 3 months earlier!

Plan to Self-Brand

If you take anything away from the information you read in this post, let it be the desire to start self-branding you and whatever it is you promote online.  This doesn't mean that you shouldn't accept work from others, or not take advantage of referral or affiliate opportunities.  The money that I continue to earn from Constant Content is a direct result of their former Writer's Compensation program that I was grandfathered into.  Some of the more than 90 writers that I encouraged to sign up for the website years ago continue to earn me commissions.  There is nothing wrong with speaking positive about a brand you believe in, but why not start doing the same about your own brand???

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