3 Ways to Grow Your Brand Online
There’s no denying that this is a crazy time with the looming, global threat of COVID-19. In light of the new restrictions, you might find yourself with more time on your hands, or less if you now have to watch the kids and do your full time job from home. Maybe you lost clients and need to re-invent your business. Maybe you were laid off from your 9 to 5 and are now collecting unemployment. Or maybe you’re still grinding and dreaming about what’s next.
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To some, this may seem like the worst time to start a business. But there is a silver lining -- and that is that while the world is seemingly on pause for an unknown amount of time, your dreams are still waiting for you. And we’re here to tell you that now IS the time. We have witnessed time and time again, businesses and individuals who took the challenge, pivoted their offerings -- individuals who have been dreaming of starting their own side hustle and are now taking their new ventures more seriously.
What would you do if you thought it could be lucrative?
Many brands that prioritized and understood the value of digital marketing previously, are now strategically in a prime position in our modern day marketplace. Whether you are one of those people or not, it’s not too late. Start now. Don’t delay out of fear that you waited too long. Stop making excuses that the market is too saturated. The market IS saturated, but if you start prioritizing your branding and putting yourself out there with quality and consistency, you WILL reap the rewards.
We also know that online marketing can be intimidating. We hear you saying that it's hard to know where to start, so to get the creative juices flowing, we’ve curated a list of ways to amplify your brand’s impact and start attracting your tribe, no matter what the economic climate looks like.
3 Things You Can Do Now to Grow Your Brand
Re-strategize with Goal Setting
Recognize that your business has most likely changed. The big question is: How do you need to adapt to these changes so you can thrive?
Brainstorm ways to reposition your offerings, or create new ones.
It’s very likely you’ll need to reassess how you’re bringing in income and if your business model is currently viable. What do people need right now? What do people want right now? How do they want to feel and how can what you offer help them achieve that now? Stay flexible, make changes quickly, but do so thoughtfully. This is important so you can succeed now, but also to overcome future challenges. This flexible, objective and open-minded approach will continue to aid you throughout your career.
Lean on your core values, mission & vision.
When you’re making new decisions about your offerings and where to steer your business, remember to reference and use your guiding principles and values as a ‘moral compasses’ from which to test your new ideas.
Make SMART goals.
This is a common goal setting strategy, but it’s tried and true. If you’re not familiar, the acronym means that the key to solid goals is that they are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Based. Basically, be as specific as possible and also...unafraid to fail!
Make Outcome-Performance-Process Goals.
Set goals in each of these categories. Outcome goals are the result or the end goal that you are working towards. Performance goals are the performance levels that you need to be able to achieve if you are to reach the outcome. These should encompass tactical, practical, psychological and lifestyle markers. Process goals are the things that you need to do if you are to achieve the performance factors.
Create A Content Marketing Strategy
In other words, get that blog, podcast, or video series going. No more putting it off! If you want to grow your tribe online and establish that you’re an expert in your field, we believe it’s critical to create consistent, quality content. And doing this will help boost your SEO efforts (aka, google will love you more!).
So what kind of content should you create?
Well, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all response for this, but here are some things to consider:
How does your ideal customer or client consume content? Are they readers? Do they binge Youtube? Tiktok? Podcasts? Where do they spend their time? This is the most important question you want to ask when deciding.
What resources do you have at your disposal? Do you have time? Money? Skills? Equipment? These are factors that might dictate where you focus your content-producing energy.
What would you most enjoy? Are you a great writer? Then maybe a blog is for you. Are you an eloquent speaker? How about a podcast? Or maybe you're a performer at heart, great on-camera? A youtube channel sounds like a good bet. If you enjoy it and you’re good at it, there’s a better chance your content will do well.
But...don’t overthink it!
At the end of the day, you want to put yourself out there. Don’t wait for everything to be just right. Don’t let perfectionism get the best of you. Aim for B+ work and let that be enough!
Make Your Business More Sustainable
Have you set up systems that will help you survive and thrive in any economic climate? Do you have an online business, or is it dependent exclusively on a brick and mortar location? Do you have systems in place to make remote work plausible?
Crazy shit happens and this won't be the last time the worst case scenario happens. What can you do to make sure your business is sustainable over the long haul?
Prioritize your digital presence.
Upgrade your website, give your social media an overhaul, level-up your branding, or start a creative online project like a blog or video series (like we mentioned before). Simply having an online presence isn’t enough. You have to strategize and intentionally build it. This means coming up with creative ways of getting your messaging out there and putting the pieces together in a way that works to your benefit.
I know someone who is a chef at a restaurant. When the pandemic hit, he was completely out of a job. Well, instead of sitting around and worrying, he immediately started a Twitch TV cooking series and began selling pizzas out of his house. Not only is this resourceful, but he set himself up for success later by growing a following now. Now, imagine how well off he would have been had he already had his audience in place before the pandemic hit!
How can you get creative with your business right now?
Diversify your revenue streams.
Ideally you want to set up multiple streams of income, so you don’t have all your eggs in one basket. Here are a few ways you can diversify:
Affiliate Marketing: Find brands you love that you're aligned with and see if you can partner to help promote their products and then get a kickback on sales. This income can really add up!
Consulting: How can you use your skills to consult one-on-one? You can charge a higher price point per hour for private consulting, since it’s more hands-on.
Online Courses: Create a course based on your skillset, or offerings to generate passive income.
E-commerce: Do you have goods, or subscription services you can sell online?
Group Coaching Programs: Serve your clients and save some time with group coaching programs.
Sponsorships
Speaking Engagements
Allocate money for reserves.
If you plan for hard times, it won’t be so shocking when they come along. Especially if you’re a solopreneur, be sure to set aside a percentage of your income as an ‘unemployment’ fund of sorts so you have some piece of mind if the ground falls out from underneath you.
Audit your expenses.
The first step to fixing you cash flow problem is awareness. You might be surprised at how many expenses are flying under the radar, and also completely unnecessary to the business. Audit your expenses and find ways to cut down and use the money you have more intelligently.
Create and stick to a budget.
If you are one of those people who doesn’t budget, get on it stat! Like we said before, awareness is crucial, and setting goals for your finances is also crucial so that you can manage your spending. Even if you’re spending as little as possible, put something specific to it and find ways to create that in your budget and then translate it into the reality of your business spendings.
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11 More Ways to Amplify Your Brand
Well, if that wasn’t enough, we’ve created a free downloadable guide with 11 more ways to amplify your brand. Go ahead and grab that here.
Now, we want to hear from you! Which of these tips are you going to tackle first? What are you focusing on in your business right now?
P.S. Are you following us on Instagram? We’re dropping all kinds of tips, tricks and discounts for you there.