GNT #017: Don't scale without these 3 things

Read time: 4.5 minutes

I talk to a lot of business owners that want to start scaling their business.

Their message is resonating, new business is slowly coming in the door.

But they want to step things up to the next level and bring on more business, faster.

Awesome place to be, right?

However, a word of caution...

Scaling your business is a LOT HARDER if you don't have a few fundamental growth components in place.

It's like trying to build a house without a solid foundation.

It's the same in marketing.

If you try to scale without a solid base, you will be wasting valuable attention, time, and money.

Here are 3 things you need to have in place before starting to scale your business growth. 

#1: An optimized website

Yep, we know, right?

But really, really.

In today's digital world, your website is one of the most important elements to get right before even thinking about trying to scale your business.

The idea here is to make your website the most appealing and convenient as possible for visitors to stay longer and engage with more content.

When you get this right, you'll generate more form submissions, more engagement, and more leads.

There's a LOT that goes into building an optimized website, more than we could possibly cover here...

But, here are few elements to get you started.

Create conversion paths

We want our website to convert (turn a web visitor) into leads, customers, or both.

Ideally we want to have multiple website entry points into both of these paths.

For example, you could convert website visitors into leads through a newsletter, live or virtual events, ebooks, playbooks, a podcast, a community...

Also you could convert website visitors into customers by offering free 20 minute consulting calls, trials, or paid products.

The goal?

Set up your site to capture individual visitor email or form submissions with clear calls to action.

This allows you to add them into your email list or pipeline and start building a relationship.

... Because if you don't, they'll leave your website and you may never get the opportunity again.

Clear and benefit focused copy

Your website copy should clearly describe your product or service, but focus on the benefit to the customer.

We're speaking to the customer's pain points and how our solution specifically solves them.

Highlight the change your customer will experience (from point A → B) if they choose you.

Connecting the dots for your customer from the customer's perspective has a much greater emotional impact than simply touting your great product.

Use landing pages

At an event? Thinking of running an ad on social? Using a QR code? Running a campaign focused on one industry?

Use a web landing page to speak directly to that visitor, provide the info they need, and include ONE clear call-to-action.

(Landing page = custom web page that a user lands on after clicking a link)

Landing pages should match the style of your site, but not include any distracting elements.

Once you create the landing page USE THAT URL for any campaign vs. sending people straight to your homepage.

#2: A basic email marketing funnel

An email marketing funnel, in it's simplest definition, is a series of emails that provide value and guide a contact through a process to become a customer.

There are many different types of funnels and nurture sequences focused on different phases of the sales funnel.

The idea here is that once you receive an email address, you want to do something with it.

(More than just an initial auto hello email.)

You want to send a cadence of emails sent out over time to provide value and build trust.

The email funnel should feel like a conversation between you and the prospect.

It should also help you determine who that person is, what they need most right now, and which of your products/services help solve their problem.

Some of the best funnels I've seen provide a ton of free knowledge, ask questions, and provide social proof/testimonials.

They also sell very, very passively.

If you don't have email marketing capability in your current tool set or CRM, you can use a basic platform like HubSpot or MailChimp to set up your first nurture campaign.

[I'm using MailerLite for my new business, Saunable. They have basic pre-built email workflows and templates for everything from intro sequences, winning back inactive subscribers, or you can easily create a simple funnel from scratch.]

It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of an enterprise platform, but it's more than enough to get started!)

If you're just starting out with email marketing, think about the experience you want your subscriber to have, and how you'll leverage email to nurture that relationship over time.

Don't forget to review open rates/clicks on a monthly basis to learn what's working and what's not.

#3: A simple, repeatable content strategy

If you are solving a unique problem for your customer, it's to your benefit to consistently showcase your expertise around that problem.

You'll let your audience and prospects know that you are knowledgeable in your space and you truly understand their pain points and specific challenges.

This will shorten the KNOW → LIKE →TRUST timeline.

Content can be used:

- On your website to educate and build trust.
- Get your website to show up in search engines for specific terms.
- Support a broader social media strategy to generate audience and leads.

The idea here is that a good content strategy is value-driven, not sales-driven.

Sales are a byproduct.

[I started writing this newsletter in January with the goal of educating, supporting, and empowering an audience of passionate growth-builders.

I didn't realize how many direct consulting leads would come from a content strategy in such a short amount of time.]

Takeaways

Save time, money, and frustration. Don't try scaling your business growth without these 3 things.

1. An optimized website
   
2. A basic email marketing funnel
   
3. A simple, repeatable, content strategy

Remember, we're not looking for perfection. We're looking for 1% better everyday.

That's all for now.

You've got this. I'm rooting for you!

See you again next week.



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