Finding Your Ideal Audience

Your ideal client. Wouldn’t it be great if they came running to find you? Throwing money at you to do the thing that you do so well? Eventually that can happen. In the meantime, as a small biz owner/entrepreneur, it’s up to you to find them.

Ever heard of your reticular activating system? It’s going to help you. Really! It’s the part of your brain that brings information to your attention. It sorts through all the things that cross your brain on a given day and alerts you to the ones that are important.

How does it know? That’s the best part, you tell it and then it goes to work for you. Cool, right? I realize this may seem a little out there but there’s science behind this.

Now that you’ve clearly defined your ideal client, your subconscious will make you aware whenever you run across someone that fits the.

We’re also going to give it a little help.

As a marketer finding your audience has never been easier. Hang out where they do. Join associations where they are members. You can even create your own group and ask them to hang out with you.

Here are a few ideas to get you going.

Your email list
If you don’t have one, then it’s time to start developing it. This is a great place to connect with people who virtually “raise their hand” and request info from you.

Facebook
Love it or hate it, there are millions of people there every single day sharing ideas, information and asking for help? Check out groups where your ideal client will be or create your own and start having conversations.

Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media platforms
These are also great places to connect with your audience. If you are doing this all on your own, find a channel that resonates with you and stick with it. It’s better to be the leader in one area than trying to “sprinkle” your info over multiple platforms. Besides, that “spray & pray” method will wear you out with little to no return.

Network
Online and in person. There are groups for everything these days. Meetup.com has lots of in-person options.

Tip: look for related groups. For example if you are a stylist, look for groups about fashion and design. Your will likely share similar ideal client profiles so you can share information in a non-competitive way.

Ask
Reach out to others to introduce you to their audience if there’s a good (non-competitive) fit. Practice the law of reciprocity and offer compensation or to share their info with your list. This works best when both parties benefit.

Speak up!
Offer to speak at an event where you ideal client is likely to attend. Not only does this position you as the expert, it will give you an easy way to introduce yourself and ask for email addresses of attendees to send a nice thank you.

Note: Never add emails to your list without permission. If you get a list of attendees, invite them to subscribe in your thank you email.

The most important part? Connect, connect, connect. Once you’ve located them, make sure you offer value. Answering questions in groups, connecting people who would be a good fit for one another, and being a resource will elevate you in their eyes. Throughout the process you’ll be able to demonstrate how you can help/solve/inspire and/or entertain.

If you would like some one-on-one time to develop a plan specifically for you and your business, feel free to click here to schedule an appointment to talk.