How to Be A Great Blogger; Think Alaska and Not Spirit
The quest is on. There are 800 million Instagram users and 60% of them are daily active users. How will you pine for their attention? How will you steal the spotlight? How will you provide the ultimate value for your fans, followers, and trusted social media admirers? Here’s how.
The space is saturated with people; that’s a given. BUT, it is NOT saturated with value. There’s a lot of “crap-ola” out there and you know that you’re a witness to the chaos. If you’re a blogger, small business owner, or budding entrepreneur.. you shouldn’t be afraid of the massive pool you’re being thrown into. You can be a shark and not a guppy. You can win people over. You can succeed in an internet world of 7 billion people; you can.
But how? You ask.
Let’s dig in.
Flying may or may not be the analogy today because I’m currently writing on a plane, but still—it works!
If you want to be successful in your business today, your online presence matters. Want to challenge me? Go ahead. The second I go to look up your car repair company, beauty salon, or restaurant… I can guarantee you that if you have no review, no online persona, and no photos.. I ain’t comin’ and I ain’t buyin’.
Today I’m flying on Spirit (THANKS FOR BOOKING MY FLIGHT TREV, APPRECIATE IT! *groan*). I not only had to pay $43 just to check my bag… it was CHEAPER to check my bag, than to take it on the plane. (Naturally, I packed a TON because I could, yup!). They basically charge you to breathe on this plane, I swear.
There are plenty of paralells between the types of flights/airlines and the types of bloggers/online gurus.
SPIRIT : THE CHEAPO BAIT + SWITCH
Hi, my name is Chelsea and I’ll be your flight attendant. You have to pay to talk to me, oh, and you have to pay for water. You have to pay for your seat once you’ve already paid for your seat. The ticket to board is basically pennies… but make sure you bring extra cash (oh wait, we don’t accept cash) for all of the extras.
This is how I feel when a blogger has loads of ads on their website. UGH. ARGH. It’s so annoying and frustrating when I’m trying to read a post and there are flashing ads across the side panel. I know people who do this and they may make like $100-200 a month for their views, etc. but trust me ladies, it is not worth it. It makes your site look tacky and unprofessional. If you aren’t being paid for the “value” you create with your actual content; maybe you need to reevaluate your profession.
When it comes to the non-bloggers, the same could be said for businesses that are super “flashy” with promotions. CALM. DOWN. When you have the right product-market fit… when you have the best in the business, your product will (more or less) sell itself. I mean, you’ve got to do the leg work: but if you ain’t got it—throwing obscene promotions in your Facebook friend’s faces WON’T HELP.
I feel like Spirit is a bit of a fraud, you know? It’s like geo-tagging a place you’ve never been, just to “show up” on that location’s feed and get exposure. I truly believe that being “authentic” with your wareabouts is JUST as important as goingTO those places. If you’re a homebody, make sure people know. If you’re always out, let people know where you go and your actual, true opinions on those places. Don’t be a fraud.
SOUTHWEST – UNCERTAIN, BUT NICE
Trevor loves Southwest. I mean, he flew Southwest almost always, until he got his Alaska Card with perks on perks. Why? Well, they didn’t charge for their checked bag, they let you pick your seat when you arrived at the gate, and they even (occasionally) gave you a comp’d adult beverage (no joke!).
I kind of hated “not knowing where my seat would be,” but Trevor had his tactics. He’d keep his head down and not look at the passerby’s… they’d typically walk past and he’d have a row to himself. Genius? Eh, risky. Honestly, I do like Southwest. It’s a good airline. But as a blogger, do you really want to be the center of uncertainty, giveaways, and hand outs? Probably not.
This reminds me of the bloggers who don’t know how to monetize. They just keep on creating and man, they get a lot of followers, views, and clout! Yes! But, if it doesn’t translate to $$ in the bank (and you’re not doing it for “fun”)… then, maybe you should just charge people a fair price and give them the certainty of great value (aka an aisle seat!).
If you’re a blogger, Instagram model, or small business head, I want you to think about your actual “offer.” What are you giving them? Is it a photo of your nice body? Tips on meal plans? Décor ideas? Mindless blah blah blah? Whoever you are and whatever you’re posting; know that you are only as good as your (actual) value. A hand-knit Christmas blanket from your great grandma may be worth it’s weight in gold to YOU, but to 99.999999% of the world, it’s an old rag. If you’re only appealing to weird foreign men who think you’re hot… you may be barking up the wrong tree. You could have 100,000 people at your free concert, but if they’re not going to buy your merch—it may be a waste of a performance.
Whatever your craft is; make it truly valuable. Secure it. Charge a fair price. Don’t give people the wrong things and expect to be paid fairly.
PRIVATE JET – WASTE O’ MONEY
I recently saw a snap of Cardi B sitting in an airport chair squawking about how this is the third time her Private Jet needed to land spontaneously in a random city. As she sat in Chicago, waiting for her arrangements to be made, she went on about how “this would never happen on f******g Delta!”
