Grow Your Business: Are you listening?

I recently read that each of us is bombarded with about 5000 marketing messages as we come and go; online and in real life. It’s no wonder that there are times when even the best information gets lost in the shuffle.

In our efforts to reach and connect with our ideal client I’ve focused on what you can actively do to connect and impact the people who are looking for the products and services you sell.

Today we’re going to use another skill that anyone can employ…and it doesn’t cost a thing~yay!… to be able to apply a laser-focused approach to our messaging.

Listening

Our ideal market will tell us what they want. Our job is to be alert so we can hear them when they do. And you don't even have to be creepy to do it!

Here are a few simple strategies that can help you be a better listener and more importantly, take action to serve your audience even better.

Surveys
Send your list a short survey asking them what they need. Keep it short and easy to answer. Be sure to ask questions that will help you get feedback that you can use to better serve them.

Example: What is the most challenging aspect about _________ (your topic)
What is the most fulfilling part of what you do?
Why did you choose this business?

You can use a google form, or Survey Monkey – both are free and easy to set up. You can also do a one question survey on Facebook. If that’s where you tribe hangs out – by all means get them talking and pay attention.

Groups and Forums
Participate where your audience hangs out and pay attention to the things they ask for over and over again. You’ll quickly learn that there are topics that everyone is struggling to overcome or make easier. Note: Be creative here. If you’re a nutrition coach – then join a group of new moms or a forum that talks about cooking. It’s a great way to expand your each.

Quora
This is a Q&A site and there are a number of ways to use it to help you expand your reach and to listen to what is happening in your industry. One of the best ways is to search by topic, and then pay attention to questions that are asked often or in various ways. You can also demonstrate your expertise by providing thoughtful answers. Be sure they are well written.

Tip: You may see a great question that you’d love to answer. If you don’t have time, make a note and use it as a topic for a blog post or even a Facebook post.

Amazon Comments Section
Surprise! This is a great place to find out what people find helpful. It’s genius too because it’s in their own words and reactions. Simply search for books in your area of expertise. Find a few that have lots of reviews. Read the reviews and pay special attention to what the book really helped them discover. You can also read the 1 star reviews. Sometimes they will tell you what they hoped to learn but didn’t but don’t let the negative vibes get to you.

Time For Action

Now that you’ve been listening, its time to do something with what you’ve learned. I like to keep a note book with ideas and comments. You can snip conversations and chats online and post them to Evernote, Pocket or just use pen and paper.

Once you see a trend it’s time to act. Notice lots of people asking about easy ways to cook healthy? Maybe your audience is talking non-stop about the best summer camps for their kids. My audience has been talking about how to reach more people – which is where the idea for this post came from! Write that blog post, schedule that webinar around those topics.

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Let me know in the comments below what you've found helpful to listen to your audience.