Now and then, it’s helpful to assess where you are in your business and evaluate what you’re doing.
For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been doing that and reviewing the work I’m doing with clients, especially in the last 6-7 months.
If you’re like most small or solo business owners, you probably wear a lot of hats and can serve your clients in a multitude of ways. After more than 25 years in business, almost all focused on helping people with their online presence, I cover a lot of topics and that can get confusing for prospective new clients.
In an effort to simplify my offers, I started by noting why the client chose to work with me and then made a list of the projects we’re working on together.
What I’ve discovered is not earth-shattering or surprising.
With every client, we’re working on the fundamentals of establishing a solid online presence for their business. No matter where they are in the process when we begin our work, our focus is usually on one of the six parts I’ve pinpointed in the image (below): website, email, content, community, marketing, and partnerships.
Without fail, every client falls somewhere on this path.
Sometimes a client is just starting out and we begin with the Foundation, or we need to strengthen their existing foundation.
Or, the foundation is well-built but income is not where they want it to be and we need to take a look at how to boost that.
While the path is clear, detours are sometimes necessary in order to refuel or invest in tools, resources, or guides to get you through the challenges and unexpected obstacles.
It’s been a good exercise for me to clarify these steps and where they fit in the process. After so many years, I know this path intimately.
Once I clarified the process, I challenged myself to create it visually. That’s not my strong suit, so I turned to my favorite graphic tool, Canva, to get some ideas. I toyed with creating a Venn Diagram, a road map, and something like Chutes and Ladders (remember that game?) for the path. You can see that what I ended up with isn’t that remarkable, yet I love pictures of the natural world and the path evokes a feeling of movent.
Creating a visual representation makes it’s easier for someone new to my work to understand where they fit in. Plus there is plenty of room to customize the journey to exactly fit their needs.
At this point, you get to “choose your own adventure” with a couple of quick exercises… 😎
What does YOUR business LOOK like?
If you were to create a visual representation of your business, what would it look like?
- What is the journey you guide your clients through?
- If you draw a picture, what does that look like?
Or maybe you already have a simple visual that illustrates your work… Is it a mindmap, a Venn diagram, or something else? I’d love to know…what do you do and how do you show or describe it to potential clients?
What’s YOUR path to more visibility?
Now, look at your business from the perspective of your current visibility and getting found by your ideal clients. When you overlay the path to more visibility with the journey your clients go through with you, where are the gaps in your visibility plan?
Are you on the right path or have you made a turn that’s taken you off course?
Once you’ve done this assessment you’ll know if your foundation is strong or needs shoring up. You’ll also have a good idea of where you can improve your income opportunities.
I’d love to hear what you come up with if you’d like to share your discoveries in the comments. 🥰
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If you would like some guidance answering these questions, I’m available for you to “ask me anything.”
Denise, I love your Chutes and Ladders 🙂 I will have to try that in Canva. I only use it for blog and social media images and videos. I need to up my game there.
I’ve been working more on SEO for my online visibility as well as my clients. It takes a lot of time but it does pay off in the long run. Social media posts don’t last as long as SEO can.
Thanks for sharing this awesome tips and graphics to make it easier to understand Denise.
Hey Lisa, thanks for stopping by. That chutes and ladders image is a classic! Visibility is a matter of using a holistic approach. Sounds like that’s what you’re doing. 🙌
I’m in a group with a few other authors who have books coming out later this year, and we’re all scrambling to increase our visibility and build our “platform.” I’ll definitely be sharing this widely with them.
Thank you, Elizabeth!
Hi Denise,
I love how you break down the “fundamentals of establishing a solid online presence”. Since mine is a work in progress at the moment it looks like a slice of Swiss cheese instead of a nice solid chunk of cheddar. 🤣
SharlaAnn
I love the cheese visual. And, I think our businesses and our visibility are always works in progress. Pick one hole and focus on filling it. Then, move on to the next.
Love the Candyland artwork. ❤ Mine might look more like a salad bar ~ you go back to the same place for a little more of the same thing, or you are ready for the next course.
Good post Denise and so timely. I am on a full commitment to promoting, co-creating and networking, to spread the word on my 2200 blog posts and 1000’s of guest posts. Now it is time to spread the word to gain more visibility.
Ryan