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Understanding the importance of visibility is crucial for an online business because it allows you to be found by people who are looking for the services you provide.
I’m sure that you want to get more eyes on your offers because you have something in this world that can help other people and you know that is up to you to be the advocate for that and to shout loud and clear to tell people about what it is that you do so that you can help them.
Episode Highlights:
- What exactly is Visibility
- Does it really make a difference in your online business (aka should it be on your priority list?)
- WHY is showing up difficult for so many people?
- How personal do you need to get when you show up as a personal brand?
- Plus where should you start to gain some traction with it (check out my ORE Challenge)
Episode Show Notes
What is online visibility?
As defined by [MARKETING 91], Brand Visibility is “the frequency at which your existing and potential customers see your brand on social media, search results, and other marketing channels.”
Most online business owners equate online business to either YouTube or social media but let’s go deeper and talk about other marketing channels that are commonly seen in the online space:
- STAGES
- PODCASTS
- EVENTS
- GUEST SPEAKING INSIDE OTHER PEOPLE’S PROGRAM
For our types of businesses where we’re selling digital products, we usually use these channels.
Should visibility be on your priority list?
I know you’re aware that visibility is important but I would bet that it is a constant task on the back burner list. And if you’re like me, the reason why visibility is a bucket that keeps getting kicked down the road is because it’s not really well defined on your to-do list.
Now let’s actually define what you can do so you can gain some traction with it. You can actually build your business in a couple different ways but let me share with you two different scenarios:
Scenario #1: Build your business by posting on social and keep tweaking your messaging.
You can post on social and maybe ads on social media or Google or YouTube, whatever platform you use.
Use this strategy to test out your messaging. It’s a great one because over time you can look at data to tell you what’s performing well and what people are responding to which allows you to really tweak your messaging and make it work.
It takes some time to figure that out and it most definitely takes money to make that happen but you can test it out in that way.
Scenario #2: Live test your message on real people in real time.
This is the way that I’ve built my business.
I know that this might sound super scrappy because it is, but instead of obsessing over getting a copywriter and testing landing pages, you can actually talk about your expertise live in real time with real people and get live real time feedback.
Real time feedback can be so powerful and incredibly insightful at the same time. It’s a win-win—you get in front of more people and you get to develop your message plus in the process, you warm people up faster.
Visibility, when done right, make a BIG difference on your business
Business flows in this really simple way:
Traffic → leads → customers
Or said another way
Flow → Conversion → Retention
When I was still doing consulting at my old company, we talked about this as flow and conversion in your business—the more flow that comes in and the better you are at converting, the more profitable you are and the more that you can grow. It’s about getting traffic that converts into conversions. (If you want to get better at conversion, be sure to check out the 3 Part Webinar series I did in the Fall)
It’s a simple concept. If you want people to find your business, they need to be able to see it easily and quickly. The more visible your business is, the more potential customers you have.
And if you’re looking for success as an online business owner, it’s important that you understand that it’s NOT just getting more eyes on your business.
This is about getting in front of more of your IDEAL clients.
You want to speak to the people that you want to attract. And if you get in front of people with the right message at the right time, visibility totally absolutely works.
Mastering your messaging is absolutely critical for your business. That’s why when you show up, you have to show up in an authentic version of you with a message that’s actually going to resonate.
Also you need to make sure that people who come across your website will see what they’re looking for and then take action: whether that means signing up for a newsletter, signing up to one of your courses, or purchasing something from your store.
You also have to be mindful of your goal. Your goal should NOT to be popular but instead you need to be PROFITABLE in your business. Remember that visibility doesn’t mean anything unless it leads directly to results like these!
But the question is WHY visibility is SO HARD?
I get it. Visibility can be scary. I totally get that.
When I started my online business, I developed this entire reputation around it and I was damn good. People paid me a lot of money to be on stage but to also help them onstage. But when I got in front of a camera, whether it was live or not, it was terrible.
If you go back and watch the very beginnings of my YouTube channel or if you listen to the first few episodes of the podcast, you’ll hear an evolution of me not only getting comfortable, but you will hear me bringing more of the true me. I have gotten more real and more present.
That’s one of the areas that people struggle with is if they show their true and imperfect self, it opens them up to potentially more negative judgment.
But here’s the truth—I think the majority of people are good and even for those of us that are highly skeptical and not trusting to pretty much anyone. I’m easily persuaded once I see that someone is real, honest and is of service and help to others.
Our trust skyrockets when people show their realness.
How personal do you need to get when you show up as a personal brand and work on your visibility?
If you’re grappling with the thought of how much of “you” do you have to show, especially if you’re building personal brands online, let me just give you a gift here.
Go where you’re comfortable. You do not need to show the inner workings of your life or share your life story.
What you do have to do is choose what moments and experiences and feelings you’re going to pull people in on. A good rule of thumb is figure out what your audience is feeling, what you want them to feel where they’re at and then think about times in your life where you’ve had similar thoughts and feelings. Think about how you can share our connections with people. That’s what I’d start with sharing.
Share the realness of a time where you felt that way. Tell the real story because when we try to glam up our stories we do a disservice to our audience. (If you struggle with coming up with stories, head over to the Episode #58 where I teach you how to actually come up with a bank of stories to share in your content)
And if you want to become magnetic with what you teach and be that go-to person for someone, you have to stand for something. It doesn’t mean you have to have a big powerful life message. Just talk about things that you’re passionate about. Give people a peek into your story if you want to be visible in your business. Get people to pay attention to you. Make them think and make them think of you because if you’re not doing these then I would say visibility would only be a big, fat waste of time.
So where do I start?
Let me introduce to you a concept and give you an acronym for this:
ORE (One Risk Everyday)
This is my challenge for you. I want you to have an ORE every single day.
When it comes to your visibility and showing up as the kind of brand you want to be, you need to start taking risks. It doesn’t mean you do crazy things but it means doing something that scares you, that gives a little bit those heart flutters every single day.
This is going to make you uncomfortable and that’s the point. I want you to focus on putting yourself out there every single day in your business just because taking those risks every day is the thing that’s going to help you make progress and help you stand out, and most importantly, it’s going to help you grow.
Previous Episodes / Links Mentioned:
- It’s our new business!
- How to Come Up with Good Stories Even if You Think You’re Boring
- Nail Your First (or Next) Podcast Episode
- The Power of Simple Launching with Liz Wilcox
3 PART WEBINAR SERIES:
