You’ve been creating, making, doing and stressing, and still, the traction isn’t there. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?
Traction is when growingly more clients and other creators engage with your creative work. Traction is when they increasingly like, subscribe and comment on your work. Traction is when more and more clients book your listings/services, and tell others about it passionately.
When the traction is not there, even though you put a lot of effort and work into it, then it tends to disappoint you. Making you lose the momentum and initially the excitement of it tiringly floats away. This might lead you to try something new, something that would bring the momentum and excitement back, or operate at a lower level with the current work. Not doing enough to make the dent you know you could.
. . .
We all have the potential to have the traction we desire. So we really do not need to stall or quit any creative work.
At Wishu, we base our team work on traction, we work to get that momentum and traction up and increasing everyday, as-well-as helping many creative freelancers with mentorship on social media or engagements. Having thousands of people reading articles and engaging with the latest social media posts. We know that it is possible. It does take a lot of work, but it’s something that is achievable. With the right awareness, we can reach traction more quickly and more effectively.
So, how do you stay optimistic and excited? You set yourself guidelines. Guidelines that you know that works. There are rules for traction (with work, social media, etc) that we know will work.
Here are three that help:
𝟭. 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆)
There are people who create a lot! And those people even do it constantly. But traction isn’t there. Why?
It’s all based on not improving all aspects of what those people do, about their services, their brand identity and showcase, and even themselves. You must stretch your energy and efforts a little further with each piece of content you put out there where others can engage with it. Try making your post or listing 1% better every time.
“Extraordinary results happen only when you give the best you have to become the best you can be at your most important work.” ~Gary Keller
Making your content and services connect emotionally; telling a more succinct story will help you! Never let the quality decline, you cannot afford to be sloppy as it is your brand and your presentation of it.
Start being obsessed with getting better 👀Expand your values. Making sure you take whatever paths you need to make your services and brand irresistible to clients. This can be the right amount of attention for you.
If for some reason you don’t have the time or energy to improve what you do. You need to figure out a way to allow this to be. Put 80% of the time into that area than 10% into ten separate areas.
𝟮. 𝗕𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆)
You must keep putting out content out there for the audience to engage with and keep up-to-date. Not just creating, but consistently sharing and marketing it too. Make yourself an expert (or at least seen as one) going deeper into your content. You will get better results if you can be aggressively consistent.
Put more out than feels comfortable for you. Share more than the finished piece of content. Share the process; document your surroundings; tell your story. This will speed up your progress and your process. It will also increase your motivation and your energy levels.
It is ok to be a creative maniac. It is a good thing to stir yourself up into a whirlwind of enthusiasm for your work. This is actually great, and it means you’re on a PRO who is there to reach traction. Artists such as Picasso who produced over 50,000 pieces of art. He was a productive manica and was aggressively consistent.
Get excited, and commit to producing a LOT.
𝟯. 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗚𝗘 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
You may be consistent at pushing your content out there, incredibly talented and skilled, and always improving, but still not see the engagement for which you were hoping for. That’s often because you have a small or non-existent foundation.
People need to see that you have a developed substantial foundation of creative work (portfolio) before they start taking you seriously. You need to show the world that you mean business and that you are passionate about what you do and why they should buy into it.
You must present a portfolio of work; a visible backlog of progress and past pieces. Clients and other peer creators know when you have experience and have demonstrated persistence. They respond to it.
