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Shaina Nacion
Design Studio
When it comes to the success of your business, it's not enough to simply create content. If that content isn't leading to sales, then it's not ultimately growing your business.
Watch this free training and download the worksheet below to learn how you can turn your existing content into the stepping stones that lead to sales in your business.
These are ones we recommend for clients who love talking to people or who already have a strong community presence. If you’re a social butterfly, then do what you do best and fly!
Find an event where a lot of your ideal clients will be. If you work with business owners, it could be your local Chamber of Commerce luncheon or small business association meeting. If you work with consumers, you can become an event sponsor or host something yourself.
At the event, connect with as many people as possible and cultivate genuine friendships. You can even wear a t-shirt with your logo on it, hand out business cards, or give out goodie bags. Just make sure people have a way to connect with you afterwards!
Why it works:
Events are fun and easy to get to. Plus, they’re usually tailored to people who have certain things in common, so you’re not wasting your time marketing to everyone, and instead, you’re focusing your energy on the people most likely to buy from you.
If people in the community already recognize you by sight, you can use that to your advantage! Purchase mailers with your headshot and website on them, signage, or even a vehicle decal of your logo. TV and YouTube commercials are also a great way to do this.
Humans are hardwired to respond well to faces we recognize, so often just showing up as yourself and sharing what you have to offer is enough to get people to look up your website for more information. But it’s usually a good idea to offer some incentive as well: a discount code, a giveaway, or something else to motivate them.
Why it works:
People buy from people and brands they like, not from faceless corporations. You’re already a pretty likable person, so use that to help connect with people! If we build genuine relationships, we’re more likely to remember someone and want to support them.
If you enjoy doing the legwork, stopping by and visiting with past clients can be a great way to stay connected so they think of you when they’re ready to move forward. Swag bags are always a fun way to make a lasting impression.
Just make sure whatever you’re giving away comes with your business card, a flyer, a fridge magnet, a beer koozie, or anything else you can put your logo and website on!
Why it works:
In this example, you get all the benefits of showing up and connecting with people in person plus you get to make a lasting impression by giving your audience something that will last long after they first talk to you. Maybe they put your fridge magnet up and a year later remember to hire you because that magnet is still around to remind them.
If you love engaging with your followers online and having authentic conversations with them, why not host a multiple-day challenge where people can collaborate and share their experiences? This is a great way to connect with new followers on social media and show them a little piece of what you have to offer.
This is especially useful for coaches since your audience will be experiencing your coaching skills firsthand without having to purchase anything upfront.
Why it works:
If you can’t or don’t want to have an in-person experience, you can always opt to focus your attention online. This is a great way to connect with people in a way that’s easy and accessible. Plus, it’s a lot easier to share an online event than it is to share an in-person one.
Find some people who have a larger audience than you and see if you can partner with them to promote an event or free collaboration. This can be in the form of a giveaway you both contribute to, a masterclass you both host, or an Instagram takeover.
The beauty of this strategy is that you can essentially piggyback off their reputation. So if they recommend you, the people who follow them are much more likely to work with you than if you were to connect with them directly.
Why it works:
Because you’re teaming up with someone this audience already trusts, you have to work a lot less in order to build that relationship with them. You’re already coming into their sphere with a reputation for being awesome!
This is a great way to show up as an expert for your audience and to gain more visibility in your industry.
Apply to be a guest speaker on podcasts, events, and blogs related to your ideal client. If your audience is mostly small businesses, then being a guest speaker on a popular business podcast is a great way to get in front of them.
Why it works:
Publications and podcasts are all about collaboration and networking. They often make it easy to apply and be featured, and by selecting your speaking opportunities well, you'll be able to ensure that your time is well spent connecting with people who fit your ideal client.
If you’re the artistic sort and what you have to offer is a craft or art piece, using your work as a marketing tool can be one of the most successful ways to get more eyes on your website!
You know those bulletin boards around town that are always full of people’s ugly business cards? Make yours stand out by printing your work on your business card or flyer!
Why it works:
Stand out from the crowd and showcase how your business is different by sharing a free sample of your work that will stand out in the minds of your potential customers!
There are lots of online marketplaces like Redbubble, Creative Market, or Etsy where you can get more eyes on your business. Of course, these platforms usually take a cut of any sales, so we always recommend including a note in their order that advertises your website. That way, when they want to order from you again, they’re more likely to go directly to your site instead of through the marketplace.
Why it works:
When you offer an incentive only redeemable on your website, you're channeling the marketing efforts of the online marketplace to your website, where you can make more money by eliminating them as the middleman.
As a creative, you have a secret weapon at your disposal: all of your work looks Instagram-worthy. Using social media to your advantage can be a great way to send more people to your website.
