How to grow your biz if you’re anti-social media
A Q for you…can you build a business without constantly being on social media?
Some might say No way, José!
But, not I. And I have a tale to tell and top tips for you if you’re feeling anti-social media.
You see, I started out in business being a social media scaredy-cat 🐱
I just didn’t want to put myself out there; too fearful of being mocked, judged or trolled.
So, I built my business doing what I love most — getting out into my community (IRL & online), chatting to people I liked, and offering to help in a very personal way.
Now some call this networking, but that word has a sh*tty reputation and I hate the notion of having a business card shoved in my face.
No, I was netconnecting — I was getting to know people in my network with the view to building genuine and mutually beneficial relationships. And it’s how I managed to ditch my crappy part-time job and go all-in with my business.
So if the thought of posting daily makes your heart drop and your head droop, take a tip from me and try netconnecting.
Here are 3 ways I grew my biz.
1. Use your personal network
We all have a personal network; friends, family, ex-colleagues, gym-buddies, who probably have no idea what we do. Yet, each of these have a network of their own people that just well might be your next client.
Use this network m’friends!
Make a list of those who appear regularly in your in-box, news-feed or even pop into your mind and drop them a personal message asking for help.
And before you get weirded-out, and all “I can’t do this, it feels like I’m bothering them’’
Stop 🛑
This is your personal network, full of people that know and like you.
Remember, that for us human-folk social ties are hugely important, we are hardwired to do good for others, to help where we can and to make connections.
It’s how primitive wo/man survived — it strengthened the tribe and increased our self-worth — and frankly it ain’t no different today.
So do your friends a favour, make them feel valued and ask them to help you!
To help you I’ve included a copy of the message I sent to one of my contacts recently:
Hi Jacob,
I was wondering if you could help.
I have a few client openings at the mo, so I’m reaching out to all the people I know to tell them a little more about me….just in case they know of someone who needs help growing their biz.
My mission is to help small business owners get over marketing overwhelm and build strong, sustainable businesses. I do this by teaching them how to get clear on their message, build their marketing confidence and make it easy for clients to find them.
I think I’m quite good at what I do, my most recent client said this about me ‘Rach challenges you to think about your why and the who, to talk about your skills with confidence and ease.
If you know of anyone who needs my help, can you send them my way, please?
(I give a lot of love to the people I work with, and I promise I’ll do the same with your friend)
And if there’s anything I can help you with, please just ask
Much love.
Righto, your turn!
The key things to include in your email, DM…
- Mention that you’re looking for help,
- Describe what you do (so they can direct the right people to you)
- Include some social proof (to give you credibility)
- Finish with a heartfelt expression of gratitude
Go on, try it. Send an email, a PM. Ask someone for a coffee. I promise you’ll get some great feedback from your network and more than a few opportunities, it definitely worked for me!
Action: Reach out to 5 people in your network every week.
For more on creating amazing connections, read this by my mentor, Caroline Leon.
2. Create partnerships
I have some amazing partnerships with other businesses in my industry. PR companies, copywriters, freelance designers (I even get invited to their Christmas parties — bonus!)
Some of these relationships have come about organically, some of them I’ve nurtured strategically.
Either way, these relationships are fulfilling and profitable, they promote my work, I promote theirs. I refer clients to them, they refer clients to me. I offer their audience a discount on my services, they do the same with theirs.
It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing and it’s incredibly easy to do:
- Make a list of the complementary businesses in your community (either online or real life) that work with a similar audience to yours. The key is to ensure you’re offering a service that they don’t already provide.
- Connect with these businesses directly via social or email, or ask someone to introduce you. (I always start my message with something I genuinely admire about them or comment on a piece of their work)
- Explain who you are, your services, and propose an information exchange or collaboration. Offer to write a guest blog, co-host a webinar, provide a service that you think their customers would benefit from.
- If they’re interested, arrange a 30 min chat to get to know each other a little better and seal the deal. You can then ask them how they could help you and how could they introduce you to their audience.
When you’re new to business or looking to grow, Partnerships are a great way to get in front of a new, receptive audience, create fresh valuable content and strengthen your brand.
I’ve built some solid friendships with other leaders in my field and my audience love that I have a roster of experts that can help them with mindset, web development, and PR.
Don’t be shy, partnerships are a win-win. This is not a marriage proposal, just an invitation to collaborate for your mutual benefit.
Action: Make a list of businesses that you’d like to connect with. Research their community and what content they share, then drop them an open-hearted, generous message.
3. Connect with past-clients
I know, I know. We are all so focused on growing our audience and converting them into clients that we forget about the opportunities within our in-boxes.
The people we’ve already worked with, who’ve experienced our expertise and had great success are still out there and possibly needing our help (if only we were top of mind.)
Spend a few minutes thinking about the clients you like to reach out to again, take a look at their social channels, or recent content, what have they been up to? This will give you great insight into where you may be able to help them.
Once you feel you have something meaningful to say, drop them a message;
- Ask them how they’ve been getting on since you last worked together
- Comment on their work, authentically! Mention something that you enjoyed reading/watching. Or send them a link to an article or event you know they’ll find interesting.
- Tell them what you’ve been up to, alert them to a new offer or service, or direct them to a blog post that supports the work you’ve been doing.
I’ve just reached out to a client who I helped with website copy last year — he’s now ready to commit to blog writing and needs a hand getting started!
(Hooray, I loved working with this chap!)
Action: Send an email to 3 past clients this week, the intention being there is no intention, other than to connect! Maybe mention how much you enjoyed working with them, what you learned from working with them, ask how their business is going or if they know anyone else who would love your help. The key is personalised, authentic outreach.
These three approaches are pretty powerhouse when it comes to growing your biz and income, BUT m’friends, they do require you to get you out from behind your keyboard and show up in a more targeted and thoughtful way.
I have an inkling you’re ready to try this tho, like me you want to build a connected, conscious business focused on great relationships!
(And it sure beats the pants off posting ‘meaningful’ memes on social every day!)
My final bit of advice. Go where your people are, reach out with kindness and generosity and offer something only you can offer — your help!!
Shine on! 😊
If you like these words you’ll dig my Tuesletter — it’s full of marketing smarts, stuff to make you smile and soulful growth strategies — for you and your biz! You can sign up here if ya want x
