Leveraging The Power Of Relationships To Grow Your Online Business
By Kelisha Mills
If you want to grow your business fast, you better get into the habit of growing your relationships. With the rise of social media and other forms of communication like conferencing, it’s now easier than ever to reach out to people who have the same likes and interests as you.
When I started my business online, I was relatively unknown. I live in the Caribbean and although I was well travelled and started my entrepreneurial journey as a young woman, I had no exposure in the online business world. I would now call myself a legitimate entrepreneur, because it's been my only source of income for the past twelve years. I took the financial risk, invested in myself and my business, succeeded greatly and failed miserably.
In 2014, I closed my retail business due to the economic downturn and bad business decisions I made in my most profitable years. After overcoming a bout of depression and not having any idea of what to do next, I decided to pair my education with what I learned from this roller coaster entrepreneurial experience and started anew as a business coach.
There was one big challenge. I had NO audience. Business coaching was essentially unheard of in my part of the world and small business owners couldn’t understand why they needed to pay someone to show them how to run their businesses. To grow my business to a sustainable level in eight months required me to leverage the power of relationships. Within my first year, I went from being unknown to speaking at events, and having the opportunity to interview and connect with hundreds of women.
“If you want to grow your business fast, get into the habit of growing your relationships.”#TheGrowthHackingBook #GrowthHackingMovement #GrowthHackingDay
I want to share with you how I was able to do this with my GROW Method . It’s the formula I used to hack rapid growth in my Coaching business. Follow this method for one month and watch your follower and subscriber numbers increase.
G: Get to know your tribe
You probably have heard the story of a young adopted girl who grew up in an environment totally alien to her. She longed to find someone who would understand and connect with her. She left no stones unturned, reached out to many and eventually found people who felt like family. They had the same likes, values and interests. They welcomed her with open arms and were embraced in return. This young girl had finally found her tribe.
As a business owner, you must also find your tribe. Your tribe (or business network) are brand owners who have the same values and goals as you. They speak the same language, have similar experiences and have overcome the same challenges as you. These are the people you want to connect with.
Helen Keller once said; “ Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” This is also true in business. When I began to collaborate with other women entrepreneurs, my authority, influence and reach grew so fast. I let go of the idea that I knew everything, and that others in the same field were rivals. I began to embrace my tribe, and invited them to speak on my platforms. I became known for bringing women entrepreneurs in my country together. How amazing is that?
This can happen for you.
However, there’s a correct way to reach out. Trying to connect with a tribe in the wrong way can get you expelled from their circles entirely. I want to share with you how I approach it.
I want you to write down your goal for the amount of followers or connections you want to have across all your platforms. For each platform, search for those who you believe have similar goals, interests and values. Start with those near your geographical location, and then spread out nationally and internationally.
Let’s use a New York bridal florist as an example to find businesses to connect with using the following platforms:
R: Reach Out
Take your list and start sending out friend requests, direct messages, and emails. Make sure you have at least one contact or group in common. Do your research and make sure this is someone you want in your tribe or network. Sometimes people can be skeptical about friend requests, messages and emails coming from people they don’t know, so be prepared to be ignored or blocked.
The first thing you should do is let them know the reason you’re reaching out. You need to be as genuine as possible. You can say that you’re working on growing your network with like-minded entrepreneurs. Ask them how they got started and be prepared to share a little about you and your business. Refer to the research you’ve done.
Here’s an example of a message I sent out on Facebook:
And that’s how a genuine conversation is started. Remember, we’ve never spoken before, however, we have a couple of things in common. We’re both moms and entrepreneurs. It’ll be much easier to grow from here. Be sure to continue the conversation and follow up every so often.
The same rule can apply for all social media and email platforms. It may be a bit harder to get an email response. Some key influencers don’t have a presence on particular social media platforms. If they’re not on social media at all, reach out to them through the contact form on their website. Your chances of getting a direct response are much lower, but it’s worth the effort.
When I hosted my first online summit, I reached out to well known influencers and I was surprised when I actually received responses. Sometimes, you just have to take a leap and step outside of your comfort zone.
Reaching out can be time consuming. I suggest you create a schedule. Here are a few suggestions:
O: Offer yourself to be of service
Let your newfound contact know how you can be beneficial to their audience. Most social media platforms have an algorithm that works in the favor of the networker. When you send a message and keep in touch, your posts will be one of first they see consistently on their timelines.
This means you must have content prepared to share. Your content must be relevant to your business. No random posts of your family, pets, vacations, meals or rants. You’re offering a product or service as a thought leader, influencer, game changer — someone people want to know, like and trust. You must think differently so your new connections will share what you’re offering with their friends and network. And, that's the whole point.
After a few weeks or months, let your new connection know that you’re putting out a new product or service, and you’d be honoured if they would share it with their network. This causes a spider web outreach, and your name will start to trend in different networks. You’ll become known as the go-to person in a specific field. This is why you must be clear on who your ideal customer is and connect with a tribe who has a similar audience.
W: Watch your influence and audience grow
This process has worked for me time and time again. I now have connections all over the globe. It’s also the reason I’m writing to you in this book. I made a genuine connection with Parul Agrawal, the mastermind behind this project. I’m now connected with over 25 other influencers because of her. I can stand as an equal because of our similar fields in entrepreneurship and growth hacking.
Go back to the goal you wrote down in the beginning of this chapter. Let me know how many new connections you’ve gained after 30 days of implementing this growth hacking method. I promise you, the results will amaze you.