Hi friends! Today I wanted to chit chat about the most common mistakes I see from aspiring influencers. And it’s not just new influencers making these mistakes, but also seasoned girls in the business, too!

4 Mistakes Holding You Back From Being A Successful Influencer

Nobody wants to hear that they’re doing something wrong. But all too often I see these 4 common mistakes that hold people back from achieving all the things they want for themselves and their life! And as your business BFF I don’t want that someone to be YOU!

Externalizing your success

Have you ever thought:

“If only this bigger blogger would shout me out”

“Ugh the Instagram algorithm hates me!”

“If only LIKEtoKNOW.it would repost me”

“Why don’t my photos get as many likes as X”

Here’s the thing – I could go on, but basically, if you’ve had these type of thoughts, you’re blaming your lack of success thus far on external things you can’t even control. AKA, you need to re-focus on what YOU can directly improve on. Stop comparing your engagement, blaming the algorithm (which works the same for everyone), etc. Trust me, once you let these things go you will not only enjoy your work a lot more but also start seeing progress.

So what should you do instead? Study your analytics, research on how to improve your skills (photography, editing, study how other influencers foster their community’s relationship and remember what truly matters -your audience, not your likes. Let the silly vanity metrics go, because they don’t determine your value…or your bank account.

Not having a business plan

If you’re wanting to grow an influencer business, you have to start treating it like one from the beginning instead of a hobby. I know from experience, that until you fully commit to making it happen, it won’t just magically happen.

Sit down and write down your goals. Where do want to be and why do you want to do this? Set time frames around those that are realistic. Then work backward as to what tasks do you need to do to accomplish your goals. Remember though, you want your goals to have substance. Simply wanting to hit 10k on Instagram doesn’t mean you magically have a business and brands will be knocking on your door!

Not focusing on income-generating tasks

It can be easy to get sucked into the black hole of social media. Trust me, I’ve been there myself! And while it is important to engage with your community, I recommend setting aside a specific time frame around that. For instance, I am going to comment and respond to direct messages for 30 minutes from 11-11:30am. This way, you have a set time to connect with your audience and then you can move on to tasks that are going to make you money! Remember a business without income is an expensive hobby.

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Not Investing in Your Business

I’m a big believer that you need to have a little skin in the game to commit your time and energy to grow a business. It wasn’t until I initially invested in myself and the blog that I was truly motivated to make a return on that investment and move things forward. If you’re not willing to invest in yourself, are you really motivated to make things happen, or is it just a hobby?

In the beginning, more than likely you have to make sacrifices to your free-time to dedicate to your side-hustle. If you’re working full-time, I shared tips on how to balance blogging with a full-time job in this post.

Not only do I mean committing to invest your free time, but also making smart business investments. I shared the many ways I currently invest in my business right now in this post. Now don’t let this long list overwhelm you (I know how easy that is in this industry!), but I thought it would be helpful to share different ways you can invest in your business as you grow. There are a lot of ways you can invest in your business, but if you’re feeling lost and need more direction I would look into a course or mentorship opportunity. I launched The Profitable Influencer in 2020 specifically to help aspiring influencers who want to turn their side-hustle into a full-time gig.

So be honest, have you found yourself stuck in any of these mistakes? Let me know in the comments below! If you haven’t already subscribed to my Influencer newsletter, I send out monthly business tips along with a monthly Q&A answering your burning questions about the biz!

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