5 Ways To Grow Your Home Based Business This Month Like A Pro
Are you looking to grow your home based business like a pro and more consistently this month? I have some great tips and resources for you so grab a fresh cup of coffee, favorite morning smoothie or if you are diving into this later in the day, a big glass of wine and let's get started together!
1. CREATE A VALUABLE RESOURCE.
Gone are the days where simply announcing to the world that you are a mindset coach, Etsy shop owner, massage therapist or professional network marketer will attract much attention. Why? Because there are a million+ people online marketing that way so the messaging of "hey look at me and what I do!" is heavily watered down. Standing out requires more creativity than ever before and one of the best ways to up your content marketing game is to create information that solves a problem for others and positions you as a trusted go to resource v. the chick who is desperately waving her arms in a crowd trying to get noticed.
• Think about a free eBook (I create mine in Google docs and save as a PDF that can be delivered via email when someone subscribes to my email list) that can solve an immediate problem for your audience.
• Create free worksheets to help your followers take immediate action (always put your name and website at the bottom of any documents you create!)
• Record a training to give value and inspire your audience. Facebook lives, YouTube and IGTV are great ways to do this and these social media platforms favor video which means you will get more organic reach.
• Create a coupon for new clients that can be downloaded from your website or delivered when they subscribe to your email list for a discount on products or services you offer.
With so much competition out there, consumers expect something of value before opening their wallets so think about how you can create something special for your audience.
2. LEVERAGE MULTIPLE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS.
I am not a believer that you need to be seen and heard across the entire world wide web. Being a jack of all trades, master of none will have you spread too thin and feeling stressed out but you do need to have a presence on social media to build brand recognition and trust. Mastering 2-3 platforms is a good place to start. Which platforms? That depends on the type of business you have. A Facebook fan page so customers can leave reviews and you can run targeted ads is a good place to start and from there branch out based on what makes sense for your business.
As a network marketer, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are the platforms that make the most sense for me right now to drive traffic to my content, products and services. With new platforms popping up like TikTok and Clubhouse, it’s important to understand the demographics of these platforms like the average age of the user to ensure that you are getting in front of the right audience.
For example, 60% of the users on TikTok as of the date of this blog post are between ages 16-24. So while some online marketing expert might be pushing that it’s the latest and greatest tool but if your target audience is 40 year old women who are looking for and can afford organic, high quality skin care, for example, TikTok is probably not going to be the best tool for your business no matter what some guru says.
Knowing who your ideal client is ensures that where they are hanging out is where you will be hanging out.
Know your business AND your audience. Consistency is key! Block out specific days during the week to share a business and/or product tip so your followers can expect to receive value from you. Consistency will earn their trust and turn them into buyers.
3. SPEND AN HOUR A DAY CONNECTING WITH POTENTIAL PROSPECTS AND CUSTOMERS.
Most business owners are making the crucial mistake of not having a well rounded marketing strategy. While writing a blog post and sharing it to your Facebook fan page is great, never forget the value that is found in one on one conversations and networking and when you create something of value, you can leverage that to reach out to potential prospects and customers.
So get creative! Think outside the box and spend an hour every day personally connecting with potential customers and prospects to offer something of value while spreading awareness about your business and brand.
4. GET ORGANIZED.
This may seem like a no-brainer but have a real honest conversation with yourself. Are you as organized as you could be? Are you making the most out of the time you have during the day in all areas of your life?
As a women who is running a family and a business, it’s imperative that you be as organized as possible. Set goals, have a schedule, create a system. If you don't, your day will be running you, not the other way around leaving you frustrated, exhausted and not very productive. Try some different things until you find what works for you and aligns with your personality. Again, just because some guru says you need to use Evernote doesn't mean that is the right fit for you.
Stay aligned with who you are and give yourself permission to filter the massive amounts of information coming into your space daily. Find what works for you but get as organized as you can to save time and your sanity.
WAYS TO BE MORE ORGANIZED:
• Create a schedule for yourself for each day of the week. For example, on Mondays schedule out as much content as you can for the whole week. Tuesday is the “sweet spot” for emails so set aside that day each week to email your list. Wednesdays set aside to write a new blog post. Thursdays designate as your day to grocery shop and run as may errands as you can so you are only out one day during the week. Monday through Thursday, prospect for new clients and do follow-ups. Batch your time in the morning before anything else to ensure it gets done. Stay focused on working until noon or 1pm so you can unplug for family time in the afternoons and evenings.
• Have one calendar/planner. Keep all of your appointments in one place.
• Use scheduling tools like an online calendar for clients to set appointments blocking out times that work with your schedule to avoid overbooking yourself.
• Use a social media scheduling tool like HooteSuite, Sprout Social, Schedugram, etc. to pre-plan your content.
5. EXPAND YOUR REACH.
While marketing on your own platforms is a great way to grow your influence and your business its also important to expand your reach and get in front of a larger audience. Find podcasters in your niche and ask if they are looking for guests to interview. Be prepared to share your story to inspire their listeners and to give a lot of tips and value during your interview.
Consider guest blogging to help reach new audiences.
Just ensure that the content you provide makes sense for their target audience and yours. You will be able to promote the blog post across your social media sites when it publishes further edifying your expertise.
If you have a product based business, team up with other brands and influencers to host a joint giveaway on Instagram. For example, if you are an Etsy shop owner who makes coffee cups geared towards christian women, you could team up with other mom business owners who have similar products like bible journaling packs or a t-shirt shop owner who makes spiritual graphic tees to host a give away combining your products.
You can search Instagram by hashtag and then reach out via private message inviting them to participate in a give-away. The key to this is to look for accounts with a decent following AND have good engagement. If you land on an account that has 10K followers but each post generates very few likes and comments their followers are likely not organic. You want to team up with people who have built a community with their following.
Find an account that you like and reach out to them to see if they are open to an influencer type collaboration to showcase your products with their audience.
Get laser focused on applying these tips to your home based business and get growing this month! Did you find these tips helpful? Leave me a comment would love to hear from you!
