10 THINGS I DO EVERY WEEK TO GROW YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS

Write three blog posts

This is at the top of the list because providing value and sharing my expertise for FREE is a damn good way to get people excited about what I’m doing and transition them into clients and customers. It’s like testing a car before you buy it – you want to know what it’s like, if it’s a good fit, if you’re getting the most value for your money. And more content going out means more traffic, more subscribers, and more sales coming in!

Send an email to my list

This is probably my most important point of contact each week. It’s easy for people to miss my social media posts or end up too busy to scroll through their blog reader to notice my post among dozens, but if I show up in their inbox they’re unlikely to miss it. Connecting with my subscribers on a weekly basis and sharing actionable info not only helps build trust and connection, but keeps non-content emails (like product launches, webinars, and other promotional content) from seeming abrupt or out of the blue. If people get used to hearing from you on a weekly basis, it won’t be such a shock when they receive extra emails during a launch.

Share my content on social media

Oh yes, self promotion is an important part of the game.If you don’t tell people you’ve posted new content, who will?? This is especially important when you’re at the beginning of growing your online presence. Since I started making a point of pinning my posts to multiple boards and sharing a new post at least three times the day it’s published, I now get more shares from my followers re-tweeting/re-pinning my content than I do from people coming to the post and sharing it themselves. Why? Because it’s easier – just one click and they’ve provided their followers with one more brilliant blog post.

Share my life on Instagram

Before I started blogging for my business, I used to write almost exclusively about my non-work life. And since I’ve had a few requests from long-time readers that miss those types of posts, I moved that part of blogging over to Instagram. Writing about what I did on the weekend or the new circus skills I’ve learned doesn’t help to sell courses on blogging and business, but it does help to make me look like a real, relatable person and create a well-rounded brand. Moving most of the photos of my dog and aerial videos into one social media space has allowed me to fly my freak flag but still maintain a business website full of value.

Be social on social media

Yes, it’s important to share your blog content, promote your products, and share good stuff from other people, but if all you’re doing is blasting links at people you’re going to start looking like a robot and not a person. The more you connect with people, take the time to answer questions, comment, and even just say thanks, the more you’ll build a genuine connection and the more likely those people will be to hire you or make a purchase. Plus, blogging and launching products all alone isn’t all that fun – get out there and meet some cool new people!

Respond to people that email me

While I’m not able to send every single person a response, I do try to hit reply on as many emails as possible. Responding to a person once opens the doors to them knowing that you’re interested and available. That you (again) are a real person and that you really are as helpful as you seem.

Take stock of what’s working and what’s not

This is a super important one – don’t just do all the things because you have always done them or because everyone else is. Pay attention to how tasks and responsibilities make you feel and what results you see from spending time on something. If webinars make you want to throw up before, during, and after, don’t do them! If webinars net you $10k every time and that makes you feel like a shining ball of money-scented starlight, then keep at it. It’s important to put time into things that either make you feel super excited or bring in big results (money, traffic, subscribers – whatever floats your boat!), hopefully both. But if neither is happening or one side outweighs the other to your detriment, kick it to the curb (or hire someone else to do it for you). There are so many options and ways to accomplish things – it’s not worth continuing to add things to your to-do list that aren’t pulling their weight.

Prepare for the month(s) ahead

One of the biggest stress relievers I’ve found is creating content – blog posts, weekly emails, social media images – in advance. I’m not always on top of this (as I’m totally writing this post the day before), but when I am, it feels SO DAMN GOOD. To know I can take a day or an afternoon off because my content is all set for the week is solopreneur MAGIC. But in order to do this, I need to whip out my calendar weeks BEFORE and have a plan for what I’m going to be posting and launching.

Plan for the future

What do you want in 6 months? In a year? In 5 years? When we’re working solo it’s so easy to be so focused on today’s never-ending to-do list that we can’t see past the end of the week. It’s important to take a moment to visualize what you’re working toward on a regular basis. Is it a house with an ocean view? (that’s mine :) Your own cooking show? Clients booked 6 months out? Or just a daily to-do list with only one single task you’re super excited to work on? Taking time to look into the future is not only helpful in planning and making sure your daily and weekly tasks are pointing you in the right direction, but keeps your WHY in the back of your mind, which can serve as a constant form of motivation.

Take a break

Whether it’s a coffee break or a week in Spain, time off is so important in building an online presence that will have longevity. You need to step away from work in order to let your brains air out (yes, I believe this is a scientific fact) and recharge. This is extra important when your work requires you to be consistently creative. I cannot produce content (blog posts, emails, photos, course lessons) every single day when I’m feeling overwhelmed or crabby. Those are the days I know a workout, a nap, a good book, and some Real Housewives will take me completely away from my to-do list so I can come back in an hour (or 24) in a better mood and feeling like I can produce something worthy of your time.