How To Prioritize Increasing Revenue as an Online Business Owner
With only a few weeks left until the holiday season begins and those end-of-year deadlines close, many of my clients are focusing on increasing their total revenue for 2024.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you might have noticed I’m strategy-focused. I don’t do things just to do them… and I’m constantly looking at my business and trying to find ways to improve and streamline my processes.
Recently, that has included examining what increases my revenue as an online business owner and how I can prioritize those revenue-generating activities in the coming weeks. Is that something you want to do, too? Then, let’s get into it.
Content Overview
– Determine Your Revenue-Generating Activities
– Maximize What Works
– Creating Structures and Systems
– Know When to Delegate
– Know How to Delegate
Determine Your Revenue-Generating Activities
Do you know what makes you money in your business? I’m not talking about the offers listed on your website—what actions do you take regularly that reliably result in potential sales for your business?
For example, the top 5 revenue-generating activities (in no particular order) for my digital marketing agency are:
- Sales Calls
- Paid Advertising Campaigns
- SEO Services
- Email Marketing
- Content Marketing
I utilize this knowledge by prioritizing these actions over other administrative tasks, like filing paperwork. Your tasks are likely different from mine, so it’s important to dive into the analytics for yourself.
I suggest making a list of these activities and keeping them visible in your workspace to help keep them at the top of your mind. I’d also recommend having a second list of activities you do regularly but are not necessarily revenue-generating (although important). We’ll talk more about what to do with this list.
FREE RESOURCE: SMART Goals Template
Maximize on What Works
Now that you know what increases sales for your business, it’s time to figure out how to amplify your results.
If you know you’re good at closing sales calls, your focus should be increasing the number of sales calls.
If you know that your lead magnet’s email nurture sequence consistently leads to upsells, how can you increase opt-ins for it?
Also, take note of where your customers or clients are coming from. Are they coming from social media ads? Your email marketing? Search engines? The joy of modern technology is that you can figure this out with a quick look at your analytics.
You can use all of this information to create upsells, social media ads, or whatever it is that fits your particular business, which can amplify what’s already working and maximize your revenue as an online business owner.
Pro Tip: Increase your Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). Acquiring new customers is generally more costly than nurturing existing ones, especially at the end of the year. Consider bundle deals, limited discounts, or a loyalty program for repeat clients. When your audience feels valued, they’re more likely to return.
Creating Structures and Systems
What is the biggest asset you’re always running out of as an online business owner? TIME.
It’s hard to get everything done in a day… but structures and systems can help you maintain work-life balance without sacrificing revenue.
Different methods work for different people, and you should consider your personality and organizational preferences when creating your structures and systems.
What I’ve seen work for a variety of clients is creating a “brain dump” where you write down everything you need or want to get done in a day (bonus points if you do this the day before so you show up prepared). Then, take that to-do list and divide it into 4 sections:
- Important and urgent: Tasks with deadlines or consequences
- Important, but not urgent: Tasks with unclear deadlines that contribute to your overall success
- Urgent, but not important: Tasks that are needed but don’t have to be done by you specifically
- Not urgent or important: Tasks that can be removed from your list completely
Then work your way from the top down!
FREE RESOURCE: Ultimate Product Launch Planner Workbook
Know When to Delegate
Now, it’s great to have a to-do list, and even greater to have a prioritized to-do list… but what happens when you have things that keep getting pushed to the next day because they’re not on your urgent priority list?
That’s when you know it’s time to delegate.
And this is one time when I’ll tell you that delegating doesn’t always mean hiring help.
You could try to enlist AI programs to assist with some things or automation tools where they fit. You could also consider hiring a virtual or administrative assistant to help with those background tasks you just can’t get to.
But what happens when your urgent tasks get pushed off because you don’t have enough time in a day?
It’s still time to delegate, but it’s time to delegate to a team member.
Know How to Delegate
Knowing you need to delegate is one thing; knowing HOW to delegate is another. Hiring a team member can be daunting and stressful, to say the least (I know this from experience).
So, to relieve some of the pressure, I’ve created this free guide on using a digital marketing agency to grow your business.
Small businesses, even the most successful ones, often don’t have enough budget to hire an entire team. Sometimes, it’s just two or three employees doing the job of ten (or even worse, it’s just YOU).
In this free workbook, I will tell you exactly what you want to look for from a virtual assistant to make sure you pick the best to work at your small business.
You can grab your copy for free here:
FREE RESOURCE: How to Use Our Digital Marketing Team to Grow Your Business
Links for This Episode:
– Marketing Office Hours
– Discover Your Digital Marketing Success Path
– How to Use Our Digital Marketing Team
– Schedule a free call with Jennie today
Get in touch with Jennie:
-Free Consultation: https://jennielyon.com/chatwithjennie
-Website: jennielyon.com
-Social Media: @jennielyonmarketing
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