‘Invest in Yourself’: How to Grow Your Business With Self-Investment, Education and Authenticity

It can be challenging to grow a business digitally without the right tools and strategies. An even bigger challenge for entrepreneurs is understanding how to establish trust and communication with consumers.

Mary Rabago, a Grow with Google coach and founder of Mary Rabago Productions, teaches her clients that the best way to grow your business is by establishing a digital presence using a variety of tools, which can help you organize information about your business, engage customers and provide a space for you to tell your entrepreneurial story.

“You have a digital presence, and you can use this as your business platform, social media platform, [and] to engage with new customers,” Rabago stated.

Here are four ways that businesses can establish and grow their digital presence while engaging consumers.

[Read: 4 Ways to Consistently Build Your Business with Digital Tools]

Educate and invest in yourself

The first step to running a successful business is investing in yourself as an entrepreneur. Rabago emphasizes the importance of participating in workshops and educating yourself about the digital business world, necessary digital skills to be successful, and how to manage a business with online tools.

“I've been blessed and business is really good right now, but I could have definitely been at a different level if I hadn’t invested in myself at the beginning,” said Rabago. “I lasted about two years of going crazy, trying to figure out things, making all the mistakes … but if I can save those two years for any new entrepreneur, I will gladly do [so] by sharing my advice: invest in [yourself] first.

There are countless grants and loans out there to help support your business. Rabago advised educating yourself about where to find them, how to apply and the best ways to use those funds.

[Read more: Grants, Loans and Programs to Benefit Your Small Business]

Find what makes you valuable to customers

When establishing your digital presence, the key is to find what makes you stand out and what customers will find valuable. For Rabago, it’s being bilingual and bi-cultural.

“[Clients] don’t only get the information that Google’s providing for them through a digital aspect,” she noted. “I also input my knowledge about the culture, about the language, about strategy … because in every aspect of life, communication is key.”

Rabago is able to communicate better with her clients because of her skills and experience. As a business owner, consider how you can personalize experiences for your consumers and gain their trust. Identify which parts of yourself and your business allow you to create connections with your audience, and leverage them to find long-term customers who are loyal to your service or product.

Tell your story

One of the best ways to form connections with your target audience, according to Rabago, is by being authentic and sharing your “why.” Every entrepreneur has a reason for starting their business, and telling your story to consumers will draw them in on a more personal level.

“Tu historia tiene poder — your story has power,” said Rabago. “People are going to buy your product or your service because of the ‘why,’ because of your story.”

That’s why it’s so important to infuse your marketing content with your story, she said. Spread the messages and share the lessons that only you can.

[Read: 5 Inspiring Reasons to Start a Business]

Don’t sell yourself cheap

Know your value and don’t settle for less than that, said Rabago. Not everyone will like what you’re doing or who you are as a brand, but that doesn’t mean you should make yourself or your business “less” to appeal to those types of people.

“I believe that you’re not the cup of tea for everyone, but the right ones will come [if you are] faithful to yourself and don’t minimize your value,” she explained. “I think as [entrepreneurs] … we tend to minimize ourselves in many ways. Once … you know what your value is, people will start respecting and also appreciating what you bring to the table.”

You can learn more about the Grow with Google Digital Coaching program here.

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