The reality is this: Having something you 'own' will certainly give you more control and flexibility in decision making. But how much do we actually own? How many things do we need to rely on or have to leverage to achieve our long-term goals?
Whether you are a content writer, or an independent voice, you risk control when you build your business on a soil that you don’t own.
You don’t just have landlords in rental properties. Social medias platforms like Facebook, Twitter and distribution networks like Apple podcasts are rented lands.
Businesses rent these platforms for content promotion but how can you rent the right way and secure your business future?
Well, if you are that person who breaks down existing barriers and is always striving for change, then you are about to discover the dangers of building your house on someone else's ground.
The number one rule is to never put all your eggs in just one basket.
Especially when you don't own that basket.
Because when that one basket is gone, everything is gone.
Lack of willpower in our daily lives isn't the only reason you might fail to reach your goals - but also relying on something that you have zero control over. This could be your paid job, your business, your home or even your income.
Our daily lives are on borrowed time and we must feel an urgency to use it to its fullest potential. Sometimes, you may have to do something that is a bit extreme, that people may think you are crazy when what you have really done is leveraged what you know and used it to its great abilities. Same can be said for Marketing experts when sourcing for which social media platforms offers the best opportunities to promote and expose their brand on a short-term rental.
It starts with few questions: can you build things you know you can easily transfer elsewhere? Can you rent short-term in order to meet long-term goals?
Renting isn’t a bad thing!
Marketers have no choice but to invest in rented land because that is how they can reach their audience. When it comes to collaboration with industry influencers, they are giving you access to their credibility so that you can benefit from reaching a large and highly engaged audience you have not been able to reach through other marketing methods.
The ultimate goal is that your approach with influencers should be to lead their audience to your home.
Many of us invest a lot of time and energy into land we cannot control.
If your home (i.e. website) is what you are building, then it means that you need to encourage visitors on the rented land (i.e. social media platforms) to visit your home.
So if social media platforms shut down, what are you going to do next?
It all comes down to adaptability!
If Facebook, Instagram or Twitter shut down, you reduce the risk of losing your audience, because your home (website) will now be able to benefit from redirected traffic and engagement.
But, here is a point that we all need to understand: Your audience may not necessary spend most of their time on websites. They spend more time visiting rented lands. That is why you rent these lands on a short-term to build a home that you can own.
Lawunmi A Nwaiwu is an Executive TV producer of the The Moment of Truth Nigeria Business Reality Show and Author.
Listen to her podcast The Moment of Truth Nigeria Podcast or check out my books available to purchase.