Growing an online business is no easy task. And unfortunately, many people are mistaken in thinking that they can skyrocket to success overnight. The harsh reality is, it takes time to grow and establish your business as one of the go-to’s in your niche. You have to be willing to put in the time and effort that’s required in order to see results. Fortunately, there are some easier business growth hacks you can utilize.
8 Business Growth Hacks You Can Implement Today
So, if you’re ready to give your business a major boost, take a look at this list of business growth hacks and start implementing them today. These are all simple things you could be doing that will make a huge difference in your business.
1. Start a blog and post consistently.
Most of you reading this post will likely have already started a blog for your business. Or perhaps you’ve even started a blog that later turned into a business of its own! Either way, you probably know the importance of blogging and just how beneficial it can be for growing your business and establishing your brand overall. However, there are still plenty of people out there who are procrastinating on starting blogs.
Here’s the thing… One of the best business growth hacks you can implement is a blog. I mean, we’ve all heard the phrase that “Content is king.” With a blog, you have a central hub for sharing valuable, high-quality content with your audience. It also gives you a place to direct people to help them see what you’re all about.
Blog content is a key way that so many business owners begin to establish a relationship with their audience. For example, most people will discover my brand after stumbling upon a blog post I’ve published. After reading a post, if they’ve gained value from it, they might sign-up to my email list. That person may later become a client or customer. And just think… It all started with my blog!
By having a blog that you publish high-quality content on consistently, you have the opportunity to show your audience what you’re all about. They can see your expertise in the advice you share. And in time, they’ll begin to trust you and view you as an authority. And that, my friends, is essential to growing your business.
2. Add content upgrades to your blog posts.
If you aren’t familiar with content upgrades, they’re downloadable freebies that are tied to a specific blog post. You have to sign-up to the blogger’s email list in order to access them. In many cases, content upgrades are checklists or another type of printable that’s relevant to the blog post’s topic. There are so many content upgrade ideas you can implement which can allow you to get creative.
The reason content upgrades make my list of business growth hacks is because they provide a way for you to grow your email list. Instead of just relying on one main freebie to build your list, you can have multiple freebies. And think about it… Multiple freebies give you even more of a chance to get someone on your list. So, start adding these to as many of your blog posts as you can. Add them to new posts and even the popular posts from your archives and watch those email sign-ups roll in.
3. Make use of your older content.
When was the last time you updated posts that were buried within the depths of your blog’s archives? It’s probably been a while! And some of you may have never done this. The reason it’s so beneficial to take the time to do this is because you never know when someone’s first impression of you might be one of those older posts. They could be stumbling upon an old link somewhere or finding you via Google search. And if your content isn’t up to your current standards, then it doesn’t give people the best impression of you. It doesn’t make them want to stay on your site and do more exploring.
Figure out which of your older posts are the most popular and start there. You might be surprised when you look at your analytics and see how many people are visiting posts that you wrote ages ago. Review those posts and ask yourself if they’re on par with your current standards or if they could use an update.
Read through and correct and errors and add updated information when necessary. You may even find these posts need a full rewrite and that’s okay too! Do whatever you have to do in order to spruce them up for new readers. Make sure your graphics are consistent with your current design. Check to make sure the post is optimized for search engines. And be sure to add in links to newer content that’s relevant. (That’s a great way to keep people on your site, since they may want to check out relevant posts.) These simple tweaks make a huge difference.
Once you’re done editing those posts, schedule them to be shared on social media to increase traffic to your website. This is one of the easiest business growth hacks you can implement because it doesn’t require you to create anything new. You just need to update what’s already there.
4. Collaborate to get in front of your target audience.
Collaborating with other people is a fantastic way to get your brand in front of a whole new audience. You could do collaborations by means of guest posting, hosting joint webinars, conducting interviews, hosting a podcast together, or even working to create a product. The ideas really are endless and the best part is that you’ll have someone there to work with every step of the way.
Of course, the key to making a collaboration work is by joining forces with someone who has an audience that you’d like to reach. If their audience isn’t interested in what you have to offer, they won’t be interested in checking out your brand or purchasing from you. So, you need to make sure that you’re working with the right people.
5. Hold a value-packed webinar series.
Webinars still continue to be popular for many brands, which is why I had to include it on this list of business growth hacks. While many people solely rely on webinars while in the middle of a launch, there is another way you can take advantage of them. You could create a value-packed webinar series that’s either pre-recorded or live. They don’t even need to be a sales pitch. A quality webinar could just add value to your audience by providing them with a solution to their biggest struggles.
Without a sales pitch, your brand still stands to gain a lot from a webinar series. It builds brand awareness, establishes you as an authority in your field, and builds trust with your audience. All of those things are key to leading to a sale later on. Try coming up with a webinar series you could create that your audience would be interested in. Then, require them to sign-up to your email list in order to gain access.
6. Use Snapchat or Instagram Stories.
If you aren’t already using Snapchat and/or Instagram Stories for your business, you need to get on it. In fact, I’d encourage you to find a way to incorporate both into your brand’s strategy. (More on that in a minute!) Both Snapchat and Instagram Stories are a great way to connect with your audience and allow them to get to know you. Instead of just reading the written content you create, they can see you and hear you, which helps them feel like they truly know you in “real life,” not just on the internet. Plus, you’re able to share your personality as you give people a behind-the-scenes look into your life, which they’ll love.
The reason I recommend using both is because you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. I’ve seen so many people jump ship and leave Snapchat completely in favor of Instagram. I recently listened to one of Gary Vaynerchuk’s podcast episodes where he mentioned that Snapchat could turn around and do something totally game-changing and everyone will be rushing to post Snapchat Stories again. Then, they’ll be wishing they hadn’t completely abandoned the platform for Instagram Stories. So, think about that!
While it’s hard to use two platforms that are essentially used for the same purpose, you can find a way to make it work. One option is to save the content and cross-post to both platforms. Otherwise, you could find ways to keep the content fresh on both. Just be sure that you’re also throwing in a few updates about what’s going on in your business in order to make it worthwhile for you.
Not sure what to post on Snapchat and Instagram Stories? Check out this post >> 10 Content Ideas for Snapchat and Instagram Stories
7. Set up sales funnel sequences for your email subscribers.
So, what happens when someone signs up for your email list? Do they just get one email, delivering their freebie and then that’s it? Well, it would be a good idea to have a sales funnel in place for new subscribers. That way, when new people join your list, they’ll automatically be put into this funnel that delivers high-quality, valuable content to them. This funnel can help you introduce yourself and your brand to new subscribers and can also be used to lead people into purchasing one of your products or services.
Not only is this a great business growth hack for connecting with your subscribers, but it’s potentially a powerful tool to increase sales when the emails are done right.
8. Invest in yourself and your business.
And finally, the best business growth hack I can offer you is to always invest in yourself and the success of your business. So many entrepreneurs get caught up in thinking they know it all and that they’re experts in everything. For those people, it’s time for a reality check! There is always room for improvement, so you should work to continually expand your knowledge as much as possible. You can do this by reading books, listening to podcasts, taking online courses, or even hiring a coach to work with one-on-one.