Online Visibility: how to be seen, build trust, and create a strong online presence.
If you’re a blogger and relate to these 3 things:
- Lots of passions and interests
- Tons of value to give
- Wants to make money doing something meaningful
You probably also struggle with these 3 things:
- Feel invisible in a sea of other blogs
- Have no idea what to do after writing great posts to get buyers
- Feel lost when it comes to traffic
I relate, because I went through this too.
So: if you know you have lots of value to give, but you’re wondering why no one is seeing you, here’s the fix.
Choose a niche (you can pivot later)
I know it’s hard to choose a niche when there’s so many things you want to do, but I promise: you can always change your mind or pivot later.
The best way to find the right niche is to let your niche find you.
When you tell your own story, stay authentic, and stay tuned in to the feedback you are getting online, you will begin to uncover the niche that you are meant for.
Pivoting is WAY better than a scattershot approach, because in order to gain followers, people have to understand what you do.
Why choosing a niche helps online visibility
Choosing a niche helps your visibility online because:
It helps people understand who you are and what you do.
If you pop around from topic to topic, the only thing that people can really follow you for is…YOU.
And YOU should definitely be your brand. But if your brand is you and the random things you love, you might attract a few pals, but there’s nothing there to build a business on. A business is built on the problem that you solve – and for people to think of you, they need to associate you with the solutions to the problem they are having.
Targeted SEO is effective SEO.
An effective SEO strategy, whether for Google or Pinterest, is cohesive. While having one or two posts rank well is great, it’s not enough to truly rank and get strong traffic.
A cohesive SEO strategy, where you have many posts that are optimized for different keywords that are related and fall under a clear topical umbrella, tells Google that you know what you are talking about. That’s when the SEO magic starts to happen.
Show up
You have to show up, a lot.
Not just for sales, not just for free tips and advice, but as a person.
Online visibility over time builds trust. Posting a bunch and taking long breaks after each launch does not.
This doesn’t mean you can’t rest, it just means:
- you need to choose a way of showing up that feels aligned and
- if it were easy, everyone would do it. Showing up can feel hard and that’s ok. It’s worth it.
Why showing up often helps with online visibility
Showing up – not just when you’re selling – helps increase your online visibility because it helps you remain at the forefront of people’s minds.
Here’s an example:
There’s someone in my free group who purchased a low cost course or two from me in the past. I REALLY want her to buy a coaching package from me, but it’s not happening in her short term future, and I am always grateful when people want to stay active in my free group (Mindful Marketing Mavens).
But even though I know this person isn’t going to buy from me again anytime soon – I still reach out.
She engages with my content, and I try to reach out to people who engage with me. And in turn, I often end up seeing her posts (especially on Instagram, which is quieter for me than Facebook).
I reached out to her a few months ago to let her know how much I loved the shift in her content recently.
And guess what?
She was grateful (of course), but more unexpectedly: when her sister began talking about starting a business, guess who came to mind as a business coach? ***raises hand***
^^ Not because I sold to her often. But because I show up.
I’m not saying I’m perfect at this – there’s plenty of followers and friends who fall through the cracks. I can do better.
But my point is: showing up consistently works online the same way it works in person. People SEE you, and they are more likely to REMEMBER you.
Here are some tips if you are struggling to stay consistent:
- Focus on a schedule for blog posts that you can stick to, no matter what. Weekly blog posts are better than one post per month. But one post per month is better than 6 posts this month and 1 post 6 months from now.
- Use Pinterest, basics of SEO, and choose one other social media platform to build trust and have conversation with your audience. Just one, that’s it. One that you enjoy, can be on weekly, and where you can talk to your avatar.
- Educate people in a sales-driven way. How do you do that? By making sure that your content ALWAYS has a goal. Here’s how this works:
- Decide on your purpose for every single post (lead, sale, etc.)
- Connect the dots between what you want to promote, and what your audience has experienced
- What story can you tell about yourself or a prospect that highlights the benefit of what you’re providing? When I say “story” – this can be a full story, or as little as one sentence!
Sell confidently and consistently
You have to sell – confidently and consistently.
There’s an 8-figure entrepreneur that I happen to think is super fluffy, but you know why I think they’re so successful?
Because they sell, a lot.
They do it in a way that’s authentic, and they’re ALWAYS, always selling. It doesn’t feel spammy or “too much”, it just always is.
Give value everyday.
You can’t show up, sell and leave. It’s not fair to your audience, and it’s not kind to your business.
On the other hand, I can’t tell you how many times I look at clients’ posts for the past few days or weeks if they say they’re struggling with sales and they don’t have any hint or inkling that they are open for clients or having something to sell.
Just because we focus on storytelling and nurturing doesn’t mean you don’t have to drop a link now and then for the lurkers.
Why selling consistently helps you stay more visible
Selling often is a great way to remind your audience that you have things for sale.
(Duh)
But it’s also a great way to remind people that you have several ways to work with you, at several price points.
You’re not just selling for the sale, you’re selling to educate prospects, inspire them, and show them what their life can be like if they see the transformation you offer. And you’re doing all of that all the time, whether or not they buy from you.
Lean into what feels aligned
I get that the idea that you have to market yourself every day might feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.
Observe and decide: what is fun, how can you be consistent, what WORKS.
Then do those things over and over.
One of my newer clients said to me: “Alison, I hate Facebook. I’m not using it.”
And I said: “Fine!”
Even if Facebook feels aligned and fun for me, that doesn’t mean I can force everyone into it.
Well, she has over 500 organic views each on her first 2 videos with less than 10 followers, so I think she went in the right direction.
Why alignment helps with online visibility
Alignment helps you become more visible because consistent, long term habits are exponentially more powerful than short term FORCE.
Pushing yourself in a direction that is out of alignment will always feel hard. Hard isn’t always bad, but if you are forcing yourself away from what you feel called to and how you feel called to do it, you just won’t show up in the same way that you will if you are living in your zone of inspiration and genius.
When you are excited and inspired, that comes through online, and your people will be attracted to that. And the more people that are attracted to your work, the more the social media algorithms will show your posts to the world, and your online visibility will grow.
NEED MORE SUPPORT?
If you’d like some help growing your business, let’s chat: AlisonReeves.Co/strategy-call