Focus on creating relatable content that people will naturally want to share. And don’t forget to utilize Reels and video, because Instagram is more likely to share that content. You can even host giveaways through your Instagram account to get more followers!
Why it works:
Chances are, our audience is already spending their time on social media. We use it to express ourselves, make connections, and be entertained. If you can meet your audience where they’re already spending their time, you’re much more likely to have the opportunity to connect with them and get them to click that link in your bio.
If you have something fun you love teaching people, why not turn it into a free workshop or masterclass? These can be live or pre-recorded. And all you need are teaching skills and a camera.
You can share the masterclass for free, then invite people to learn more about how they can work with you through a paid offering. That way people can sample what you have to offer and they’ll be more likely to invest.
Why it works:
When people have the chance to learn your teaching style and methods for free, it helps prequalify the people who take the next step in deciding to work with you. Sharing a sneak peek of the process helps people decide whether you're a good fit to work together.
All of these examples are tailored to the needs of myself and all the really busy entrepreneurs out there. They all involve batch content creation so you just create content once without having to devote a lot of time to engagement or ongoing upkeep.
Your ideal client probably has some pretty complicated problems they need solving. So why not create an ebook or free download that helps handle some aspects of those problems. Obviously, they’ll still need to work with you in order to solve the big issues, but you can probably still help them with the simpler stuff through a downloadable resource.
We recommend keeping a running list of questions your audience is asking you about. These questions can be great starting points for digital workbooks and other resources. Then use your website’s email opt-in form to collect their email addresses when you deliver the content.
Why it works:
People love free stuff! And when that free stuff helps solve one of their problems, it's an even bigger win that will help them come to appreciate you even more. Eventually, they may start thinking about how they need your services in their lives, and now you've used your website to increase sales!
The secret superpower of a blog is its ability to transform into any type of content you need. Have a question from one of your followers? Write an in-depth blog post answering it, then create an Instagram carousel post with some of the highlights. Or talk about it on your podcast.
Just make sure your blog content is relevant to your audience so they’ll want to work with you after reading what you have to say. This is a great way to stand out as an expert in your industry, and it saves you the work of having to come up with social media content from scratch.
Why it works:
A blog can be the foundation you need when building content. You can repurpose your blog to spend less time and less brain power marketing your business while still educating your audience and getting them to your website.
Now that you have a bunch of ideas for how to build your stepping stones, here are some general ideas and guidelines for when you’re feeling stuck.
It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle when you’re creating content to attract people to your website. The key to truly resonating with your audience is to get to know them. Talk to them and get to know what it is they’re searching for. If they ask you questions, create content that speaks to those questions.
If you can show your audience that you see them for who they are and you’re willing to help, they’ll be much more likely to want to have a relationship with your brand.
Whatever you’re doing, whether it’s creating a blog post or attending a networking event, make sure it’s relevant to your industry and audience. If I’m trying to market to 25-year-old women, sponsoring an AARP event probably isn’t going to help me much.
The same goes for sharing content on social media. Make sure whatever you’re sharing is going to resonate with the people you want to work with.
For example, I share a lot of roller skating videos on my Instagram. I’m not in the roller skating industry, but for me, roller skating is all about mental health and work/life balance, which is something my brand stands for. So as long as I’m tying my skating into the core values that both my brand and my audience have in common, the content is still relevant.
If you want to be known for your brand values, make sure your content relates to those values.
If there’s a holiday or widely-talked-about event happening, you can tailor your content to relate to it. People are more likely to notice something if it aligns with what’s already on their minds.
If we’re not getting a lot of sales on our website, it doesn’t automatically mean that the problem is in the website itself. It could be a problem with any of the other stepping stones as well.
To identify the problem, track the number of people that move from one stone to another in your system. If there are a bunch of people visiting your Instagram but none of them click over to your website, then you probably need better directions on your Instagram.
Use insights and analytics to get actual data before you assume you know where the problem is. You don’t want to change something if it’s working just fine.
We believe in the power of inspiration and how it can transform your business into something that makes an impact and leaves a legacy. Too often we're ashamed of the passions and things that make us unique (we've all been there, right?). So instead, we want to ditch the fear and shame and put those passions at the forefront of your business.
Because we believe that when you embrace who you are and what you love, you can inspire the world around you to do the same.
“[They] provide so much more than graphic design. Shaina educates her clients and helps bring a lot more clarity to your brand and business.”
Use the form below to apply for a discovery call. If we feel like we might be able to help you, we'll email you a link to our schedule so you can book a call date that works for you.
During our discovery call together, we'll talk about your goals for the project, the struggles that are standing in the way of those goals, and the vision you have for your business.
If we're the right fit to work together, we'll send over a custom proposal packet for you to review. If you like what you see, we'll complete the paperwork and get started!
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