When you know you have an excellent product or service, you want more eyes on it. In the best cases, it’s not just for more revenue – although that is always nice! – but because you genuinely believe that your thing can help people in some way.
An audience is the lifeblood of your company – without them, you don’t have a business. But building an audience takes work and attention. Audience growth isn’t automatic – it requires a solid strategy.
This blog covers some of the ways you can get more eyes on your product or service, and keep them there for good.
1. Produce consistent, quality content
Attracting new audience members over time takes work, and part of that means consistently producing quality content. This can be in the form of blogs, whitepapers, eBooks, pillar pages, webinars, videos, etc. All content should solve a specific problem for your target audience – think quality over quantity. Consistency is also key, so take the time to organize a content schedule.
While that might seem overwhelming, the good news is you can reuse a good idea in many ways. For instance, a blog on the mental benefits of crafting could easily be turned into a quick video for social media, a free 30- minute webinar, and/or a longer form “Guide” to post on your website.
2. Engage on social
Almost all companies or creators have a social presence these days, but not all are created equal. Like content creation, attracting an audience via social strategy takes work. Posting on a consistent schedule and tailoring each post for each social network is important. You also want to have a specific “voice” on social. Maybe yours is more personal and vulnerable, or maybe your brand is more edgy and joke-y. Figure that out first, and stick to it.
Set aside time to follow key accounts or customers, and make sure you are responding to comments on the things you post as well. You can even set up alerts for certain hashtags or keywords and respond to posts that use them.
3. Analyze your current audience for insights
The people you want to reach probably share things in common with the audience you already have. Therefore, it’s worth mining into your current audience for insights into who you should be going after next. They may fit into one group or many. Some questions to consider are:
- Is my audience around the same age?
- Do they live in specific areas?
- What type of content do they respond to most?
Once you have a picture of what your current audience looks like, you can put your effort into reaching more people. Maybe it’s a targeted ad or mailing to a certain region, or a “Look-a-like” list uploaded to LinkedIn to expand your audience.
4. Make your website easy to find
While reaching out directly to new people is good, you want them to be able to come to you on their own time as well. Getting “found” online is very important. Making efforts to improve your website to get to the top of search results is called “Search Engine Optimization” or SEO. Site speed, page relevance, and specific keywords and questions are all important to accomplishing this.
When it comes down to it, there really are no “hacks” to SEO – the algorithms are so sophisticated now it’s really all about providing useful information that answers audience questions quickly. However, there are lots of tools to help– Moz, ScreamingFrog, and Ask The Public are just a few to try.
5. Mail to ‘em
According to the Association of National Advertisers, the efficacy of direct mail is on the rise. Postcards and mailings of various sizes and shapes can be an effective way to reach new audiences. Plus, there are tools online to help you find and confirm physical addresses.
Direct mail performs best when combined with other channel campaigns. For instance, if you mail a postcard, make sure that person is also receiving an ad or an email from you to follow-up. Response rates tend to be 41% higher when integrated with other marketing efforts.
6. Try Co-Marketing
It’s likely that there are companies out there that target your same audience but don’t have a competing product. Consider making a connection at that company and engaging in co-marketing efforts. Co-sponsored webinars or events, partnerships, and other collaborations can introduce your product to their audience and vice versa.
Finding the perfect partner is key. Take the time to do some research, make connections, and hopefully reap the results.
7. Ask loyal customers for help
Everyone knows the best marketing is word of mouth from someone you trust. Find a way to incentivize your most loyal customers to ask their friends about using your product or service. Maybe it’s a rewards program, or a deep discount for every successful referral. Tapping into your existing customer base is an excellent way to bring new blood in. Plus, referrals are the most likely source to close a deal.
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I hope these seven tips help you grow your audience and get your company in front of fresh eyes!
