Ever felt like you've hit a brick wall online?
That was me, a dedicated English and Spanish teacher turned hopeful Instagram star, stuck at a measly 300 followers despite all the dancing, lip-syncing, and educational content. It hit me hard: being a top-notch teacher doesn't cut it online.
What you really need is to be a wizard at marketing. Let me walk you through my journey from classroom hero to online zero, and how I turned that around.
Back in the day, I was pretty confident. Teaching? Check. Happy students? Double-check. So, when I jumped onto Instagram, I thought it'd be a breeze to attract followers. Boy, was I wrong. A year of giving it my all - videos, tips, you name it - and I was still playing to an empty room.
I founded 'MOLAED,' a modern twist on language learning, armed with dreams and a ton of resources. Website? Check. Social media content? Yup. Courses and worksheets? All set. I even invested money at ads, hired a virtual assistant, and outsourced tasks to Fiverr freelancers. And then, I waited... and waited... and got crickets in return.
Everything I poured my heart into felt wasted. But, after a healthy dose of wallowing, I got up and got my detective hat on.
What went wrong?
Turns out, a lot. My branding missed the mark, starting with a name that no one could pronounce. My content? Pure passion projects, not what my audience needed. Social media? Let's just say consistency was not my middle name. And SEO? Email marketing? Ad strategies? Let's not even go there.
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks: I was a teacher, not a marketer. But in the digital world, you need to be both...or outsource the marketing to professionals.
I rolled up my sleeves and dove headfirst into the world of marketing. With my newfound knowledge, I rebranded 'MOLAED' from the ground up. I zeroed in on my niche, crafted messages that resonated, and used digital marketing to speak the language of my audience—literally.
So, here's the deal: being a great teacher is a start, but it's not enough to grow online. You need to become a savvy marketer, too.
Understand your audience, speak their language, and meet them where they are. It's a journey, sure, but it's one worth taking.
And who knows? Maybe your classroom will grow from a few hundred to a global audience in no time.