7 Lessons Learned on the Road to 100,000 Followers

It finally happened! After more than 6 years of posting regularly, I have reached 100k followers. What does that mean? I don't know. However, I have enjoyed the journey and want to share some lessons I have learned along the way. Some of these lessons may be similar to your experiences, and others may be unique to me and my journey. We all travel different paths, and this has been mine.

1) A Clear and Simple Niche

When I first started posting content, I struggled to define my niche as I wanted to include important experiences that allowed me to reach my target audience. I soon learned that the more simple, precise, and targeted I could explain my niche, the easier it would be for me to communicate and for others to choose if they want to engage with my content. I ended up with this: I share practical tips for self-leadership and leading others.

2) Stay True to My Purpose

My long-term purpose is to bring my authentic self and experiences to help others develop their abilities for self-leadership and leading others. I do hope this process helps build my brand and brings opportunities for meaningful business connections, but that isn't my highest-level purpose, which brings me to my next point.

3)?Meaning Beyond ROI

Being transparent, my time creating content and being active on LinkedIn has had a limited direct impact on my bottom-line revenue. It has generated business opportunities, but compared to the time spent creating, posting, and engaging, there probably has not been enough direct return on investment to justify the time spent. If this was my only measure of success, I probably would have quit long ago.

What I have learned is that I truly relish the creative aspect of writing articles and creating content. This process has not only facilitated continuous learning from engaging with others on this platform but also made me a better coach and consultant. This experience continually enhances my ability to serve leaders and organizations by forcing me to be clear and concise when sharing my knowledge and expertise.

4)?Consistency Is Key

My story isn't one of exponential growth on LinkedIn. I have been posting regularly for over 6 years. There have been periods when my followers grew more quickly and others where they slowed down dramatically. The most important thing for me is consistently creating, evolving, and sharing content.

5)?Try New Things

I continue to be a beginner at new things on LinkedIn. It started with writing articles, and then I added posts, and now I am learning how to engage effectively with video content. Because of LinkedIn, I have had opportunities to be on many podcasts, highlighted in multiple publications, and even mentioned in other's books. These are new experiences because I was willing to write and post my first article over 6 years ago.

6) Find Your Tribe

Just like in life, we need healthy relationships to succeed on LinkedIn. Most of my tribe began by commenting on my post, and then I would check out their profile and see they posted often, and their content aligned with my niche or interest. If so, I follow them and engage with their content, which is how the relationship begins. I have also met people virtually to discuss their learning and approaches to navigating this platform. Unfortunately, there is a limit to how many people I can reciprocate with as we only have so much time, and I am thankful for my LinkedIn tribe.

7)?Focus On Learning, Not Comparison

It is easy to fall into the comparison trap on all social media, and LinkedIn is no different. I sometimes look at others who are regularly generating more engagement than my posts. Looking at others who seem to be doing better than I am makes it easy for me not to be grateful for the engagement I receive. This is a shame because it wasn't long ago that I would have been thrilled to have the likes, shares, and follows I regularly receive. The lens of comparison does not bring me joy or help me succeed in my long-term journey.

I continually resist the urge to compare and instead shift my focus on learning from what others are doing. Some people have different styles and approaches that don't work for my brand, but there is plenty I can and have learned from how others create content, interact with others, and style. I am constantly conscious of when my natural inclination to compare and have learned to make a mindset shift to leading with curiosity about learning from others.

Thank You

I want to thank those who have chosen to follow, engage, and share my content. Sharing my experiences, learnings, talents, and insights with Self-Leadership and Leading Others is an amazing experience and enables me to live my leadership purpose better. I am grateful.

I am excited about the future as I am currently writing my second book, which will produce many additional insights and practical tips on Self-Leadership and Leading Others. More to come!

Learn more about my bio, content, and services at www.clearviewleaders.com

Read more of my articles on Self-Leadership and Leading Others at my Forbes Leadership Strategy Homepage

Learn more about my book on Self-Leadership at gettingitrightbook.net

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:?Tony Gambill is the President of ClearView Leadership, an innovative leadership and talent development consulting firm helping organizations, executives, and managers bring practical skills to Self-Leadership and Leading Others. He is the author of, Getting It Right When It Matters Most: Self-Leadership For Work & Life .