Side hustles have become increasingly popular in recent years and for good reason. With inflation and recessions being a real issue in the modern climate, more people need more money to live the life they are used to. Not only this, but since many were affected by the pandemic and people working from home, it has made people realise that work takes up a lot of time that could be spent with family. The great thing about side hustles is the fact that they come in a range of forms, so there is a side hustle for everyone. Whether it’s editing videos, being a consultant, creating a home-based online business such as writing or even being a web designer. The list is endless, it just depends on your skills, interests and how much you want to put into the business in terms of budget and time.
It’s pretty easy to start a side hustle, the difficult part is gaining clients and growing your side hustle into a business. You can’t expect to set up your side hustle and then expect people to find you through no marketing. Some work from word of mouth alone, but this can only go so far. Having a solid marketing strategy in place is essential if you hope to make this a fully-fledged business. In this article, we will go through some of the top tips on how to market your side hustle to gain clients and turn it into a business.
Create A Website
Having a website is essential if you wish to be successful in your business endeavours as it is the first step to promoting your business. You need to think of your website as your storefront for everyone to see. In reality, most people are going to find you online, so you want to be findable, and without a website, you are more difficult to find. This may sound really difficult to make a website, but thankfully it is much easier than ever to create a website. You could have someone make it for you, or alternatively, you can do this yourself. There are many content management systems (CMS) out there including WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace and Wix and they make them extremely easy to use, even for beginners.
Optimise Your Website For Search Engines For Long-Term Success
Having quick wins is great, and we will get that later, but to ensure long-term success you need to have a long-term marketing strategy. This is where search engine optimisation (SEO) comes into play. Having SEO in place, allows your website to show up when users are searching for similar products or services. It is important to understand that this is a long-term strategy and you won’t get results overnight, it can take months to see promising results.
This is where you have relevant keywords on your website that is related to your product or service. For example, if you were a streetwear brand that offered premium clothing, you could optimise a page for designer tracksuits. If you were a content creator, a keyword would include freelance copywriter. All of this is relevant and will get you results in time.
Video Content Is Essential In 2023
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past couple of years, video content is extremely popular and it only going to get more popular in 2023. Whether it’s TikTok, Youtube, Instagram or Facebook, video content is the highest and most interacted content and gains the most engagement. Both TikTok and YouTube have over a billion monthly users around the world, so it pays to be on these platforms. Yes, creating video content is not the easiest, and you will need to brush up on your video skills, but once you have these skills they will become invaluable as you will reach a much wider audience.
YouTube is pretty easy to use, but like optimising your website for search engines with keywords, this is the same with YouTube. Once you know what keywords to use, you will find that people will find you for a range of subjects and topics. If you have the budget for advertising, this is a great way to get further interaction as you will be able to target specific audiences. This is the same with TikTok, but the minimum budget will be $500.
Create A Community Around Your Budget
Now you have a website and have both your short and long-term marketing sttegies, it’s now time to refine your product or service. One way that you can do this is by building a community around your business. Not only will this create a loyal following for your business, but it will also allow you to get relevant feedback from your customers and followers. There are many platforms out there that you can use to create a community.
Facebook groups and pages were once extremely popular, and if you already have a business page, it makes it a little bit easier to connect with leads. Other options include Reddit, or Discord which allow you to create a more organic following with audiences you may not have thought would follow you. Creating a community and sharing your business knowledge will ensure that even when times get tough, you will still have your community to back you up.
Utilise Digital Advertising
Although you have your website optimised for search engines, this doesn’t mean that your website will be found straight away as it takes a lot of time and backlinks. For some quick wins, you should consider digital advertising. Yes, this can cost, but the saying goes that you have to spend money to make money. Google ads manager is just one method to target your audience. Like you use keywords in SEO, you can bid on specific keywords on Google related to your business. For example, if you were a wedding photographer in Manchester, this is a key term you could be targeting. Or if you were a freelancer, you could use this to gain exposure, this is also great for Ecommerce marketing. Other methods of digital advertising can include social media ads. This is much more affordable and you can target specific audiences related to your industry. All social platforms have this including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest. This is great if you are just starting out and need clients fast, so invest early so you can get on with working and making some money.
There are many methods to market your side hustle, but ensuring you have a website is key to your success and growth. Aligned with a long and short-term marketing strategy as well as building a community will help your business thrive, even when times get tough.
