10 NON-SLIMY WAYS TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS

When people use the word slimy I immediately think of some gross, slick, green substances. 

Don’t really know why I think green but everything from my childhood tells me that slim is supposed to be green. Maybe it was the influx of games shows, I digress. 

Either way, I never wanted to be covered in it (I’m referring to the game shows when they drop it on you here people) or associated with it so when someone thinks of promoting themselves as slimy, I get why you don’t want to do. 

In business, promoting is the same as marketing yourself. Everyone HAS to do aaaannnnnnnddddddd (drumroll please) it doesn’t have to be slimy. 

Nope! Not at all! It actually can be pretty cool.

I know, I know you’re probably thinking how can that be cool when all I can think about is what are people thinking about me, am I annoying, doesn’t anyone even care about what I’m selling?

If this sounds like you, I get that and was once in your shoes which is why I wrote an entire post on how to let go of your fear of being judged. Read it and determine why and how to get over it. 

Honestly you have to get over it and move on. It’s just apart of being an entrepreneur. People have opted-in to your courses or giveaways because you have something of value.

Trust that and trudge forward. Okay, now to to the reason you’re reading this. Here’s how you can promote your services or products without feeling slimy: 

1. HOST A GIVEAWAY

This one is straight-forward and to the point. You can host a giveaway on social media and giveaway your service, product, course, or whatever it is you are promoting at the time.

I find that a lot easier than offering something monetary as most people aren’t truly interested in your services as they are that cash! 

You can do this alone or do get a tribe to host it together. Instagram typically have tons of giveaway loops.

Caitlin Bacher has a great article on loop giveaways  but remember tojust try not to have too many people in the loop because that just becomes annoying. 

2. OPT-IN INCENTIVE

I think this is the best thing since slice bread. Sorry my grandmother use to say that all the time and it just fit.

It’s an easy way to get gain contact information for individuals that are interested in your service. It is a simple give and take which is a win-win for both of you. 

Once you receive your potential customer’s information, you can include them to your weekly newsletters to sporadically sell your courses, product, or service. 

3. FREE VIDEO SERIES

As I’m sure you seen that I offer my video series on the top of each of my pages.

Once again it’s just as the opt-in incentive except I get to verbally tell you about the awesomeness of my products or services by sliding it in while I’m adding value to you by giving your information.

4. HOST A WORKSHOP

I think this one is taking the internet by storm because EVERYONE is doing.

People have learned by hosting a workshop (which is just an extended version of the video series) is converting viewers into followers and followers into customers. BINGO! 

There are so many ways to hosting a workshop but I have heard more about Google Hangouts. It’s easy, free, and worth it. 

5. CLAIM YOUR BUSINESS PAGE ON YELP

Yeah I know you’re thinking, this one’s new and you would be right.

Claiming your business page on yelp not only solidify your business as legit but it’s a great opportunity to get feedback and have your customers promote your excellentness for you.

That’s no better marketing tool than to have someone else rave about your services or products. 

6. USE "AS SEEN IN SELECT..." ON YOUR WEBSITE

Another great idea used by sooooo many. It’s a slime-feee way of promoting your business.

When people see that you have been featured by others, you automatically receive a stamp of approval for creditability. 

7. USE YOUR TWITTER OR FB HEADER IMAGE

I currently use this feature myself to promote my book Girl, Get It Together. It’s the first thing people see when they come to your page.

I use the link that is allowed on all platforms to drive traffic to the areas I would like for them to visit. 

8. GUEST POST

I live by this and think it’s a great way to promote your business. When guest posting, of course you know to add value but also add an incentive in the post.

Some things you can think about adding could be a free ebook, worksheet, or checklist. 

9. JOIN FB GROUPS (CLOSED)

I love Facebook groups. Most of the people in them are extremely nice and helpful with the exception of a few.

By joining these groups, it’s a great opportunity for you make connections and set yourself as an expert in the group. Try to make weekly comments or post to keep engagement.

Allyn Lewis wrote a great post the best Facebook groups for business owners. Also use Facebook to get feedback from certain products or images before I release them.

Once again, an excellent slime-free way to promote. Join my tribe to get the free resources and latest content. 

10. EMAIL SIGNATURE

This is one that I don’t see often but more people should take advantage of this. Underneath your signature in your email, when you finish your blog post, or social media post, you should link to your newest sell. 

For example on Instagram, after I have written the post I created a black line and put my current promotion as a CTA.

This way it doesn't interfere with my message but is also being seen by those that are interested in my product or services. 

So those are my ten slime-free ways to promote you product, business, or service.

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ARE YOU ALREADY USING SOME OF THESE METHODS OR DO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO ADD TO THE LIST? LET ME KNOW BELOW YO! 

