Want the secret to increasing your visibility, finding more prospects, closing more deals and making more sales?  Here it is...there are no secrets.  There are no easy answers and there are no sure things.

Here’s the good news!  Even though there is no magic pill to earn consistent revenue, it’s still totally possible for you to find your ideal customers, live your truth, make a positive impact on the world AND make money.

What I’m going to tell you goes against the grain of most everything you’ve ever been taught about marketing.  If you’re having a hard time finding customers then your marketing strategy IS NOT the problem.

Yes, marketing plays a huge role in the overall success of your business.  But here’s the thing, marketing is not what your business is built on.  In order for marketing to work, you must first focus your energy on building a strong foundation for your business.  Without that stability and strength in your foundation, your marketing efforts will more than likely fail to convert.

Branding is the core of your marketing strategy

Just to be clear, branding is not just your logo, colors, fonts, etc.  Branding is what gives your business meaning.  It’s what creates the emotional connection between you and your desired audience.  

Of course, branding is also what makes your business visibly recognizable, but more importantly, it defines the experience that your audience will have when they come into contact with your business.

So this is how your brand can have incredible effects on whether or not someone chooses to buy from you.

Because your branding is what leads to first impressions, it should not be an afterthought.  Your priority is to attract the people you most want to serve, offer them value and build trust through empathy and authority.

The little steps that lead to gigantic results

The cold hard truth is there will never be just one thing that will be the game-changer for the success of your business. It’s all the little actions you take along the way that will increase the likelihood of someone buying from you.

There will be tons of micro steps that you will have to take before you see consistent sales and are finally able to stop worrying about when and where the next customer will come from.

But I’ll be honest, if you have no audience as we speak, you will have to put in some effort before you can get to a point of consistently landing sales and closing deals.  No matter what you’ve been told or what stories you’ve heard in the past, there is no such thing as an overnight success.

The following is just a few of the many steps you will have to take to increase your odds of conversion, but they’re a really good place to start.

Step 1 – Build a strong foundation (your brand)

• Once you have clarity on your vision, mission, audience, message and offer, it will be the holy grail of your business.  If you stray from this you will only confuse your audience as to who you are and what you do.  Sorry, but I don’t know anybody that trusts a schizophrenic.
• Before you build your marketing strategy make sure your brand is something that will magnetize your ideal audience in a way that is meaningful to them. 

Step 2 – Content Creation

• Create awesome content relevant to the problems you solve and the audience you want to reach.  This helps to position you as an authority in your industry.  Honestly, this is probably the hardest part, but if you’re truly passionate about what you do and the positive impact it can have on the lives of many, then this shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right?
• Create content that tells a story and engage people to find more meaning behind what you do.  

Step 3 – Choose your platforms

• The more platforms you’re on, the more visible you become, the more likely someone will eventually say to themselves, “Who is this girl, anyway?  She keeps popping up everywhere I look.”  
• Make a decision on where you think your audience spends most of their time and start there.
• Some examples:  Newsletters/ emails, social media (Twitter, IG, FB, LinkedIn, etc.), public speaking, guest blogging, podcasts, YouTube, etc.  Unless you have a big team, just stick to what you can realistically handle.  Otherwise, you’ll drop the ball and things will start going sideways.  Trust me, I’ve been there.
• The more you spread your content onto different platforms the more you are increasing your chances of being seen by the people who need your product/ services the most.

Step 4 – Offer value

• I’m a firm believer in giving away as much as you can for free.  When you give people a sampling of your work the more likely it is they will eventually buy from you.  
• Don’t ever be afraid of giving away too much.  It’s like test driving a car, you’ll only “consider” buying it if you get a chance to drive it first.  And it may take a few test drives before you’re even convinced to make the purchase.
• Ask yourself:  What are my prospects really struggling with right now and how can I give them a quick solution that they can apply to their life immediately?

Step 5 – Consistency

• Don’t just pop in every once in a while.  Prove to your audience that you’re the real deal and that you’re in it for the long haul.  Consistency builds trust.  Trust is, without a doubt, one of the most essential elements in relationship building. 

Ok, so that’s just 5 out of the many steps you will need to take before you can count on reliably bringing in consistent revenue.  But I’m telling you, it’s pretty much a given that the more often you follow these steps and how well you execute them is what will ultimately lead to having a successful marketing strategy and increase your odds of guaranteed sales.

One final reminder

If you truly want to have a successful business and market your products or services without spending copious amounts of dollars on strategies that get you no return then I urge you to take the time to build an effective brand.  That means you need to be authentic and clear about your mission, vision and message so that your target audience can connect with your brand personality successfully.

Remember this, branding isn’t “one and done”.  Your brand is something that will continue to evolve as you establish your position in your industry.  It is the heartbeat of your business and it requires your attention and dedication.

So now that the truth is out it’s time to take action.  You didn’t go into business for yourself because you thought it would be easy, right?

What’s the first step you’re going to take?  Let me know in the comments section below!