Supply and Demand on Steem
Supply and Demand on Steem
I mentioned yesterday in a small section of this post about scarcity, supply, and demand but today I want to get deeper into this topic and how you can apply it to Steem. I do think that once you get this right, you’ll be able to see outside the usual paradigm and build yourself some great followers, as I did for myself. When I say great, I mean friends, I don’t mean many, but quality ones that are always engaging in the comment section providing fantastic feedback and that is not seen too often on Steem.
Real Life Examples
Around this time of the year it’s women’s day and in Romania and people are buying flowers like crazy, it’s a tradition. If you walk in any busy area, you’ll be able to see many people just standing in the street selling flowers, if they would do that any other time of the year they would probably not make anything. Because the demand for flowers is so freaking high right now, they are taking full advantage of this and are increasing the supply, making more money.
This strategy is also seen around Christmas when people are buying all kinds of gifts, so the demand for such things is tremendous; thus the business owners are increasing the supply. The same thing is happening in Traveling Spots where people are selling and buying souvenirs in significant amounts, but such merchandise would not sell in any other places.
The thing I'm trying to point out is that certain business models work better only in specific periods or location but regardless of that everything's based on the demand. This applies on Steem too because we often have trends that work great for a specific period and content that is more in demand than other all the time.
Demand on Steem
A big reason for why so many people are not getting any eyeballs on their posts is not just because they don’t have a follower base but because they don’t post anything scarce and in demand, the market they are active in is saturated.
To give you an example a fuckton of people are posting photography and if you’re just starting you will likely get no views, comments and of course, rewards. The market for photography not only on Steem but in general is saturated since everybody’s a photographer nowadays thanks to their smartphones, so it’s harder to be noticed if you're buried between them, the demand is way smaller than the supply.
But, if you’re posting about truth, if you’re posting stuff that sparks emotions then you have more significant chances of making it since most people appreciate that kind of content but not many are making posts like that, the demand is bigger than the supply.
I think that the biggest reason why I was able to succeed here (I consider this success) is because I’m always trying to speak my truth and mind even if it might offend people. I saw many people getting tons of comments, but only a handful of them are of value, most are just spams, but I always receive big and full of value comments from my followers, and I think that’s because I'm honest in my posts.
If you want to stand out, you have to do something different, being like all the other people is boring. The first thing I had noticed when I joined Steem is that everybody is acting nice, fake only to impress people and get some upvotes but if you’re doing the opposite, being real, frank, you can only win, and this applies both on Steem and in life.
Conclusion
If a market is saturated, it’s harder to gain recognition and make some money especially if you’re just starting but you can always post about the things that are in high demand as long as you like that particular subject.
Think about it, what are you providing to the people through your posts, if thousands are doing the same thing, is nothing special. But, if you’re doing something out of the ordinary, you will always stand out and be noticed by more. Keep in mind; this is not only about getting rewards but about gaining a follower’s base and engaging with them because that will help you more in the long term, especially when the mass adaption comes.
The kind of content I consider really valuable is the one that can help people, the one that can change people’s lives. Even if I don’t get thousands of views on my posts if I still get a thank you here and there and people telling me how my post(s) helped them, for me, that is even better than rewards sometimes.
The overall idea of the post, be different, be real, post something scarce and in demand and don't forget, don't give a fuck about anything.
The pictures are from Pixabay: 1, 2, 3, 4.
I always ask the newcomers I know "what do you want to be selling on steemit?". To rephrase that question " what value are you bringing to steemit and steemians?" Answering that question well will give you an edge.
It is sad to see a lot of blog with no niche - no direction. That means those bloggers have no identity, no value. It is always harder for those.
I think those ones are taking the easy way out. Writing valuable content time and time again takes a lot of dedication and works. People are not ready to take that sacrifice. I have heard some complain of only making few cents on a post they spent a lot of time and efforts on, so they decided to be making shitty posts instead.
