Successful businesses stay afloat when they gain years of experience and build their credibility with their audience. These business owners learn from their own mistakes, adjust the way they do business when something does not work and are willing to share their knowledge with their clients prior to being hired.
Fans will flock to businesses with a good track record and good customer reviews. It stands to reason that an influx of customers means hiring more team members and making more sales, thereby growing your business.
Now let’s put YOU into this equation. You should always charge what you are worth because if you undercut your competition, that will bring in the tire kickers who are not serious customers and may still ask you for a discount. This is not the audience base that will allow your business to grow.
You should also showcase your expertise online and offline. Never be afraid to market yourself because you cannot control the search engine rankings and you do not want to depend on ‘hope’ marketing. That is a very passive way to run your business; HOPING that people will find you. Be visible online and offline, be vocal, tell people what you do, share your experiences, and offer advice. THIS will build your credibility and you will gain more visibility, thereby gaining new followers and potential new clients.
No matter what stage of business you are in today, whether you just opened your doors or have had a string of clients for years, today is the day to concentrate on building your credibility and sharing your expertise with the world. You must have a publicist strategy. Get in the media.
This is no time to be a wallflower, especially if you have big dreams of growing your team, hitting a certain income milestone, selling a certain number of products, or booking a guest appearance on The Today Show. Be proud of your success and plan on sharing it with your audience.
Do not be the world’s best-kept secret. Get out there! PR can help and so can partnering.
Ask nearly anyone who runs an online business what their biggest struggle is and chances are they will say, “more traffic.”
You need traffic to build an email list. You need traffic to make sales. You need traffic to fill your coaching programs and get speaking gigs. So, the big question is, where do you get all that traffic?
You could buy ads, but if you are not careful, you might fill your list with less-than-ideal audience members and that will do nothing for your sales. You could focus your time and energy on search engine optimization but unless you have years to build your business (and who does?) then SEO should not be your top choice.
Good thing you have other options like these:
Be a Guest
Everyone needs content. It is the one thing that remains consistent among all content creators - there is never enough. That is where you can help. By guest posting on other coaches’ blogs, you can “borrow” some of their traffic.
You cannot simply regurgitate old content and send it out in a dozen directions though. To get the best results, you will want to:
Create custom content designed with your host’s unique audience in mind.
Provide stellar value with actionable ideas and strategies not found everywhere else.
Inject your personality so those new to you will instantly connect with you.
Offer a compelling reason to click through to your website or blog for more information.
Partner Up
No list? Here’s a quick way to “borrow” someone else’s list to kickstart your own: Schedule a free event with a partner.
Here’s how it works: You (as the one with the small list) create a compelling, free training which leads naturally to a low-cost, no-brainer product. Install an affiliate tracking system such as Eventbrite or Infusionsoft.
Offer your best affiliates a higher percentage of profits in exchange for co-hosting your webinar and bringing their traffic along for the ride.
This is a win/win for both of you, as you gain the traffic while your affiliate gets a bigger payday. Just be sure you have a good funnel in place so that your new list members can benefit from all that you have to offer.
Get Interviewed
Want to really show off your expert status and bring traffic back to your site, too? The easiest way is to get on the interview circuit. Try podcasts or local talk radio shows. Just like authors with new books and actors with new movies, coaches and service providers can get in front of new audiences simply by answering questions about what they know.
You are probably not going to appear on the Today Show or on OWN (although that is possible), but there are still plenty of opportunities out there for coaches and consultants in every niche.
Look for interview and speaking opportunities on:
- Podcasts
- Other blogs
- YouTube
- Facebook Live
- Local events
- Industry conferences
- Telesummits
Start by reaching out to your colleagues and to podcast and blog hosts you most admire. Get the word out with your friends and your list that you are looking for opportunities.
Even if you do not yet have a list of your own, it is easy (and fun) to kickstart your audience growth simply by making yourself available for these and other opportunities.
Each guest post, podcast interview, and webinar is another chance to get in front of a whole new market, so take advantage of it!