The list of marketing options are endless and can be overwhelming for solo business owners and freelancers. There’s so much you can do on a daily basis to grow your audience, build your list, and make more sales.
Are you feeling that you should be writing a new blog post, become a YouTuber, start a podcast, conquer Instagram, and writing your book? They are all excellent strategies that can grow your business.
However, if your focus is on increasing your income now, the more important question to ask yourself is what strategy and tactics are closest to enrolling your next client. The answer is much simpler and the list much shorter.
Focus on just two things: growing your prospect list and making sales.
Does this mean you stop doing everything else you’ve always done? Not necessarily.
Think of it more as a mindset shift that can help you become even more profitable.
You could still write that blog post. Just change the goal of the post to turn the reader into a subscriber, or warm them up for an upcoming offer through a welcome series of emails.
Start your podcast, and your main goal will be to convert your audience into prospects with a starting offer.*
Why is focusing on prospects and customers so important? Because it takes time before someone is ready to buy from you. They have to trust that you can help them solve their problem before they hire you.
That’s why your number one goal when you reach a new audience is to add them on your list. This might be your email list or CRM, depending on your business.
This gives you an opportunity to build a relationship before you make an offer to hire you. Of course, the benefit of a list doesn’t end there. You also get a chance to make offers for other services products. These could be your own or something you are promoting as a strategic alliance. The end result will improve your revenue either directly or indirectly.
As you go about growing your business, focus first on growing your prospect list, and then on converting these people into paying customers. Make that the main goal for everything you do online and you will see your income grow.
*Starting offers are typically a small service or product that turns a prospect into a buyer. A starting offer is lower-risk for your prospect to try your services, and thus they will become a client sooner.
A list of prospects is valuable and something to always work on growing. The only thing more valuable is a list of clients. Clients have proven that they trust you to invest in your services. If you deliver a lot of value and help them solve a problem, they are more likely to continue hiring you and even referring you.
For more information on starting offers and best sales practices, sign up for a free trial of LIFT, an online learning community for solo business owners and freelancers.