I can relate to how frustrating it can be to research, think deeply and come up with a post spending 3 - 4 hours and not make $1 from such Post. But I vowed never to let that discourage me, i am here for the long haul. To create a name and identity for making. I have a conviction if I keep providing good content, things will get better.
Another thing is I take motivation and inspiration from steemians who are producing the Kind I content I love and related contents I blog about. Apart from them inspiring you, some also get a lot of ideas from their contents.
The key points are pick an area that you can write about things people will find valuable, research, keep producing valuable content and write from your heart whether it is rewarding now or not...it will soon pay off.
For my short blogging practice, I realized that sincerity is very important. Falseness and hypocrisy are always felt even through the monitor. So you have to be honest with your followers. You should talk about your feelings and impressions if you are a blogger. People don't just want to see the picture. They want to know how you feel, to connect with you, to understand something in common. That they are not alone in their impressions that someone has experienced something similar, deep, close. If you are not ready to open your soul and feelings, then you are not ready to be a blogger. This is my opinion.
Hello Guy Fawkes, and if you don't already know, I'm Oatmeal Joey Arnold, and I agree with that, with how supply and demand works and I remember learning about that especially in economics class in high school in the early 2000's in America and these are things I grew up around. But we can all forget how to compete, how to relate, how to be relevant, how to take risks in order to get ahead.
We all know we can post about photography, like you said, or about travel, as many do already, and it seems and feels safer, and people generally stick to groups, to herds, to tribes, through collectivism over individualism, historically and especially psychologically speaking in relations to sociology through anthropology. However, we can also be leaders and get ahead of the trends, similar to how the stock market works, which includes cryptocurrencies, you know like in how stocks and things go up and down. We can figure out patterns.
Very true. Part of the reason I think I struggle on the platform is because I haven't found my niche. You have found your nice and provide great posts.
I haven't found something that I enjoy writing about so usually just write about what I'm interested in that week. I'm sure one day I'll find a niche that I enjoy writing about and also gets me a good following.
Wish me luck!
Good posting advice as always... I might add in to the end summary + try and do something better than anyone else has done in the past.... improve and refine is often easier (and just as satisfying) as being 'original' (it it's possible to be truly original these days?)
I've always wondered what the saturation point is for bloggers in various genres.. i.e. how many people can be 'Zoella' etc....given the intense competition in the political economy of attention. On mainstream media, not many given the tendency of rewards to filter to the few at the top.
The problem is this also happens here, and us minnow/ dolphin community minded folks are left sharing around the 10% left over after the wealthiest have extracted 90% for their mediocre shit posts. Something you have to blinker yourself to constantly to survive on here!
Sometimes I wonder whether Steemit might inadvertently bring down the capitalist system - I mean there's nothing like a daily drip-drip sense of injustice (about shit-posts rising to the top of trending just because that person's rich enough to upvote it massively) to fuel a sense of revolution!
Being different helps one stands out, being different gives you high demand, many more wants what others don't have, this is the real truth, it's a question of being really and truly original, it's a time to be you, the real you, doing something different and interesting, where the demand is high and supply low the value and price will be higher. Increase your price, increase your earnings by increasing your value and demand. Thank you for sharing this truth.
I am writing about something different as I am writing about Astrology and the way the planets and stars affect our daily lives, but so far I am finding it a struggle to garner any attention. If you do a "niche" subject such as the one I have expertise in, then the potential market may be huge as few if any are writing about it, BUT nobody will be looking for it either, simply as my posts get swamped in a morass of other ones about cryptocurrencies, photography, dogs, humour and videos. After all who is going to go out of their way to look for Astrology on Steemit?
I am trying my best to write intelligent and thought provoking stuff, and I hope that in time i will get to the promised land on here. I personally think that if you do write about a niche subject such as i do, patience is going to be a key, as it's gonna take a long time for a lot of people to catch onto what you are doing...
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