A Fad Farewell: How to Stop Chasing Trends and Build a Successful Business
Following fads and making a quick buck off of what’s “trending” at the moment will not make you a successful creator or business founder.
The digital landscape produces new fads seemingly every day. They take off running, sustain their 15 minutes of fame, then fade back into oblivion to make room for the next short-lived opportunity.
Creator CEOs don’t chase fads. They know that truly successful businesses stand the test of time. They aren’t after get-rich-quick schemes like fidget spinners, Beanie Babies, or other products that cause momentary mania, only to fade out and leave the seller to create a business from the ground up again.
“We Will Not Chase Fads” is the fourth law of our book “18 Laws of a Creator CEO”. For existing Creator CEOs who want to reinforce million-dollar brand practices or for creators and aspiring business founders who want to avoid the fad frenzy and build a business that lasts, download your own free copy of “18 Laws of a Creator CEO” here to elevate from the everyday hobbyist to a Creator CEO with a seven-figure business.
So what makes a fad, and how can you, as a creator and an aspiring (or current) business founder avoid them?
What are some examples of fads?
Avoiding fads, as a creator, is two-fold: Your business should not sustain itself by selling fads, nor should you rely on digital marketing fads to keep your business afloat and acquire or retain customers.
Fads have expiration dates. Proven marketing strategies do not. Products, services, or goods that solve a problem – even if they evolve and change over time – do not. These are just a few examples of fads that have existed in the digital space over time; many of them are irrelevant today.
- Doodle videos
- Vine
- Facebook Chat marketing
- Article marketing
- Google Plus
- Hashtags
- Pure clickbait writing
- Infographics
- Dropshipping
- Digg
- Network marketing
- Microblogs
- Potentially: artificial intelligence (in the future)
At some point, you were insistent on these strategies being in your arsenal. They likely worked at some point, too. But they don’t work today. Instead, focus your efforts on creating sustainable, practical products, goods and services that solve your target audience’s problems. Then, use proven marketing strategies that, unlike the fads listed above, have remained consistent over the years.
What should you do instead?
If you have already built and begun to scale a successful business, continue practicing what works. We’re not here to reengineer your game plan. But for aspiring Creator CEOs, we have a list of tactics we have seen work for not only ourselves, but for thousands on the SamCart platform. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you sell – so long as you don’t fall into the trap of relying on fads to help you make sales.
Things that do work time and time again:
- Email marketing
- SMS marketing
- Thoughtful, useful written content (articles, ebooks, case studies, white papers)
- YouTube videos
- Podcasts
- Social media (minus the fads and “new releases”)
- Meeting your audience where they are, not where you want them to be
Fads are fun and, in some cases, can be an interesting way to showcase your business in a new light. But more often than not, they’re a distraction. The strategies that will build your business up and move it forward rarely change. You can keep an eye on fads and test what you think could be most feasible, but keep most of your focus on what you know works.
Put the law of “We Will Not Sell Chase Fads” into practice
Take some stock of your business – what are your core strategies? Do they involve relying on fads? If so, follow these three steps to say farewell to fads and reacquaint yourself with the things that you know will work for the long haul:
- Reflect on your business strategy and ensure that you are not chasing fads at the expense of your core strategy. Ask yourself: am I always relevant or just chasing trends?
- Pick one strategy and stick to it. Do not get distracted by fads that might come and go.
- Avoid copying fad products or ideas just because they seem popular or profitable. Create something unique and sustainable that aligns with your business strategy and values.
“We Will Not Chase Fads” is only one of 18 laws all Creator CEOs abide by. In order to achieve or maintain Creator CEO status, we recommend that you grab your own copy of “18 Laws of a Creator CEO”. It’s free, so what do you really have to lose?
