Building a online community of followers was quite foreign to me when I first started my business. As I did some research, I became very excited.
Why?
Not only does having a website – give you a global presence, you can now build relationships all over the world. Talk about leverage and opportunities to make an impact world wide.
At the same time I became overwhelmed and did not know where to start. Perhaps you can relate to this.
Thankfully, I did not pull out any hair but began to focus on learning about one area every 30 days and giving it my focus. There are so many platforms to build upon. You need to choose the platforms that best suit you.
I am going to share the ones that I have used that have created the greatest traction for in my business.
1. Intentional Network Online by Building Relationships – Businesses grow when the focus is on the PEOPLE. People first! You can build relationships on Facebook and Twitter by not just accepting or requesting friend requests. Join in the conversation – respond to posts and ask questions. Discover how you can relate to the people you are chatting with. The relationships you build can lead to future collaboration.
2. Cross Promote – Ask someone you know who has a list that they may share your product or service with and offer to do the same for them. If you have an affiliate program, the person you are cross promoting with could even make a commission. Most commissions run anywhere from 30 to 70 percent. Extra money in your pocket is always nice and even better while you sleep. Cha- Ching!
3. Guest Blogging – This is one of my favorite ways to build an online community. Guest Blogging is very powerful when you tailor your message to your host’s audience. You want to HELP and provide VALUE not sell. Ensure you include your bio after your blog post and it has a call to action that directs traffic to your website. Guest blogging is also a great way to ensure you have content on your website during busy times or while you are on vacation – consider hosting a quest blogger.
4. Article Marketing – Writing is a powerful way to get the word out about your business and having more people learn about you. Article directories like www.ezinearticles.com and www.selfgrowth.com are awesome places to build your visibility and boost your credibility in the marketplace. You want to write articles that will inspire, educate, empower/motivate, or entertain. If you do this, you will have customers coming back for more.
5. Teleseminars– Although you may think you may be technologically challenged, teleseminars are a excellent way to build the know, like and trust factor in building relationships. They are a lot easier to use than people think – just pick up the phone dial the code and begin! You can host a question and answer period or share information as if you were teaching a class all by teleconference lines like www.freeconferencepro.com or www.instantteleseminar.com Start promoting your teleseminar 4-6 weeks in advance and build the excitement!
Building your business profile does not have to break the bank. You need to create a plan or strategy to make this happen. It all comes down to who is taking action – I hope that person is you!
PhotogCynthia says
Terrific tips. Boy social media sure can become over-whelming.
Vanessa Terrell says
Thanks for sharing these tips! I will have to put some of these into action!
Delia @ Blog Formatting says
These are great tips, Debra! I’ve been using some of them already! I’ve also been more active on Twitter answering questions and helping out and noticed that people come to my blog, check it out, and many of them subscribe to my email list
debra says
Thanks for your feedback Delia. Twitter and blogging are great ways to build your list. Keep up the great work!
Elvira says
Hi Debra, This blog was superb, very informational Thanks for sharing