You’re an entrepreneur with big dreams and goals.  You work long hours and most weekends but despite all the effort and hustle, you’re struggling to hit 4 figures let alone 5 figures in income.  

The way you see it, you’re doing everything right. You’re a consistent blogger, you network, you’ve read heaps of business and marketing books and taken online classes. So what’s up? Why isn’t your inbox overflowing with enquiries from people eager to work with you?

Here are 5 sneaky ways you may be subconsciously sabotaging your online success:

1. Your email signature is not quite right

You use an email signature because you want to look professional and trustworthy.  But you’ve forgotten to include your contact information. In fact, not only have you neglected to include contact details, your email signature consists of only your name and logo. No website link. No link to your latest blog post and no link to your social media accounts.

Make sure your email signature includes the following:

• Your first and last name
• Your company name and website URL
• Your company logo
• Your contact details
• Links to your social media accounts
• Link to your latest blog post

2. You neglect to include share buttons

As someone who has to regularly curate content for my clients, I find nothing more irritating than coming to the end of a great post and not finding share buttons. I know I’m not alone on this.

Here’s the thing, chances are you’ve slaved over your blog posts to make sure your ideal audience will find your content original, educational and useful. So why not make it easy for readers to spread the love? Including social share buttons increases the likelihood of getting fresh eyeballs on your content.

Here’s what you can do:

• Include social media share buttons in your posts
• Try out Social Warfare or SumoMe if you’re on WordPress.  

“Content is king, but marketing is queen, and runs the household.” – Gary Vaynerchuk 

3. You don’t use images

Text is only one part of a great blog.  Just like an enticing headline is vital to a blog post’s success, so are images.  Every post should include a featured image.  This image is the one that will appear at the top of the post and on social media when it gets shared.  

Use an easy-to-use tool like Canva (there is a free version) to create eye-catching images.  

Here’s what you can do:

• Include at least one image in every blog post
• Include your post’s headline in the image

4. You’re hiding in the crowd

Successful people don’t blend in with the crowd.  They stand out.  If you’re staying small and safe by offering up more of the same (content, products, features) then you’re not going to rise above your competitors.  To stand out, dare to be different.

Doug Pick’s, founder and president of Hearos Earplugs, formula for success is to see where the masses are headed and go the other way. He asked himself:  “If the trend is to go downstream, what if I go upstream?”

This of course, demands real effort and vision on your part.  It means considering all possibilities and looking for gaps in the market.

Here’s what you can do:

• Refuse to blend in.
• Be authentic.
• Share your own perspective.
• Adopt a contrarian mindset.

“As an actor, I think sort of relish the chance to take a leap and sort of put yourself out there…you just have to be willing to embarrass yourself, because otherwise you are not going to really reveal anything that you have. So I think it’s exciting.” – Daniel Radcliffe

5. You’re not building a community

The surest way to build trust and likeability online is to develop an online community.  You should be doing this on social media. Focus on growing those channels where your target audience hangs out.  For example if your ideal client is mostly on Facebook and Twitter then make sure you are active in both.  

Building an online community will do two things for your brand: Help nurture relationships with your audience and differentiate you from your competitors. Invest a minimum of thirty minutes a day to create and share content that will delight your audience and spark discussion.  

Here’s what you can do:

• Be consistent with your posts.
• Respond to messages and comments.
• Follow back and engage.

Take a closer look at your email, blog and social media and see where you can implement these points to improve your chances of success.

Which one of these tips are you going to focus more on today? Leave your thoughts below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com