You have a list of things to do.

I know you do! And I do too. I have an online calendar, but I keep my main list inches away all day long. At the top of my list – every single list I create, every day – are three words written in RED INK:

Make Money Today!

I see the words “Make Money Today” at the top of my list throughout the day. Sometimes it’s just ignored, but at some point and in some part of my brain, those three words remind me of why I have a list of things to do. Why am I writing this blog post?

Why am I creating a landing page for another collaboration with an art organization? Why am I editing a video for my new online courses? Why do I need to get my next event up on my events page on this site?

Your list will be very different than mine. But growing your business takes time and growing your brand is never ending. It’s step-by-step and piece-by-piece. And when I look at my sales for this month, I will either have done enough to move the needle or I will want to double-down next month and get more marketing assets up and running.

So many channels

Of course, my followers all know that I will yell across the globe from the top of the tallest coconut tree out here in Hawaii that you MUST be doing everything you can to get your email marketing up, running, and grow your list every single day. That is a given – if you don’t already know.

(Okay… here I go again…. Go read the Golden Triangle of Sales Success and then return here. Even if you’ve read it before, let’s all get on the same page for this blog post, okay?)

Welcome back.

Now let’s expand the prospecting beyond that foundational system and create a list of other ways to get attention.

It’s fine to get yourself all cozy with all kinds of social media IF (really big IF) you know your target audience will be in that circle. Facebook is still the big dog, but for some of you reading this, you have found a home at Twitter, or Pinterest, and so on. However, this list is a very different group of tools.

Easy to Use Channels

Each of this channels is getting simpler to use every day. These are not in a particular order and not all will be effective in all industries. But take a moment to imagine which if any of these you might be able to use to grow your brand, online presence, and ultimately make more money.

  • Video Blogging – AKA Vlogging – basically creating a blog on camera. It’s pretty easy to do these days. If you have a phone, laptop, or desktop you have a camera and you can Vlog. Most experts will tell you that you need to create at least one video a week and I agree. But what lures me to this idea, is the fact that it can be somewhat spontaneous. In fact, if you are already blogging, then you can take that same content and turn that into a Vlog. You will grow a different audience who love to watch more than read. And honestly, this post will take me a few hours – or more. A Vlog could take so little time. (Well, except I might need to clean my office!) Encourage email sign-ups along the way.
  • Webinars – I don’t have to explain what this is, but I do want to encourage anyone with a service or product to sell to consider getting in front of a group of registered viewers. They have signed-up. They volunteered to attend, not randomly shown up to watch your video. You can replay these in the future, too. Just like a video (they are a video), just load them into Youtube or Vimeo. There is extra value because you will gather email addresses you received during registration and be able to continue to reach out to them.
  • Facebook’s Live Streaming and Twitter’s Periscope are a couple of other options, but both require a little marketing to grow the audiences. Facebook, who notoriously no longer sends out many notifications when you post on your pages, is apparently even stingier with Live Streams. Twitter is much more friendly and posts the Periscope notification to all your Twitter followers. Still, it would be smart to set up an event time so your peeps can join without you depending on notifications. This is by its very nature a kind of “on the fly” communication. Keep it simple and fun and don’t overthink it. Oh… and ask for email sign-ups.
  • Podcasts – there are still big open spaces waiting to be filled in the podcasting arena. For anyone who is a little camera shy, this can certainly be an easy way to share your information in a very easy to digest format. For your potential audience, you could likely become the Monday Morning commute routine or the 30 minute Sunday Afternoon gardening buddy. Clearly, this is a format limited to certain industries. But many industries can benefit – a car mechanic or an insurance agent might be able to find a devoted following. Encourage email sign-ups along the way.
  • SlideShare – is a tool that can take a little work, but it can be a powerful tool for some industries. With its significant sharing tools and the fact that it is part of LinkedIn, it’s powerful. If you have anything to teach, share, or otherwise bring to people interested in your product, art form, or service, this is another free tool with a potential deep reach. If you teach painting or run a photography studio, this is built to give you exposure, too. This can be a powerful online “portfolio” of your skills. And you really only need to create it once and then just keep sending potential clients to view it 24/7. Encourage email sign-ups along the way.
  • Online Courses – are still growing a huge audience and they can be monetized, too. This can be a big boost in your influencing your followers. Whether you have a landscape business, are a massage therapist, or teach watercolor classes, you have an audience waiting to learn from you. It’s a place to gather, a place to learn at one’s own pace, and fits nicely as a way of marketing your skills or ideas to your audience and building trust. You will automatically receive email addresses and reach out with news of new courses or other interesting news is easy.

What are you using to build your brand?

Hopefully, you main go-to is email marketing, because using “reach” to determine your success at marketing would be like counting how many bank accounts you have and considering yourself rich. You can’t pay your bills with “reach”. Where ever you plant your flag on the internet, plant an invitation for your fans and followers to join your list. (I stink I have stressed that a few times so far?! LOL!)

Never forget: you cannot spend likes, hearts, or follows. Click To Tweet

So grow your channels, but consider them doorways to more opportunities to grow your list.

I would love to know what you are doing to expand your brand and grow your audience. What do you do every day that brings you closer to a sale? Are any of you using anything from the list?

Please do share your experiences and feel free to add to the list while you’re at it!

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