Gee. Sometimes being special and fancy and rich ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. When you’ve got Kulture at home, you want to get back home in a jiffy. Unless you’re scared about being pinned down in an airport for your elaborate fame and fortune; do you really need a PJ? First class? Special treatment?
In blogging, I know PLENTY of women who THINK THEY GOT IT. They assume that whatever little stardom, fame, control, or clout they have is an end-all-be-all for paving their way to happiness, money, and success. News flash, it’s not. There’s always a catch.
Also, this just in; you’re not special.
There maybe 3 million people who have “followed” you Instagram, but if each of them ain’t giving you $1 per year, shut up and put your money where your mouth is. Tomorrow, that’s what I’ll get for waking up in Vegas. (Bad, off topic joke? Eh.)
Anywho. If you aren’t bringing in the dough but you have the clout (like, idk, the rest of the Baldwin brothers), then what is your fame really getting you? Into clubs? COOL. You win. Game over. So jealous.
If you’re going to take a private jet, you better be fronting the bill and it better not be your rent money.
ALASKA – SAFE, SOUND, & PLENTY OF PERKS
Ahhh, isn’t that nice. An option that doesn’t suck in some way! You know that if someone granted you a flight with the airline of your choosing, you would pick Alaska. Cushy seats. Free water (imagine that!). Snacks on snacks. Oh, they’re coming back around with more snacks. You can call the flight attendant from their seat and WOW, you aren’t charged $10. You’ve got leg space. You get to pick your seat. Their online interface is on point. Their app doesn’t look like a children’s playhouse / funny comic book *cough* Spirit*. They do charge for a carry-on, but it makes sense. $25, reasonable price. Safe. Secure. The Best.
You want to be Alaska.
As a blogger, business owner, and influencer… you need to be Alaska or you are not going to be used, liked, or revered.
How? Why?
Alaska offers a stellar plan. You sign up for their credit card and mileage plan, you get perks. You are incentivized to stay with them, use them, look at their flights. They offer you more than just a plane with plastic seats. They offer you an experience. A trusted, whole-hearted, lovely, ideal — experience.
If you’re a blogger, think about these separate experiences for your customer:
Aesthetic. Does your “plane” look like a worthless plastic pile of crap? Maybe you need a rebrand. (Sorry to be harsh.). There’s no shame in taking “aspects” of other bloggers, influencers, or businesses that you like and gleaning the best and brightest things from them. Mockery is the sincerest form of flattery. If you’re running an Instagram feed, fliter through colors, vibes, moods, or tones. If you run 3 sub businesses within your business, have some “trends” that run throughout all. You know that Diet Coke comes from Coke, but the branding looks a little different on each can, you know?
Price. Try to find ways that your “presence” and “influence” and “reach” is getting you paid. Not advertising or cheesy sponsored ads. I mean, if you love a product, by golly- get that shiz sponsored and promote the heck out of it… but don’t do things just because they pay a meniscal amount. It will ruin the trust you have with your following. The fact that you have access to a specific niche of people should be your ultimate gold. When a brand sees that you constantly drink coffee and support fair trade, a company providing this will pay you to just “exist” with this product, not to blast it all over like you’re a Black Friday newspaper ad.
Perks. Occasionally, I do giveaways. It’s not often, but I do them. Whether it be a loop, photoshoot, product, etc. I participate in things that you can actually “take home” as a follower. What does this do? Well, it helps keep people on the edge of their seats. It helps people to see, realize, & identify my site / Instagram as a place where they can do “virtually nothing” and win something awesome. Alaska does this too. Hey, we give you a companion fare and GUESS WHAT? Your significant other can go for free or a discounted rate. You get miles for spending money you’d already spend. You get leg room. People need to see that following YOU and your platform(s) gets them something immediate, continual, or long term. If you aren’t posting Tammy Hembrow body pics or Janice Joostima adventures in France, you’ll need something more interesting than your coffee cup to keep people aboard your flight.
Value. What are you actually providing? A safe flying experience? Then…do it. Define your value and then stick to it. If a brand wants to work with you and they 1.) Ask the world of you for just a product in return 2.) Don’t fit your vibe or 3.) Don’t pay you or at least love the content you bring to the table… don’t work with them. I’ve never seen Alaska pull someone off the flight by their hair or do shady United crap. If you know who you are, write down who you want to be, and follow through with the opportunities that make you shine, sparkle, and smile… you WILL rise above. If you are providing your followers and trusted confidants with continuous, helpful, valuable content; you. Will. Win.
Well, this flight is in descent and it wasn’t so bad. I brought water. I also may or may not have brought $36 wine in a coffee cup and casually drank it throughout the flight, but I just wanted to give you something to chew on.
If you take anything away from this passage, it’s three things:
ONE : Don’t be cheap.
{Give people your best and have them pay an appropriate price}
TWO : Know your worth and show it.
{Be an example to others of how social media holds enormous value and isn’t all that superficial crap (all the time)!}
THREE : Provide Value
{Give people something they want, need, and can’t live without}
Alright folks,
Landing now into Vegas.
Gotta sign off.
I would put away my tray table, but it’s literally just a flap!
Goodnight!
Xo
Chelsea
