5 Steps to Grow Your Business Authentically

Let’s dive into how to promote and grow your business without paid ads. I won't lie, I have dabbled in Facebook and Instagram ads, but I'm not great at them. And honestly, I have not gotten great results. So I’m going to share some very organic ways that I've been able to grow my business significantly over the last few months. Here are my five steps!  (ps You can apply them right away for free!)

1) Step up your content. This doesn't mean post more, write more, or do more. I'd rather spend my time writing better content than posting more frequently and I'm getting much MORE traction with less posts! My content plan focuses on keeping my audience engaged. They know that I'm going to be teaching and sharing and always consistently showing up.

2) What are you giving away for free? It should be very valuable. It should be so good that people are like, “wow, I can't believe she gave that away for free. I wonder what would happen if I actually paid for something that she creates and ideas.”

Think about: what is your lead magnet? This is an opt-in, freebie, or a download that you are offering that anyone can grab for free.

3) Connect with your community as much as (or more) than you are asking for sales. If you feel like you're asking for sales more than you're connecting, you need to flip it. My goal is to connect at least double or triple the amounts of time that I'm actually asking for something because:

• I want to build a relationship first and I just don't want to be spammy and asking people to buy something. 
• I really want to create that community and those connections.

4)  Create a community and engage in Facebook groups. I completely gave up on Facebook groups a couple of years ago. I was sick of all the spammy messages and burnt out, so I just quit it. I walked away. But I have dove back into Facebook communities recently with the purpose to build community.  I have been a very active member of communities that have been helpful for me and that align with my business goals. Find two or three groups that really resonate with you. Go in and support others and ask questions. Set a timer. And them move on.  It's very effective in terms of getting your brand seen, but also can you learn more about your business.  (And ps you can join the Crush the Rush group HERE with other like-minded women entrepreneurs who are looking for ways to scale and build without burnout.) 

5) Press and PR. I will tell you that this was not even on my radar until recently, but I have really seen it pay off. Just because you are not super familiar with how to promote yourself or signing up for different PR opportunities does not mean that you can’t or shouldn’t. There is no shame in asking to be a guest on a podcast because 90% of the time they're going to get back to you. And even if it's a no (or a not right now), they may offer you other opportunities. At a bare minimum, you are on their radar and part of their community.

You can also pitch yourself to different publications. They don't necessarily have to be the big magazine publications like Forbes, it could be the online version of Scary Mommy or different parenting magazines that you're reading. If there is an influencer or a coach that you follow that has a pretty authentic Facebook group that provides a lot of value, maybe you could be a guest in the group or provide something in the group that would help them as well. 

Remember, you don't have to do all of these at once, but I guarantee if you step up your game on just one or two of them, you're going to see really amazing results! Looking for more?! Check out the Strategy Lab in the Crush the Rush Club!