You can have the best product in the world – a widget that does things no one thought possible – but if no one knows you exist, you’ll never be able to monetize it. In other words, you require an engaged audience of people who are familiar with, like, and trust you/your brand. Otherwise, all of your time and effort in starting a business will be in vain.
5 Online audience-building Suggestions
There are dozens of ways to build an audience online, just as there are many ways to skin a cat. You’ll eventually find success if you’re willing to lean in and adapt your approach as you go. Here are a few principles that will undoubtedly speed up your results:
1. Determine Who You Want to Attract.
It all begins with determining who your target audience is. The more precise you can be, the better. Look beyond the most basic demographic information, such as age and gender. Examine their most important hopes, dreams, fears, challenges, expectations, and desires, among other things. Here are some good follow-up questions:
- What are they already doing with their money?
- What have they previously squandered their funds on?
- What do they want to be in three, five, or ten years?
- What do they do when they have a weekend to themselves?
- Is it fear or success that drives them?
- What kind of legacy do they want to leave behind?
- What is their biggest annoyance with pre-existing solutions?
- How do they interpret the world through the lenses of religion, politics, and morality?
These are just a few of the fundamental questions you should be asking. In reality, you should delve even deeper and pursue this line of inquiry. The goal is to develop one to three audience archetypes that will allow you to develop and refine a message that will resonate with them on a personal level.
2. Accept This Difficult Reality
It is impossible to please everyone all of the time – that is a fact! Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs and marketers are attempting to do just that. And in their attempt to please everyone, they end up pleasing no one.
Recognize that you can only please a limited number of people and that the rest of the people don’t matter. You exist solely for the benefit of your audience.
3. Create a Content Strategy for Specific Audiences
Content is everything, as this Long Island SEO company teaches. The only way to thrive in today’s busy, noisy online environment is to develop a targeted content strategy.
Today, it’s all about quality over quantity. You will thrive if you can consistently produce high-quality content. Quality content does not have to belong or be difficult to understand. In fact, simple and concise is far superior. The goal is to present your audience with content that addresses their pain points or exaggerates their desires.
4. Approach Engagement as a Two-Way Street
Standing on a rooftop and yelling at people will not help you build an audience (which is the equivalent of what most brands do online). You must approach engagement as the two-way street that it is. This includes allowing your audience to ask questions, voice concerns, and provide feedback. Then, once they’ve done so, it’s up to you to act on the feedback.
5. Make use of OPA
When you first start out, your audience will be small (and maybe non-existent). And, while it is possible to create an audience from nothing, having a head start is advantageous. One of the simplest ways to accomplish this is to use other people’s audiences (OPA).
Find people and brands who have audiences that are similar to or overlap with the one you want to have. Then figure out how you can intersect with them. There are numerous ways to leverage these relationships, such as writing guest blog posts, appearing as an interviewed guest on their podcast, hiring them as a social influencer, or forming joint partnerships.
Prepare to Grow!
Building an organic audience of real people who are actively engaged and interested in what you have to offer takes time. Don’t be discouraged by competitors that grow much faster. In many cases, they use spammy techniques to inflate their followers and engagement. And, while it may appear that they are doing well, you cannot see the back end. Fake audiences do not generate revenue. Audiences in real life do. Maintain your focus on doing things correctly, and incremental growth will lead to profound long-term results.
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