Your success as an online business depends largely on how well you can reach your customers and how well you serve them.
Before you can reach and serve your customers effectively, you have to know a little bit about them.
Knowing your customers allows you to reach them in a meaningful way, and also to deliver a product or service that they actually want and will value.
How do you get to know your customers?
Here’s a 3 step-strategy to help you get to know your ideal customer even better.
Find Your Audience Online
Before you can get to know your target audience, you have to find them.
Thankfully, the internet makes it easier than ever to find them since there are so many ways for people to gather.
Sources like Facebook Groups and forums are a great way to see what your audience is talking about.
You can use any search engine to find forums related to your niche (just search for “[your niche] forum”).
While some forums will require you to join, you can often read the content on their site to figure out if your target audience is there.
Then, if you find a good source with recent activity and relevant discussion, it may be worth joining as a way to connect to your audience (more on that in a moment).
Also if you log into Facebook you can use the search feature, enter your niche and find groups related to your brand/offer.
Some groups will be public, meaning anyone can access and interact with their content.
But don't be afraid to request access to private groups in your niche!
Sometimes this added layer of exclusivity will translate to an intimate discussion where you will get to see what’s REALLY going on with your audience.
Another way to see what’s on your customer’s mind is looking at popular blog posts and reading the comment section.
Try typing in a search query that may be of interest to your audience and go through the comments to find any points of interest.
Another helpful source is product reviews.
Check out reviews on online shopping platforms to check out feedback from real customers.
The great thing about product reviews is that people aren’t afraid to be honest, you often learn just as much from negative reviews as positive ones which you can use when you engage with your audience.
Join the Conversation
Now that you have found your audience and gotten an idea of what’s on their mind, it’s time to join the conversation.
This gives you the opportunity to dive deeper and understand what’s going on for them beneath the surface.
It’s easy for people to talk about the surface level problems they are facing, but remember – buying is an emotional decision.
By joining the conversation, we have the ability to create rapport so people are more likely to open up and share what’s going on for them emotionally.
Plus, getting engaged with your clients this way can help you capture a few leads even while you are in the research phase!
How do you do this?
Here's a few steps that might help you.
Comment on posts in forums or Facebook Groups. – Make sure your comments add value to the conversation. Surely as you are studying your offer and brand you’ve picked up some handy knowledge, so get engaged by answering questions and sharing valuable info in groups and forums.
Add your own posts – As you engage with activity online, you may notice common questions. Take some time to write detailed posts that answer these questions to provide value. That way you build authority, show that you care, and start creating content that can help you down the road
Go private – As you continue to engage and add value in forums or groups, people will be more likely to respond. Then you can invite them into a private message for one on one conversation.
Be sure to listen with a goal to understand (not just to reply) when you are talking with someone one-on-one.
This adds value to the conversation for them and allows you get the information you need to best serve your audience.
HINT – you can even invite someone into a phone conversation after you have built rapport with them.
Let them know about your brand and that you are looking to learn about your audience in order to serve them better.
You can even offer them something like a gift card, free e-book, or feature on your site in exchange for their time.
This gives you an even more intimate setting for greater insight into the mind of the customer.
Identify the Transformation
What are you looking for in these conversations?
There are tons of details that may help you in your marketing, do you best to keep it simple especially as a beginner.
Try to figure out “What kind of transformation is this person looking for?”
What problem is your ideal customer experiencing now?
If you are creating a health and wellness brand, then maybe your audience is feeling a little sluggish, low on energy and physically beyond their years.
Instead maybe they’d like to feel a little more energetic and youthful, like their bodies are working correctly.
That’s the transformation – where your audience is now and where they want to be.
But don’t stop there.
More important than the surface level transformation is the emotional transformation.
How does the problem your audience is facing making them feel?
How would they feel if they could experience the transformation they seek?
Answering these questions will give you the insight you need to present your offer as the means to achieve this transformation.
Check out these tips from Keala on how to show your audience that you can help them achieve the transformation they desire:
Conclusion
Getting to know your customer better will help you be more persuasive and satisfy them easier.
Find them online wherever they are gathered to solve the problems they are facing.
Forums and Facebook Groups are a great place to start.
Join in the conversation to build rapport with your audience and gain a deeper understanding of what's on their mind.
Then, nail down the transformation they want both on the surface and emotionally so that you can deliver it to them with your messaging and your offer.
Following this simple strategy can help you gain a major advantage in your online business.
Are there any other strategy that might help you along your journey?
Drop a comment to let us know what you’d like to learn.
Want us to help you build and launch your business in a weekend?
Go here now to learn more about our Business Launch Challenge.
Check it out now.