The Four Pillars of Your Online Business
When it comes to marketing your business, all the moving parts can make it seem quite overwhelming.
That’s why I like to break it down into four pillars that are the bedrock of all you do online.
1 Your Homebase
This will vary depending on your type of business, but at heart it’s the key place you offer content to the world. This might be your business website, your Shopify or Woocommerce store, your blog, or your Medium profile.
You want to optimize it to make it as good as it can be. Why? First, because that will help your visitor/reader/customer have a better user experience. Second, if you improve your SEO it will help you get found in the search engines.
If you would like a quick guide to all the ways you can tweak your site for the better, then download my free DIY Website Audit here.
2 Your Blog
If you write as one of the key aspects of your business, such as on a blog or on Medium, then this one is going to be pretty obvious. After all, your blogs/articles are key to your success.
However, blogging is also important if you have a fairly static business website or a store. Writing posts adds fresh content to your site - always favoured by the search engines - but more than that, your writing gives helpful information to your audience. This can grow your reputation as an expert in your niche and help drive people back to your products and services.
3 Your Mailing List
This one is key and if you haven’t started building a mailing list, start today. There are a wide variety platforms out there - this one is my favourite - but whichever one you choose, just get started.
Your mailing list is your direct way to communicate with your audience and, unlike social media, you have much more direct control over your subscribers. A social media profile is at the whim of the platforms and the algorithm, an email list is your way of building a relationship with your readers.
4 Promotion
This includes social media but it is also all the other ways you promote your business including: podcasting, video, being a guest on a podcast, local events, networking, guest posting on blogs, and even advertising if you have the budget. Try new things and promote in different ways. There’s nothing wrong with posting on Instagram or Twitter for example, but these are not the only ways people can find out about you. Have fun, and play around with it a little.
In Conclusion
All four of these pillars are important and by understanding the part each one plays, it can be easier to plan your marketing strategy. When you know that blogging or sending an email is a key element of your ultimate profitability, it becomes easier to prioritize it.
Finally, consistency is the icing on the cake. Whatever you do to promote your business, whether that’s blogging, writing on Medium, posting on socials, creating a YouTube video, or sending an email to your list - do it regularly.
In the first week or month nothing great will happen. But if you keep at it, it’s amazing what giant oaks can grow from tiny acorns.