IS THE AMAZING VIRTUAL ASSISTANT RIGHT FOR YOU

If you’re just starting out or even have been an entrepreneur for some time, I’m sure you have seen the saying “hire before you’re ready”. It’s on social media and blogs that that talk about the steps to entrepreneurship but how do you know if it’s really for you?

I mean, let’s be honest, if you’re starting out as an entrepreneur, your funds may not be as lucrative as you would like and you might be thinking “I’m not able to afford” that expense right. Though some of the things we say can limit our growth in business (and I wrote about it here), the truth is it really just depends on you. 

After starting my business, I read tons of articles, books, blog posts, and ebooks about what I needed to successfully get started.

When reading the information, it appeared to me that I would be extremely busy but if it was easy, everyone would do it right? So I took that motto and rolled with it. 

I tried juggling my full-time, my side gig, my home, my health, my daily activities, and still stay update on comments, posts, and knowledge. 

What I found that the theory of superwoman is just that….a theory. I found that it was no way that I could effectively juggle all these things without dropping the ball at least twice a day. 

That wasn’t effective for me or my business and was actually counterproductive to the goals I had in mind for my business growth.

I wanted to growth, make a difference, and be able to enjoy life on my terms but by thinking I could do everything alone, I was spinning wheels and getting no where. 

I had to ask myself these questions before I decided if hiring a virtual assistant was right for me. 

How much of my day is focused on unprofitable activities?

Unprofitable activities are those that are typical administrative task such as responding to comments, managing emails, providing immediate responses to question, etc. 

Though these are EXTREMELY important to any business, it’s good to know how much time throughout the day you are spending on these activities. 

For me, 90% of my day was used on administrative tasks. Ouch! 

Do I know what I would delegate to an assistant?

Here’s something everyone should think about before shoving out money to an assistant. Know you’re goals and how you want you virtual assistant to assist with getting you there. 

I totally jumped the gun on this one and was a bit confused about what my first assistant should do. I was actually looking for the assistant to tell me what to do as if they owned the business.

Duh! Lady, you’re suppose to tell me what to do.

Don’t be me and avoid egg on your face. Think about what can you delegate first. 

Do you have a system in place?

This was another “duh” moment. Not only did I not know what I wanted them to do exactly but I also didnot know how to teach them to do it. 

Like, what were you thinking Amber?

I had nothing. I guess I could email them the steps on how to do the thing that I needed them to do though I didn’t know exactly what that was yet. Here was yet another task I was putting on my plate that already runneth over. 

Again, learn from my mistakes and determine if you have a system in place for the virtual assistant to follow.

Not only will it be great from the current assistant but if you needed to train someone else, they could know exactly how to execute your task without you having to explain it all over again. 

Remember this is a business and you have to treat it as such. When you get hired for a job, you go through some type of training and your business is no different. 

How much are you willing to invest?

Contrarily to many beliefs, you don’t need lots of cash to hire an assistant and just like purchasing new software or having an office, your assistant is an investment. Probably the BEST investment into your business. 

Determine what you would like to invest in an assistant weekly or month and from there determine your what days and how long you would need assistance.

Maybe you hire someone only one day a week for 3 hours or maybe you have someone work 1 hour a day focusing only on returning emails and responding to comments. 

This is truly up to you.

Just like any other job, you will have to comb through the good and the bad assistants but know your virtual assistant is the most important job you will offer. 

This person will lead to learn things you like and do like. They should want to see you and the business grow so you want to be sure to select someone that seems knowledgable and genuinely interested in your growth.

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HAVE YOU ALREADY HIRED A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT? IF SO, HOW'S IT GOING? DID YOU CREATE A SYSTEM OR JUST WINGED IT? LET ME KNOW BELOW. 

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MISTAKE #6 FOR START-UPS: COLLABORATING

Collaborating and networking is single-handedly the number one way to grow your business.

Like most financalfreepreneurs -just came up with that one, I’m digging it, I knew and thought that what I was doing was enough to increase my sells but um, can we reference the two failed “official” businesses and countless other joint ventures.

What I thought I was doing, was far from collaborating and networking. I was merely scratching the surface and not even that. 

I started my business solely on Facebook and a few printed ads. Again, I thought this was my ticket to my penthouse but that wasn’t so *insert crowd unison awe here*.

No, No, No, you don’t have to feel bad for me because I learned a lot from my (and other entrepreneurs) failures which equipped me with having the ability to help you down the right path. So let’s get to it.

From my past clients, I have heard different outlooks on  collaborating and networking such as:

• I’m afraid that I will get rejected if I reach out to someone

• I’m a super duper uber introvert and networking terrifies me

• I already have enough connections. I’m good on adding anyone else

• I know what I need to do but I just can’t bring myself to it

• What if my services suck and they don’t feel that I’m worthy

The list can go on and on with thoughts around networking but in actuality, it’s a must when needing to grow your business. Collaborating and networking can open so many doors that you didn’t know that exist but you have to get outside of your comfort zone. 

