Running your own business comes with its challenges and there are three of them that persistently make it to the top of the entrepreneur list. Although social media marketers may not always be business owners, there are enough similarities to confidently say they are a type of entrepreneur, making these challenges pertain to them as well.
Challenge 1: Viability, Sustainability, Money
We all knew this one would be top of the list. A business has to make money to exist since that’s what is needed to run one. Luckily for social media marketers, business expenses can tie into each client you take on. Of course, you can choose a different strategy and invest in social media management tools and business expenses independently from your clients; but the smart way says to decide business costs based on each client you gain or drop/lose. The second challenge to the money aspect is more of a personal one; it depends on what you need to live and what you want to make.
Challenge 2: Time
A lot of business owners I’ve interacted with have mentioned time management and not being able to maintain focus as another set of challenges they persistently face. If you’re your own boss, it’s most likely because you have a vision of what you want to become, a passion for what you do; you’re totally invested, heart and soul. This means that you have a million ideas of what you want to accomplish and they are all of equal importance (to you). This is exactly why focus gets lost and having enough time is never the case. Creating a priority checklist of what needs to be done every day; working on one idea at a time; plus learning patience are some of the ways you can get around the focus challenge and not having enough time. A checklist also helps your time management, as does understanding your limits if your business is a one person run show. You can only do so much in a day if you’re going to stay productive, happy and healthy (all key to long-term success for any entrepreneur, social media marketer or not).
Challenge 3: Networking
Building a network takes time and effort. Challenges include identifying who to network with for your visibility and building authority; as well as pin-pointing and catering to your target audience. Social media marketers know these aspects better than anyone; after all it’s what we do to build an effective strategy for clients. Hopefully, having this knowledge will make it easier for you to strategize your efforts. The challenge of setting aside the time to network is due to its unpaid nature. Business owners prioritize paid time tasks, but if you are going to build your name you must make time for your own networking.
Exploring the hurdles others face with their business growth, such as the three mentioned above, will hopefully show you that for one, you are not alone on this amazing entrepreneurial journey; and two provide you with additional ideas on how to overcome these persistent obstacles.
Have you found these to be some top challenges for you as you grow your social media marketing business? What else would you add to the list?
via:http://leaderswest.com/2014/02/25/exploring-three-top-entrepreneur-challenges-for-social-media-marketers/
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