3 Ways to Avoid Giving Up On Your Business
The visibility of a brand and business is key to growth and opportunities, but how can you boost visibility as a small business owner?
Let’s first explore what we mean when we say visibility?
In its simplest terms, visibility is the art of being seen by others and attracting attention. Every business needs to invite new clients to thrive, and that takes time and patience.
Putting a strategy in place that benefits your brand and business is at the heart of boosting your visibility. After all, people buy from people and if you are not visible then your target audience won’t find you.
The first step is to work out what you want to be visible for. Are you promoting specific products or services and sharing the value of these with your audience? Or maybe you hope to raise the profile of your business, build a positive reputation, or be the go-to within your network?
Whatever your reason you will need to create a visibility plan that helps you achieve your goals.
According to the Federation of Small Business, at the start of 2021, there were 5.5 million small businesses in the UK. In such a crowded marketplace, you need to stand out.
What is one of the key influences for business visibility?
Before you can start pushing your social media marketing or wearing a billboard to your local supermarket, you must understand one key factor – who is your ideal client?
Walking into a full auditorium and shouting about your business won’t win you any clients. Not everyone wants what you offer. Having a quiet chat with a small group of people in that same auditorium is more likely to end in a sale. Niche down your target audience and speak directly to your ideal client.
How do you discover your ideal client?
Think about the clients you already have.
- Who do you enjoy working with and why?
- What are the qualities of these particular people?
- Where do they hang out online?
- What issues do they struggle with?
- How have you helped them find a solution?
Rather than searching externally for what your ideal client looks like, take a peek at your existing clients for inspiration and then search for more of the same.
Once you’re clear on who you are talking to you can begin to boost your visibility.
6 ways to boost visibility for your business
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Having a landing page to send potential clients to helps your visibility, but if that page or your website is poorly designed, lacking valuable content, and not optimised it will reap few rewards.
Website design can eat into your budget so you must get the foundations right before spending thousands on a site that doesn’t offer any return on investment.
A good SEO strategy means you are more likely to rank higher in the search engines. When your potential client Googles ‘VA near me’ you want to be on the first couple of pages. Help your ideal client find you by getting the SEO right. Here at Women’s Business Networking, we are delighted to have SEO Angel Andrea Rainsford as part of our team of experts.
Social Media
Love it or loathe it, social media plays a big role in your business visibility. Rather than try to manage a presence on all platforms, choose one or two that you can run well. Remember to be active on platforms where your ideal client hangs out. It’s no good spending all your time and energy posting on Instagram if your target audience is on LinkedIn.
The beauty of social media for boosting your visibility is the opportunities it gives you to reach a wider community. Using hashtags and groups means you can provide value for more people and be remembered as an influential brand and business.
Networking
There is power in a thriving community, not just because of the support you get, but also the opportunity to raise your profile and be more visible to a wider audience.
Networking isn’t about turning up, introducing yourself, and leaving. There is much more to it than that. Everyone has their own web of connections and tapping into that font of knowledge is priceless. A dog walker might not be someone you would use personally, but you might have ladies in your network who are actively looking for this service. The dog walker may also know people who need what you are offering, so no conversation or connection is ever wasted.
Turn up to networking with an open mind and a goal, whether that’s to make five new connections, book two discovery calls, or cross-promote other attendees.
The Women’s Business Networking events are full of collaboration and encouragement.
Content Creation
What you post on social media or your blog needs to add value to your ideal client otherwise why should they follow or buy from you?
Keep your content engaging, relevant, educational, or inspiring. Add your personality into your posts so your ideal client gets to know, like, and trust you.
Collaboration
Many women in business are solopreneurs, which means they are faced with isolation for the majority of their working day.
Here at Women’s Business Networking, we have built a community to help our ladies overcome isolation and build lasting relationships. We also see a wide variety of collaboration opportunities. There is so much value in working with ladies from your virtual network. This can include guest blogging, running online or physical workshops, to community projects.
A partnership means better visibility for all parties involved. With that boost in visibility comes client referrals, sales conversions, recommendations, and a wider network to promote and deliver your products or services.
By collaborating, you open yourself and your business up to endless potential, but you are also fully supported by the alliance you’ve made through a combination of expertise and effort.
Awards
Visibility can be achieved using the power of your community and this extends to the excellent range of women in business awards that are available. The variety of categories means the visibility for your business can be niched to your industry or specialty.
Some business owners worry about nominating themselves for awards. However, it’s worth recognising the possibilities open to you and your business upon receiving a nomination (whether self-nominated or otherwise). Many of the Women’s Business Networking members have taken advantage of collaborations, referrals, and opportunities including podcast interviews, guest blogs, workshops, and more due to their nomination status.
Becoming a finalist or winning an award will always be worthy of celebration, but there is so much you can gain from the entire process of entering. The chance to review your business for the entry form is a bonus in itself, as is the opportunity to recognise the achievements you’ve made along your entrepreneurial journey. Attending nominee interviews usually includes an element of networking and the chance to sell yourself without fear of judgement.
Even if you don’t get shortlisted or win an award, you will have so much to take away from the experience, and your business will have received a huge amount of visibility throughout the process.
What else can you do to boost your visibility?
Joining a like-minded networking group that supports your business journey and encourages your visibility is a worthwhile investment.
Here are some of the benefits we offer at Women’s Business Networking:
- Member profile – Our website is the hub of the network where we share resources, event information, an informative blog, and an overview of our lovely members. You will have the opportunity to take advantage of this SEO (search engine optimised) promotion by adding your name, business details, and biography to the membership portal for visitors to read.
- A panel of experts – You can’t possibly know everything, and sometimes you don’t have the time, resources, or energy to do the necessary research. Our members have exclusive access to a panel of experts who specialise in business processes, sales and marketing, SEO and visibility, and human resources. Tap into this great font of knowledge and get the help and advice you need when you need it.
- Online Meetings – Geography, time restrictions, and workload can hinder our attempts to network effectively; that’s why our virtual networking sessions are so popular. We have members and guests attend our meetings from all over the globe, making this network a great way to reach a much wider audience. As part of your membership, you receive two free online meetings per month.
- Dedicated Facebook Group – Our dedicated Facebook group provides our members with a safe space to engage, ask questions, and meet other members. We understand that our online networking sessions are essential for meeting like-minded ladies and introducing your products or services to others. Our Facebook group is the perfect place to interact on the go with fellow members. Ask questions, share advice, tips, and experiences, and learn more about your fellow business owners.
Find out more about the support, online meetings, and guest speakers we have coming up at the Women’s Business Networking group via our website.
Alternatively, get in touch to discover how membership to Women’s Business Networking can benefit you and your business by booking a free discovery call with our founder Sharon Louca
