Marketing Your Business or Riding a Bike?

So many would-be entrepreneurs start out with a business idea that they are passionate about, and have dreams of making a difference for others and their families. They plan to market their business on the Internet, but get discouraged because they have no idea where to start. They may spend hours researching and trying to figure it out, or they spend thousands of dollars on the latest and greatest promise for making big money online, only to become disillusioned when it doesn’t work the way they planned.
Many of them give up. Does this sound like you? It may, but you don’t have to be one of those would-be entrepreneurs who gives up. You CAN learn to market your business online. Anyone can learn, and when you do, your life and your business will be forever changed because you can harness the power of the Internet and social media to grow your list of clients, increase your sales, and leverage your time through automated systems and processes that will allow you to spend more time doing those things you love to do.
Learning to Ride a Bike…
School is out for the summer now, and day-camp doesn’t start until next week. So, my kids are home for the next two days, and my husband and I are trying to keep them busy and still manage to get a little work in too. As I sit in my driveway, laptop in hand, (having a business that allows me to work from home provides this benefit of flexibility) I watch my six-year-old ride his bike. We just went through this learning-to-ride-a bike process with our son.
Do you remember when you first learned to ride a bike? You were probably excited and a little scared, but you gave it a try. It was difficult to coordinate all the things you had to do: balance on two wheels; peddle; steer; watch where you were going; control your speed; use the breaks and stop without falling. And I know, if you were like me, you fell down many times and probably got a few scrapes and bruises.
Then, you finally started to have some success. Slowly, it started getting a bit easier. You peddled a few feet before falling down. And when you finally put it all together, and took off on that bike, there was no stopping no turning back. Just like my son did on his bike. He took off and went faster and faster, and became more confident on his bike. Now, it’s effortless for him. He just picks up the bike, climbs on and goes. And it’s the same for you. Decades later, you can still pick up a bike and ride it with skill.
Marketing Your Business is Like Learning to Ride a Bike
So, the way I see it, learning how to market your business online is like learning to ride a bike. There’s a learning curve and you need to coordinate your efforts, but it’s not terribly difficult, and once you do…there’s no stopping you.
There are certain core strategies and processes (especially in online marketing) that once learned and put into practice, are never forgotten and can be replicated over and over again. Often, there is a sequence of events (such as with a product launch) that can become so systematic that when followed every time will almost guarantee your success.
If you’ve been trying to grow your business online and feel overwhelmed by trying to put all the pieces together, I’ve got excellent news for you that will simplify your life, and your marketing efforts. I can simplify it down to five major steps. These five steps are part of what I call the NetMarketing Map. When you’ve mastered these five steps, you will have a successful online business.
Lets take a look at each step:
1. Get Online: attract the right visitors and draw them into your site.
2. Get Traffic: Use simple, proven methods to get ideal clients to your site.
3. Get Leads: Build a list of raving fans who trust you as an expert
4. Get Sales: Create a buzz for your products and services and close the sale.
5. Get Leverage: Maximize your sales and grow your income to greater levels.
If you work through each part of the NetMarketing Map, step-by-step, and keep it simple at first, you will learn how to market your business online. Everything you do will fall into one of these steps on the Map.
Don’t try to go it alone either. Find an accountability partner who’s working through the same challenges in their business; join a Mastermind group; or work with a consultant or coach who can walk with you as you learn to “ride the bike” called Internet marketing.
Just as I held onto the back of my son’s bike as he learned to ride, working with another who can help you stay focused and on track will shorten the learning curve, make the process more enjoyable, and accelerate your results.