How to get visible and live the life of your dreams…

9 June 2019

If you’re thinking about starting your own business or side hustle to run alongside your current job, there are a few things to consider. The most important of these is how are potential clients going to find you? Nicki Louise James is a branding and visibility expert who runs B by Nicki, where she helps female entrepreneurs find their voices and create a brand to match their personalities so they’re attracting the right kind of clients. Here are her seven top tips on getting visible and starting to live the life of your dreams…

Nikki Louise James

Be the expert

If you’re not visible, no one will know who you are. But the thing to remember is that people buy from people and although there can be a lot of competition in any given industry, no one else is you. You are the X factor behind your brand. Don’t forget you have talent, knowledge and ideas and they’re all sitting inside your head, so it’s up to you to share them. You have an idea of what your ideal client needs, so show them what you can do. Be confident, own it and position yourself as the expert.

Embrace the fear

It can be scary. I’ve been there, and every time I went live on my Facebook page or group, I had a nervous blink! But you have to go for it. And don’t worry - no-one is expecting a slick news broadcast. They want to see, hear and get to know the real person behind the brand.

Add value

To get people to start booking you or buying from you; you need to be able to solve their pain points. Think about what is holding them back, what they are worried or concerned about and address this with any content that you post on your social media channels. It is by far the fastest way to become the go-to expert in your niche. This will help ensure that your content (blog /social posts) will have structure, so it becomes engaging and something your audience wants to take action on.

Plan, plan, plan

This will really help you focus on what you need to do to attract those all-important clients. Create a weekly content plan to schedule time when you will be going live on Facebook or Instagram and shape the topics you feature and be accountable. No more, ‘I’ll get visible tomorrow.’ Plan the content, make time and go for it. You won’t regret it.

Facebook Lives aren’t enough

Now you are starting to attract your clients and the right audience for you, think about what they want and then bring the energy to show up. I’m talking everything from touchpoints like Instagram Stories, to get more visible at the top of everyone’s feeds through to utilising PR and networking.

Brand Photography

If you’re serious about making your business stand out, you have to invest in photographs of you by a professional photographer. From the choice of who you use to the location and styling, you need to get this right. These images are the way you boost your visibility across every touchpoint, so they have to scream you and your brand. Plus they will help you to populate your website and all your social posts too; they really are an invaluable tool when it comes to getting visible.

Be you

This is probably my biggest tip and one of the things I believe in the most. Don’t pretend to be something you’re not or be fake - it won’t work. Your audience will see through it. You are the secret ingredient - so embrace it, be authentic and be 100%, unapologetically you.

In all of this please remember that your ideal client doesn’t have to watch you. It’s up to you to grab their attention, stop the scroll and make it worth it. Do that and you will l become known as the go-to expert, and that’s when your business will really take off. That’s when you can start to design your life as you would like it to be – ie the life of your dreams, which is where we all want to be, right?