Since you clicked on this video, there’s a good chance your answer to all of those questions is YES! And I totally get it. Everyone wants to see big-time results when it comes to our businesses.
We want more readers and subscribers. We need more clients and customers because it means more money. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that! But if you want it, you have to work for it. That’s why I’m sharing seven tips that’ll help you achieve the success you desire.
7 Ways to Grow Your Business
Now, let’s go ahead and dive into those seven tips for online business growth. These are tips that you can actually start putting into action right now. After all, there’s no reason to wait around, right? So, if you want more people to take notice of your business, this is what you need to do.
1. Start Blogging & Post Consistently
Blogging is a fantastic way to grow your business. And if you don’t already have a blog, I highly suggest you create one. You don’t need to be a talented writer or anything like that to start a blog either. You just need to have something valuable to share with your audience, which you should if you’re running a business.
There are a number of reasons I feel blogging is so beneficial for business owners in a variety of fields.
- Your blog posts provide valuable, high-quality content that your readers will appreciate. It gives them a reason to visit your site and keep them coming back for more content time and time again.
- Blogging helps you show off your expertise because readers will start to see that you really know your stuff through your written content. And when they see you’re an expert on your topic, they’ll begin to view you as an authority in your field.
- Through blog content, you essentially give people a snippet into what it’s like to purchase one of your paid products or to work with you one-on-one. Your readers will get a taste of what your work is like, which will help them decide if you’re right for them.
- But that’s not all! I’ve actually shared an entire video with 10 different reasons blogging is so important for online business growth, which you can watch on my YouTube channel.
It’s not enough to just start a blog though. You also need to post consistently. And no, that doesn’t mean you have to post every single weekday. You just need to get on a blogging schedule and stick to it.
The most important thing is that you’re providing your audience with quality. as opposed to feeding them a bunch of content that’s simply not up to par. That all goes back to how many quality blog posts you can commit to each week. For some of you, that may be three. For others, it might be less and that’s totally okay.
Decide how often you want to publish new blog posts per week, choose your posting days, and keep at it. It gives you a consistent schedule for creating content, but it also allows your readers to anticipate new content since they’ll know when your posts go live.
2. Be Present on Social Media
Social media is one of the best ways to grow your business. It provides you with platforms to send traffic back to your website, make sales, and build connections with people. The key to making social media work for you is to use it effective. Unfortunately, that’s something that many brands fail to do.
To really succeed on social media, the first step is to determine which platforms your audience is actively using. And yes, that means you don’t have to be on every single platform there is. It’s more important to do a few platforms really well, than it is to be on a bunch and do them all poorly.
Once you’ve found the social media platforms that are right for your business, you have to be present. Don’t just schedule content and walk away, assuming that your work is done. You still need to check-in and engage with other people. It’s called SOCIAL media after all, so you need to actually be social.
Start conversations with people by asking questions. Jump into other conversations you see taking place if you have something valuable to add. Participate in Twitter chats or Facebook groups. The options here really are endless. Building those relationships with your followers is going to be so crucial to your long-term success because you have to establish trust before someone will purchase from you. Be strategic about the content you share so it helps you achieve your business goals. Spend time engaging to nurture relationships. In time, you’ll see those results you want.
3. Create an Awesome Email Opt-In
If it isn’t already, part of your business strategy should be to build an email list. Having an email list will allow you to communicate with people long after they’ve left your website and probably forgotten all about you. You can provide valuable content to keep your list warm and they’ll be their primed and ready to buy when you have something to sell. Don’t want to wait until you have a product or service to start building your list because it’ll be too late. Start now!
The key to getting people to subscribe to your list is by creating an awesome email opt-in. The best freebie you can provide is one that delivers tremendous value to your target audience. Think about what they’re struggling with the most and how you can help them out. Once you have a topic, you can create a mini eBook, a free email course, or some other sort of downloadable. The right opt-in will surely skyrocket your subscriber numbers in no time!
4. Start Using Video
Far too often I hear people say they’re scared to create video content. They’re worried about how they look or how they sound. They’re scared they’ll seem to awkward in front of the camera, as it makes them uncomfortable.
And here’s the thing, I totally understand those worries and fears. But are you really going to let them hold you back from doing something that could be pretty game-changing for your business? I hope not!
Whether it’s YouTube, live streaming, or webinars, you absolutely should consider adding some form of video to your content strategy. Video helps you build a stronger connection with your audience because they get to see and hear you. They get a better sense of your personality. And it’s almost like they’re sitting in the same room with you, having a conversation.
Through video content, your audience will get to know you better. When people get to know you better, they start liking you. And when they start liking you, it begins to build that level of trust you need to create a loyal fan of your brand. Those loyal fans are the ones who will support you and ultimately buy from you when you have something they want. And that, my friends, is the KLT or Know, Like, Trust Factor, which is an essential element for every successful business.
5. Collaborate With Others
Another fantastic way to grow your business is to collaborate with others. You can work together to start a podcast, hold a webinar, or even create a content series on your blog or YouTube channel. The great thing about collaboration is that you’re able to get more exposure for your brand, since you’ll be put front and center for their audience to see.
The key to making this work though is to collaborate with someone who has an audience you want to reach. If their audience isn’t going to be interested in what you offer in your business, it’s not going to be successful. You need to find someone who has your target audience, come up with a great idea, and then send over your pitch.
6. Network in Person
I’ll be honest with you. I never used to think much about networking in person as a way to grow my business, as it’s strictly online. I didn’t think I’d meet anyone locally who would be interested in my offerings, so I never bothered. Until I discovered there was a local chapter of The Rising Tide Society’s Tuesdays Together.
That’s when I learned just how powerful those “real-life” connections can be. Even if the people you meet don’t become clients or customers, they can still allow you to build long-lasting friendships. Those people could turn out to be an awesome opportunity for a collaboration or even just a support system.
Find some communities in your area that you can connect with. Share your story. Make those friendships. It’ll help you grow your business financially if someone ultimately buys something from you. But it’s also an opportunity for growth if you find a support system you can learn from and lean on.
7. Know Your Limits & Hire Help When Needed
If you aren’t in a position to hire someone to assist within your business, that’s totally fine. But if you are, you should know your limits. Unfortunately, we aren’t great at everything, though we often try to do it all ourselves. That determination is awesome, but you have to know your strengths and weaknesses and know when to hire help.
For example, graphic design is not my strong suit. In fact, I think I’m terrible at it! However, I used to insist on creating my own logos because I wanted to do everything myself. I’d spend ages stressing over logo designs in an attempt to make something that looked halfway decent. Eventually, I realized the time and stress that went into it just wasn’t worth it. It made more sense to hire someone who actually has the skills I’m lacking. That’s why I ultimately hired a designer to handle all of my logos.
And if there’s something in your business that would be much easier if someone else handled it, outsource it. Whether it’s managing your inbox, editing your videos or podcasts, creating your Facebook ads… Whatever! Outsource it and eliminate the stress it’s causing you and get that time back in your day.