 

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MISTAKE: Feeling comfortable in my zone - afraid to play nice with others

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You may be uncomfortable with reaching out and making these connections or collaborating with other people but you must think of it as a great thing.

You’re doing something different and that something different is going to bring you different results in your life. That’s what you wanted right?! 

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SOLUTION: Step out Of your zone to connect and collaborate with others

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I totally wanted a change because my robotic life had become a bore and when I went on this last venture to start this business, I promised myself I would give it my all and step - even run - outside the lines of my boundaries.

Here’s how I did it. 

SOCIAL MEDIA COLLABORATIONS

HOST A LOOP GIVEAWAY

If you’re on Instagram, I’m sure you’ve seen those giveaways loops that offer a laptop, cash, and/or some expensive item you’ll get for free if you follow a certain group (or 100s) of people to win.  

When I hosted my loop giveaway, I keep my loop between 12-15 people. There had to be an end to it. 

I located several individuals that matched my same field (coaching) that I felt where kicking ass at it. Not only do you want to grow your following but you want people to truly be interested in your services.

Related: How to take your social media from lame to fame

Check for these things when collaborating:

• Visual Appeal

Were the photos they posted visually appealing to me and made me want to stay on their page or even come back? 

This goes back to branding. Those that where kicking butt and taking names with their branding approach would also reflect greatly on me and my services.

I did not want want to select someone that was kind of “all over the board”. I wanted our collective consistency to make an impression on those that were following us. 

• Content

So yes, the whole idea of Instagram is photos but the smart creators of IG went a step above to allow us to write a caption. Womp! Womp!

Side Note: I treat my instagram (@the_amber_dee) like a mini-blog.

This is another aspect I look for when selecting who I wanted to collaborate with for my loop giveaway.

I’m typically giving away information or encouragement and I didn’t want to be represented by someone that had a tendency to say negative things or promote something like violence. That’s not what I stand for and I didn’t want my loop to include that either. 

• Number of Followers

It would have been great if I could have had someone in my loop that had a million followers but let’s be honest, no one wants to work with a newbie.

Unless you have a side connect with a celebrity or friends with someone with a banging business, then you probably will get a response like “my services will be $500+ for a one post shout-out”.

Um, yeah, no!

So you have to look for people who have a similar number of followers to increase your chances of them saying yes to your giveaway. 

This will take some research but if you don’t have time, try hiring an assistant for help. Click here to read the article on how to hire a virtual assistant. 

JOIN FACEBOOK GROUPS

There are a countless number of Facebook groups that you can join for networking and collaboration.

Most groups will have a particular day of the week for you to let other group members know about your service or particular product that you have available. It’s also a great way to connect with other like-minded individuals for possible future collaborations. 

By frequently participating in the group discussions, you are making yourself visible - which is a great way to build your business/brand - and being seen as a professional which could get you more customers or clients. 

Join my Facebook group to connect, collaborate, and grow. 

JOIN PINTEREST GROUP BOARDS

Okay so I’ll admit I was never into the whole social media thing but when it comes to Pinterest, I could (and still can) spend HOURS pinning - don't judge me!

I think it’s safe to say I’m a Pinatic so doing a Pinterest Group Board and joining was completely my thing. 

Your pins are exposed to a larger number of people than simply just pinning on your board and possibly get followers for your board or any other social media.

To find these boards, I used a website called PinGroupie.com

GETTING SHOUT OUTS

Another way I collaborated and networked on social media was getting the infamous “shout out”.

I really don't prefer that term so let’s say Recognition. Yeah! I like that better! I would get “recognition” from people accounts that promoted small businesses and brands.

Sometimes there are opportunities to recognize each other’s services (aka: shout out for a shout out). 

GUEST BLOGGING

This was one of my favorite ways to network with other businesses and get exposure.

Most business will allow you to guest blog on their website as long as you allow them to do the same. It can be a win-win for you to let them blog on your site as it can bring their following to your site which can mean more followers that can turn into a sale.

I did both continuous posting and one-time post. 

This will go back to researching business that are close to your field and finding if they allow you to guest blog.

Some sites will have it posted as one of their tabs while others you may have to send a request of interest. 

• Continuous Blogging

With continuous blogging for a particular business, most want you to agree to a certain amount of times you will post for them.

Initially, I agreed to writing a blog bi-monthly and selected the topics that I would blog about ahead of time.  

• One-Time Post

Just like continuous blogging, you get to select the topic you will discuss but instead of doing once a month or once every week, it’s only one time.

This is a good way to get on a lot of sites and share you knowledge about your area with multiple people. It’s also a good way to build rapport and connect with the owner of the blog.

You will feel more comfortable with contacting them when its time for a loop giveaway, a referral, or a collaboration for a webinar, article, or podcast.