Last week I hosted September’s live Q&A. We had a great discussion around how to start a website and get more blog traffic. These questions keep coming up – and for good reason. Building a following takes time and practice.
What’s the best way to get more blog traffic?
Let’s start with the big question – how to get more blog traffic.
The short answer is simple. The best way to get more website visitors is with whatever method works for you.
Now, I realize this may be a frustrating answer. But the truth is there’s no one magic pill that works for everyone.
There are hundreds of ways to market your blog. In my book, The Essential Habits of 6-Figure Bloggers, I asked 17 successful bloggers how they marketed their business. Every person had a different answer.
Now, there were some common themes. Especially amongst bloggers in similar niches.
For example, many mom bloggers gain traffic with Pinterest. Other bloggers rely on organic traffic from Google. They use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so that their posts appear high in Google’s search results.
For my business, most people discover my website through my Amazon books. I also get more blog traffic when I collaborate with other people. For example, by taking part in a joint giveaway or product bundle.
And so, my advice to all new bloggers is be prepared to experiment. Try one strategy at a time until you find two or three that work for you and your audience. Then keep doing them.
If you’d like more in depth help on how to start a blog and build a following, also check out these resources:
Beginner’s Guide: How To Start A Successful Blog
How To Monetize Your Blog (And Earn Your First $1000 With Low Traffic)
Make Money From Blogging on Amazon and Audible
How do you keep track of everything and stay organized?
As you grow your business, it’s challenging to keep track of all the tasks in your business and make time for the other important things in your life.
You need to send emails, write content, post to social media, create products, update sales pages, do bookkeeping, etc.
Some of these tasks are one-off and others recur every week or month. Keeping track of everything can get overwhelming and it’s easy to drop the ball on something.
I organize my to do list using a paper planner. You can also use an electronic calendar. The exact tool is not important. What matters is that you have a system to capture everything.
Here are the three steps I use to stay organized and get it all done:
- First, brainstorm everything you need to do – personal appointments, recurring tasks, business projects, etc. Do this weekly and as new projects or tasks come up.
- Then, schedule all your tasks on your calendar – assign each activity to a specific date and time block.
- Finally, honor your calendar – when the time comes, make sure you do the scheduled tasks no matter what.
Now, I know this system may sound inflexible or like a lot of work. And you could be resisting the idea of scheduling all your activities. I get it.
But here’s what you need to know…
It takes commitment and discipline to build a successful business. Scheduling your work – all your work – is one easy way you can develop these qualities.
This system also eliminates the overwhelm and allows you to achieve a lot more in your business and life.
How to attract coaching clients and make money for your services?
Victoria wanted to know how to start a coaching business and attract her first paying clients.
This is a common question. When you’re starting out as a coach, you can feel like there’s a lot to do. Build a website, create packages, print business cards, etc.
My suggestion is to put all these tasks to one side. If you’re just starting out, then you need to focus on one thing – making offers to coach people.
Don’t worry about your business name, website, group packages, social media accounts. Instead, reach out to people in your personal network and make them an offer.
This is as simple as saying “I help people solve [the problem you coach around] is this something you’d like help with?”
When you start making offers to people, you get better at selling. You overcome your self-doubt and become confident about sharing the work you do.
You also refine your messaging. This is how you communicate the problem you address as a coach. The first step to finding coaching clients, is to create a clear and compelling message.
Don’t underestimate the importance of being able to describe exactly how your potential clients will benefit from working with you.
Then, once you have clients and a powerful offer – you can establish your online presence. Build your coaching website, create social media accounts, and start marketing your business to people outside of your existing network.
For more help on starting a coaching business, check out this ultimate guide on how to start a coaching business.
What to do first – start a blog, look for coaching clients, or create a membership site?
This final question came from Ryan, who wants to start a blog, find coaching clients, and build a membership site. He is struggling to decide what to do first.
There’s no one right answer here. There are many successful business owners who built a large audience before selling anything. While other people created their first paid offering straight out of the gates.
The important thing is to get started on your business.
If you want to create a blog, then go ahead and do that first. Build up an audience before planning your first product or service.
Or, if you want to offer a one-on-one service and start making money right away, then go ahead and make offers. Reach out to people in your network and see if anyone will hire you.
You can create your first product at any time. Whether you have zero followers or 10,000. It doesn’t matter. And here’s why…
Your first offer will probably not be as well received as you hope. And this is okay. Once you get started, you gather feedback. You learn what your target audience wants and doesn’t want. You can then refine your business in response to this information.
If you keep building an audience and making offers, then success becomes inevitable. Eventually people will want to buy your offerings and you will start making money in your business.
