I am thankful for the opportunity to do for myself what I have been talking to other small business owners about doing for years. Finding your voice, and your story is not always comfortable for small business owners. It is easier for all of us to stay in our own lane; and focus on the part of the business that prompted us to start the business in the first place. But we all have a story.
The challenge is to make sure our website, and all of our communications and touch points are consistently telling that story.
Once your story is clear, then you have to convert interest and conversation to revenue.
Does your website facilitate a healthy conversation? I find most websites fall into one of 3 stages. Where do you fit?
Informational. Your website has general descriptions of who you are and what you do. Does your website tell your story? Can you refer the next potential client you speak to to your website to get a clear understanding of what you do and how you can help them?
Conversational. Your website tells your story! But does your website have engaging and relevant content that offers a perspective to your prospective clients. Are you inviting your contacts into the conversation? Are you capturing subscribers to your conversation?
Relational. You have ongoing communications that drive engagement, and you have a solid understanding of your traffic (and hopefully your visitors align with your ideal client). You are automating your efforts to ensure ongoing and engaging interaction.
In order to move from one stage to the next, you need strong marketing tools to help you automate and streamline the process. When done correctly, the tools can save you time and money.
Once you amplify your story, the results will follow.