Have you ever gotten a copyright strike on YouTube and been anxious all day? Or, have you seen a site you frequent slowly fade away and go under? We take a lot of the online world for granted, thinking it is permanent, but it is fleeting and temporary. What we rely on today for making money and growing a personal brand may not exist tomorrow. Like tears in rain.
And what can we do about it?
Content creators and influencers face the constant challenge of building and maintaining their online communities. While platforms like social media and video-sharing sites offer unparalleled reach, relying solely on these platforms for traffic can be risky. The importance of owning your audience cannot be overstated. By cultivating a loyal following, diversifying your online presence, and engaging with your community across various platforms, you gain the power to bring your audience with you wherever you go, ensuring a resilient and lasting connection.
The Vulnerability of Platform Dependency:
Relying solely on a single platform for traffic and community engagement puts you at the mercy of its policies and decisions. If you violate the platform's guidelines or find yourself caught in an algorithmic change, your community and reach can be severely impacted. Additionally, platforms may shut down unexpectedly, leaving you without a means to connect with your audience. By owning your audience, you mitigate these risks and establish a more solid foundation for your online presence.
We can see many success stories. Content creators are kicked off YouTube and wind up on Twitch, or off Twitch and go back to YouTube. Celebrities sign hundred million dollar deals to shift their entire portfolio to some place new. But we can't point out all the failures, because they just disappeared.
Imagine putting in years of work, creating a large portfolio of content, reaching a point where you make a living, and then everything changes. You lose it all, unless it was backed-up. And, even if you have a copy of all your content, you don't have a copy of the views, the followers, and all the comments. The part of your brand that established your success is destroyed, and you are back to square one.
Cultivating a Loyal Following:
When you own your audience, you have the opportunity to cultivate a loyal and engaged following. By providing valuable content, nurturing relationships, and fostering a sense of community, you build trust and loyalty among your audience. This sense of connection goes beyond any specific platform and becomes a part of your brand identity. A loyal following will be more likely to follow you to new platforms, websites, or communities, ensuring continuity and longevity in your online journey.
It may seem old fashioned, but this is what the newsletter is for. Keep connected with your community. Have a way to contact them. Maybe it is Twitter (X), or Discord, or something else, but you should have it set up and ready. You should be using it so people know, even vaguely, in case the worst should happen.
Diversifying Your Online Presence:
To own your audience effectively, it's crucial to diversify your online presence. While a particular platform may be popular today, trends can change rapidly. By establishing a presence on multiple platforms, such as creating a website, launching a newsletter, or developing a podcast, you broaden your reach and reduce the risk of being solely reliant on a single platform. This diversification provides alternative avenues for your audience to engage with your content and strengthens your overall online presence.
I might sound like a broken record, but that's only because it is good advice. Make sure you post in various places. Make sure it is an account people can link together with your other work. Make sure you are building an identity that is recognizable. Some people post in multiple places, but failed to actually create anything cohesive. Different names, different angles, different styles. Even if fans from elsewhere find them, they don't know if it is their favorite content creator or not. But acknowledging who you are, and being open about your work, lets people know.
Engaging Across Multiple Platforms:
Engagement is the lifeblood of any online community. By actively engaging with your audience across various platforms, such as Twitter, Discord, or other social media channels, you foster deeper connections and build a stronger sense of community. Responding to comments, participating in discussions, and seeking feedback not only strengthens your relationship with your audience but also demonstrates your commitment to their needs and interests. This active engagement creates a sense of inclusivity and makes your community feel valued and heard.
It does not have to be a lot. It can be a trickle. The constant regular content is what makes a poster into a brand. It is something for fans to check, for them to anticipate, for them to waste some time consuming. If you don't do it, someone else will fill the void.
Transitioning with Confidence:
Life is unpredictable, and as an online creator, you may encounter unforeseen circumstances or changes that require transitioning to new platforms or websites without their being a online calamity. When you own your audience, this transition becomes smoother and less disruptive. By effectively communicating with your community, directing them to new platforms or websites, and providing a seamless user experience, you bring your audience with you, ensuring continuity and preserving the valuable connections you've established.
Practice it by reminding your followers of content you post on other sites. See if you can direct any traffic to your other work. Let them know it is there. Just like we practice fire drills, it is a precaution that might save you from trouble in the future.
My Final Thoughts
Owning your audience is a fundamental aspect of building a resilient and lasting online community. By cultivating a loyal following, diversifying your online presence, and engaging with your audience across multiple platforms, you establish a connection that transcends any single platform's limitations. By doing so, you empower yourself to navigate the ever-changing digital landscape with confidence, ensuring that your community remains strong and connected, regardless of the platforms you choose to embrace. Embrace the power of owning your audience, and build a community that stands the test of time.
And remember, when you own your audience, you take responsibility for them. All sales final. But joking aside, it does make you see them differently. They are not just random views, but part of a community. You want what is best for them, just as they want your sweet, sweet content.
