Start Showing Up Online: Visibility Part 1/5

Here is the deal: You're a business owner in the sea of other business owners online and you're struggling to be seen, heard and taken seriously. This 5 part blog series will take you through strategies to show up online. It IS possible to stand out and be noticed. Some of you may take this information and run with it, some will read it and never implement the strategies into their business. I am urging you to take this info and run with it. We want you to succeed, but the choice is yours to put the work into your business. The goal is to not only become more visible online and seen as the expert in your field, but you want to be able to turn the relationships with people and leads into paying clients. 
So are you ready to go all in? If so.. Read on!

The first thing you have to do is check in with yourself. Are you truly committed to your business, to seeing success, have you REALLY tried everything? This series is for you if you are ready to level up, you know what you want, why you want it, you are confident in your skills and know who you want your clients to be (your niche). If you are hesitant about any of these things, this series is NOT for you. Come back when you're ready! These will push you out of your comfort zone to reach new levels in your business.

Let's do this.

1. Social Media
Well, duh. This seems so obvious. Of course it's where you want to be to show up. It's free and you can build connections easily. Are you utilizing social media to it's fullest potential?
Make sure you are choosing a platform that your ideal clients love the most. As a general idea (but don't limit yourself) choose 2 platforms that you can rock the shit out of and 2 platforms that you can feed automated content to through something like Buffer or Hootsuite. Set a schedule for posting to social media, make sure you are posting at pique times, share valuable content about your brand and things about you (people want to get to know YOU, too).
The goal of social media is for people to to get to KNOW you, to LIKE you and to TRUST you.
KNOW. LIKE. TRUST.
Explore platforms outside the realm of Facebook to engage even more people. Host advice hours on Instagram live, post relevant information about your business to linked in to establish yourself an an expert or authority in your field, post videos to YouTube or live videos on Facebook for people to get to know you, like you and trust you!
Don't overwhelm yourself. Start with a few platforms, and once you master those, expand to other platforms.

2. Facebook Groups / Forums
What better place to find like minded people than groups and forums about the very things you want your potential clients to be interested in, but when it comes to joining groups, make sure you're doing it the RIGHT way. 
Instead of joining a million groups with the same people in them, choose a select few to really focus your attention on. Post, interact and get to know the people in those select few groups. In other words, don't spread yourself too thin. Make sure that the groups you are in are helpful and full of positive energy, somewhat related to your field and a place where you ideal clients are virtually hanging out. If you are a health coach trying to reach out to busy moms, you won't be finding them in a group full of video gamers. Marketing to the wrong people is like being stuck in the mud and aimlessly spinning your wheels. You won't be going anywhere and stuck in a mess. Put yourself in the middle of your ideal clients hang out spot.

3. Create Your Own Group/ Tribe
There is no better way to position yourself as an authority than to create an awesome place to collaborate and connect with people than to have your own group. It's a great place for people to get to know, like and trust you when they all have a safe space to hang out in, get support and bounce ideas off of. You are able to connect with epople oin a more personal level and get a better sense of who they are, what they want and what you can do to better serve their needs. Make sure your group has a purpose, set boundaries aand intentions about what goes on in your group. There are so many groups out there and you want yours to stand out and make sure it offers lots of value to its members. You can create your own website forum, facebook group, google+ or LinkedIn. Again, just make sure you are where your ideal clients are.

4. Paid Membership Groups or Sites
Yes, these are a thing. Free Facebook groups are great but most of the time people in them want just that. FREE. You can use a paid group or site to connect with like-mined people that like to take action and that aren't afraid to invest in themselves. You are now in a group or groups with potential clients who are willing to PAY. It doesn't get any better than that.
A bonus about paid groups is that they come with TONS of valuable content to level up your own biz/self at the same time.

5. Opt Ins and Lead Magnets
These are quite popular but I think they can also be widely overlooked. We "know" that it's something we should to start creating an email list, but from personal experience, I over think it and it never got done.
Your opt in must solve a big problem in your ideal client's life. Create something of MEGA value, as with most opt ins, they are very little value that is easy to create. People don't get value out of it and it doesn't establish trust with your ideal client. Giving something valuable for free almost always grows into something even bigger. Karma. Dig it. Get back what you give out.
This takes WORK, but it's worth it. It might take a bit of a learning curve, but you're better off for it. Use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, groups, emails to your list to promote your new opt in. Promote it EVERY WHERE. Use paid ads to reach an even wider audience. If your opt in is really THAT good, it will convert. Make it good. Make it count. Establish trust with your new readers.

Take these first 5 steps and run with them this week. Let us know what's it's done for your business. All of these things take dedication and consistency, so it really is important to make the commitment to growing your business. It won't happen overnight, but it will happen. <3

​READ PART 2