Five Pillars of Influence to building an online business

Did you watch The Greatest Showman?  Ha!  That’s a silly question.  But did you watch the behind the scenes clip of the cast practicing one of the songs and Hugh Jackman has a stand in singer for his part because of a surgery he had on his face.  The song starts and as the other cast members start singing, Hugh can’t hold himself back and bears his whole heart as he joins in singing.  I think he even busts some stitches or something, but he just can’t be restrained.

Not to be dramatic or anything, but I kind of feel that way right now.  I was struggling with my business.  In public, I wear the badge of running five businesses while raising five kids with pride, but when I stop to think about it, I realize that that is a little bit nutty.

I knew something had to change and after double ear infections and just overall not feeling good, I decided that enough was enough.  I needed to figure out exactly what God needed me to do with my business right now (and yes I pray about my business and I even have a podcast all about putting God in your business.  You can listen to it here).  So on Sunday I fasted and prayed about it and you know what, I got an answer.  There was no lightning bolts or angels, just a calm assurance and gentle instruction.  Clarify and simplify my message.  My message is that creating an online influence can be done.  So, what answer did I get and how does it apply to you?  Well, here it goes:

 

Five Pillars of Influence

 

For the past seven months, I have been testing out a theory with my Maskcara Experiment.  The theory was that any business, even an MLM, could be built with Five Pillars of Influence: Blogging, Email Marketing, Social Media, Photography and Pinterest.  For seven months, my sister-in-law and I have been over here testing this theory and we have found that it works.  It isn’t magic.  It isn’t fast.  But, it is powerful.

My answer to what I needed to do was to teach these Five Pillars of Influence to you and anyone who feels a desire to grow their business online.  I will be using this message across all my platforms.  I will be taking a step back from photography and will be stream lining my message to my Maskcara team and you my blog readers, because no matter what business you’re building, these five pillars work.

I feel so passionate about this because women keep being lead to me.  “Lead” is really the only word I can use because it feels like I’ve been placed right in their path at just the right moment.  These women are strong and amazing.  Their message to the world is powerful and big.  They know that they have something to share, but they don’t know how.  The online space is so confusing and seems insurmountable.

That is where the Five Pillars of Influence come in.  There is a clear path to carving out a place online.  It doesn’t have to be confusing and you don’t have to waste time searching, I have found it.

I know you.  You have something amazing that is trying to bust out (Yep, I have “This is Me” on repeat as I write this).  You have something amazing to share with the world.  I need your voice. I need your goodness.  My hope is that the 5 Pillars of Influence will make it easier to get your voice out there so that you can start fulfilling your divine assignments.  I know this plan will help because I have tested it and have seen success in others.

The Plan:

Every month we will focus on one of the pillars.  I will blog about it, do a free training or challenge and my corresponding course will be on a special sale that month.  That’s it.  Simple.

Why do I believe in each pillar:

Your Blogsite:

While it is tempting to put all of your effort into social media, building a blog that can be found on Google and Pinterest and then converts those viewers into email subscribers is essential to growing your business.  Once you write a post on Instagram it is already down the feed and people may or may not see it.  Creating shareable and pinnable content allows your content to be evergreen (pinned and re-pinned for years and years).  That means that your efforts can be magnified.

Your Email List:

An email list is what converts browsers into buyers.  Creating an opt in that makes sense and then takes your audience on a journey, makes you money.  The best part about email lists is that much of the work can be automated.  And that is why I love, love, love Ontraport.  (And of course that is an affiliate link, you know how I feel about affiliates.)

Your Photography:

The world is now visual.  Whether you are on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, your pictures matter.  Learning how to use your camera can completely change your online presence.

Your Social Media:

Instagram and Facebook are fun.  It is usually your initial form of contact with your prospective followers.  Having a cohesive and consistent brand message will change who you attract to your business.

Your Search Engines:

Pinterest isn’t just for pinning pretty pictures.  Pinterest is for creating content and getting it out in front of your audience.  And did I mention it is a way to keep your content evergreen?  The right Pinterest strategy makes all the difference.

 

That’s it.  Thanks for letting me bear my heart to you.  It feels good and it feels right.  For the first time ever, I feel confident about exactly what this website needs to be and do.  I’m excited to be a part of your journey.

February we will be focusing on Blogging.

(You can buy the course for $50 off now)

If you are excited to join, please make sure you are a part of my Facebook group and that you have taken my Free 5 day Branding Challenge.  Having this foundation will help us build your business better and faster.

I sure do love you, friends.  Thanks for reading and for being on my team.

 

Luvs,

Michelle