Exposure Beats Location in the Digital Age
If I’ve learned nothing else as an entrepreneur and business owner, it’s that exposure is huge! But there’s a big difference between blasting the world with your message, hoping it will reach someone who actually cares, and creating messages which resonate with the people you’ll love working with, and who will love working with you.
To do that, you have to do a certain amount of giving; information, helpful hints, entertainment—in short, you have to engage with your target audience. And you have to do it frequently and regularly.
Intelligent Engagement
Does that mean blasting them with daily emails? If you’re like me, that’s the best way to lose 
them. In most cases, if someone regularly sends me daily emails, unless it’s something specific I truly want to read every day like “Messages from the Universe” I’ll unsubscribe sooner rather than later, thus ending our engagement.
What it means is setting up a regular posting schedule for adding content to your website’s blog. But you can’t stop there. You need to guest post, or at the very least, start publishing on sites like Medium, Elephant Journal, Thrive Global, to name a few. There again, consistency is key because, like your website, it takes time for you to start getting noticed both by readers and site owners.
Making the Most of Your Time
Hold on! you’re saying. I’ve barely got time to run my business and fill my pipeline. How am I going to write even one post a week for my own site, much less write for others too?
I’ve listened to my share of podcasts, bought a course or two, and follow several coaches/mentors. Their message is the same: “Do what you love, and delegate what you hate”. I’ve revised it a little in my own mind. I think it’s important to do the things you love and are good at doing; those tasks you can do efficiently without a lot of angst. I also find balance to be important. Not just life/work balance, but balance within the work we do.
For example, I balance my own work between left-brain and right-brain activities. Sometimes I’m writing, others, I’m doing more analytical work like accounting or scheduling. Shifting back and forth not only keeps me from getting bored, but keeps my writing from growing stale. You get up from your desk periodically to move your body. Why not move your brain around too?
Engaging Your Audience By Being Relatable
The key to effective engagement is to write articles and posts with which the people you’d like 
to work with can relate, not only to the words, but to you as a person and service provider (if your business is product-based, I believe you still provide a service by how you treat them during the buying process, i.e. customer service). In short, you have to be real.
Being real means allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Some see that as too much exposure, and downright frightening. Think about it, though. If someone wants to do business with a robot, they’ll go to Walmart or Amazon. If they want to deal with a real person, it’s because they want someone who ‘gets’ them in some way.
Learning to Delegate or Outsource
By now, you might be thinking Fine, I need relatable content. But I’m still too busy with all the other parts of my business. And even if I’m pretty good at writing, having to fit even an hour or two in a week for writing is an hour or two I just don’t have!
I get it. I’m having to fit marketing into my work schedule, and trust me, I’d rather eat dirt some days, though the more I learn, the easier and less painful it’s getting. I also know there will come a time when I’ll hire someone to handle the bulkier parts and leave the fine tuning, which will take up less of my time, to me.
In the beginning, it will take some more of the one commodity you feel you have the least of: time. But like anything else, great effort in the beginning means opening expanses of time later on to do what you do best, and love.
Finding the Right Consultants
In my case, I spend time in Facebook and LinkedIn groups with have similar philosophies and messages to mine. I watch and listen to the people who post, keeping eyes and ears open for those who offer services I need to outsource. I might even follow certain ones so I can get a better feel for what they offer and how they offer it (and frankly, if it’s going to fit into my current budgetary restrictions).
Ultimately, I’ll schedule a call with the 3 or 4 who seem to match my needs best. After gathering information, I might decide to hire someone, or I might need to wait until my budget is a little more flexible. Either way, I know what my goals are and where I need to adjust my time and schedule.
No One Is One-Size-Fits-All
As a ghostwriter, and one who specializes in writing for people who are ready to be real and 
vulnerable, I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. I’ll talk to people for whom I know I can write well, but also to those for whom I’m not a good fit. I do what I’d expect others to do for me. If I don’t feel I’m a good fit, I’ll say so. I know if I have to struggle to match your voice, it’s going to show. Then hiring me would defeat the whole purpose of getting regular, authentic, relatable content.
Fortunately, there are many I’ve talked to who draw me in and let me feel their excitement at providing a quality product or service. I feel the messages they want and need to convey, and the energy behind their ‘why’. Above all, I’ve learned there will be some of those who won’t hire me for their own reasons, and that’s OK. When I put positive indifference into play, I know the end result will be the best possible solution for my client and me. I’ll love providing their regular, relatable content, and they’ll love all the time and energy they gain. Win-win.
Do You Need More Time?
Are you struggling to keep all of your entrepreneurial balls in the air? Would you like to take a task or two off your plate? Maybe it’s content creation, or perhaps it’s getting your books in order and creating a budget. If this sounds familiar and you’re ready to streamline your life and give your business space to grow and thrive, CONTACT ME and let’s talk!
About the Author
Sheri Conaway is a writer, blogger, ghostwriter, an advocate for cats and mental health. Sheri believes 
in the Laws of Attraction, but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming release of ” Rebuilding After Suicide”.
