Most small business owners and founders think of online visibility as talking to or dancing in front of the camera on social media. And whilst social media is an important part of any visibility strategy, on its own, it won’t get you seen and connecting with the right people.
This blog post looks at what a visibility strategy is, why small business owners and founders need one, and how to create one that reflects you and your values.
What is a visibility strategy?
Basically, a visibility strategy is a plan that will help you be seen, heard and remembered by your dream clients. It doesn’t have to be complicated or feel like you’re selling your soul to get seen. It should reflect you, your personality and brand values, and be something authentic to help you show up in the right places, on your terms, to help you build awareness and trust so that you’re front of mind in your area of expertise.
Your strategy should include different ways to be visible through things like content on your own and other people’s digital platforms, attending events, collaborations and sharing your expertise and opinions. Concentrating on just one platform, particularly if that’s a social media channel, has a number of potential problems. The biggest issue with focusing on just social media is if your account gets hacked or disabled. You have little or no control over whether that happens, and if it does,, you’ve lost everything.
Social media can be a key part of your strategy, but it needs to be more than that so you have a constant stream of people coming into your world from various different places.
An effective strategy starts by defining who your ideal audience is and then choosing the platforms where they hang out that best suit you and your personality, so it feels easy and fun to show up there. If TikTok is where your dream clients hang out, and you feel comfortable dancing in front of the camera, go for it. But if it’s not, don’t do it.
Your visibility strategy is about showing the real, authentic you. Not a persona you put on for the camera.
So, if doing videos really isn’t your thing, don’t do it. Or do it differently on your terms.
Identify the areas that you’re comfortable with from channels like SEO and your website, events, PR, audience swapping, as well as social media.
Five benefits of visibility for small business owners
Some of the main benefits of visibility for founders and small business owners, whatever your field, include:
Attracting the right customers
If people don’t know you exist, they can’t buy from you. Visibility helps to make sure the right potential customers discover your products or services through the different channels you use to talk about what you do.
Brand Awareness & Trust
Consistent presence and sharing valuable expertise make your brand memorable, builds credibility and loyalty, and helps to position you as an industry expert. This means people are more likely to trust you and then buy from you.
Helps you stand out
In a crowded marketplace, authentic, sustainable visibility helps you stand out above all the noise.
Drives Sales & Growth
More awareness leads to increased website traffic, better leads, and greater sales opportunities, fueling long-term growth.
Creates Connection
People buy from people and getting to know, like and trust you across various different channels means potential customers and clients can connect with you and start to build a lasting relationship.
Why should small business owners have a visibility strategy?
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
If you want to be seen by your dream clients, you need to have a plan to make that happen.
Running a small business is full-on and comes with endless things you need to do to bring in cash and clients, and keep on top of all the necessary admin. If you’re trying to show up in the places you want to on an ad-hoc basis, it’s unlikely to work.
The key to visibility being effective is consistency.
That doesn’t mean posting daily, or being a guest on one podcast a week. Being consistent means something different for everyone. It definitely isn’t posting every day for a fortnight then nothing at all for two months. But it could be posting twice a week, every week and engaging with your followers and their content.
Creating a simple plan or strategy that gives you the foundations to work from will help you achieve consistency.
There are many reasons why you need a strategy which include:
- A clear focus – you know what you should be doing, when.
- Consistency – your plan should be a minimum that’s realistic and achievable. For example, publishing a blog post twice a month, adding the time to do that into your diary and making sure you do it.
- You’re not struggling to think of what to do. Your strategy should be clear and easy to follow.
How to create a strategy that works for you
A visibility strategy doesn’t need to be complicated or involve a lot of time to implement.
Start by looking at your ideal client, making sure you know exactly who they are and where they hang out. Then think about the platforms you want to use. Clearly, these need to be the ones where potential new clients are. But you don’t need to show up on all of them.
If they’re on TikTok and you enjoy creating videos, great. If you don’t enjoy being on camera and you know they also hang out on LinkedIn, focus your efforts there.
Visibility needs to be fun for you as well as potential clients, so only choose the channels you know you’ll be able to be consistent on, playing to your strengths and sometimes thinking outside the box. A video of you doesn’t have to involve talking. It could be you working, packaging orders, or even folding the washing. Anything that shows your face and helps people make a connection with you will work.
Once you’ve picked your platforms (I’d suggested two or three to start with such as social media, blogs and podcast guesting), create content that is authentic, showcases you and your values, and is valuable to the people you want to work with. That could be creating a short training session you could deliver in different memberships where your dream clients are, creating a blog post or a freebie and sharing them to another business owner’s audience. This could be with a blog or freebie swap.
Then you need to create a plan that’s workable and won’t overwhelm. You could pick one platform to focus on for a week or month, or mix it up. Basically, whatever works for you and means you’re showing up consistently.
Once you’re strategy is up and running, make sure you track how well it’s doing. If you know potential clients hang out on YouTube, but you’re just not getting the views, move on and try something else. Your strategy isn’t set in stone and needs to be flexible so you can do more of what works well, and ditch the things that aren’t getting engagement.
Visibility Clinic
If you’re ready to create a visibility strategy on your terms, but need a helping hand, have a look at my Visibility Clinic. It’s 90 minutes of focus to work through your strategy, focusing on your strengths and the platforms that you enjoy, and showing up in a way that feels easy and even fun!
As well as 90 minutes of my expertise, you’ll have access to my accountability membership for two months, giving you accountability and support to start implementing your strategy.
Small Business Visibility Strategy FAQs
An online visibility strategy is a simple plan that helps your business be seen, recognised and remembered by the right people. It outlines who you want to reach, where they spend time online, and how you’ll show up consistently across platforms such as your website, SEO, social media, PR, collaborations and events.
No. Social media is just one part of online visibility. Relying on a single platform is risky, as accounts can be hacked, restricted or disappear overnight. A strong visibility strategy includes multiple channels so people can discover you in different places — even when you’re not actively posting.
No. You only need to be visible where your ideal clients already are. Most small business owners get better results by focusing on two or three platforms they enjoy and can show up on consistently, rather than trying to be everywhere.
Yes. Without a plan, visibility becomes random and inconsistent. A clear strategy helps small business owners focus their time, avoid overwhelm, and attract the right people instead of trying everything at once.
Start by identifying your ideal client, then choose platforms that suit both them and you. A good visibility strategy supports your energy, time and lifestyle — it shouldn’t feel exhausting or performative.
This is exactly what we work through in my Visibility Clinic, creating a plan that feels realistic, aligned and easy to implement.
The Visibility Clinic is a 90-minute 1-to-1 session where we create a clear, personalised visibility strategy based on your strengths, values and goals. You’ll leave knowing exactly where to focus your efforts — and what to stop doing.
You’ll also get two months of accountability and support to help you put your strategy into action.
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