Do you feel invisible as an online service business owner? As an online service entrepreneur, you are always trying to connect and appeal to your audience. At times it seems impossible to find them. You need to understand that this topic is not a quick fix but a long-game marketing strategy. Even so, I thought I would share seven ways to help you connect with your audience as online service providers.
Knowing Your Audience First
You may already know who your audience is but if not, it is a necessity if you wish to continue moving your business forward. For online service providers defining your audience is key to reaching them. I highly suggest you complete a storyboard for each type (or industry) of client.
Once you find your audience I also suggest that you do market research and competitive research to confirm it is a viable industry and that you can find a niche within it.
7 Ways To Connect
Now, that we’ve discussed finding your ideal audience, it’s time to discuss the 5 ways to connect with them.
- Produce Good Consistent Content written for your ideal audience (buyer persona) member.
- Do Competitive and Market Research
- Offer the Right Services for your prospective clients (audience).
- Offer the Right Package Pricing for your prospective clients (audience).
- Survey Your Current and Past Clients
- Write Compelling Content
- Utilize Social Media Platforms
Let’s break this down further to explain.
How To Connect, Dissected
It’s easy to list out ways to connect without context and details but I want to dissect these and help you understand how to do it. I will take you through each way of connecting with your audience.
One: Produce Good Consistent Content
Producing consistent content means your audience will know what to expect and be able to follow you regularly. Consistency is the key to unlocking content and connecting with your ideal audience members.
Two: Market Research Will Help You Connect
If you have not yet done it I recommend starting here first. Doing market research to help you connect with your audience is another way to do it. It will help you see any missing pieces in the market where you can shine. It will also define your audience more fully. Market research and competitive research can help you further define your niche and your audience.
Three: Offer the Right Services
What is your ideal audience’s need right now? Do you know the answer to this question? If not, perhaps you are not hanging out in the right places. Within social media groups, there are many people in the industry you need to reach who also need your expertise. Yes, you have one and they need it. So, buckle up and figure it out. See what others in your ideal audience are talking about. This way you can be sure to offer the right services that will not only meet your audience’s needs but also connect with them.
Four: Offer the Right Package Pricing
Your competitive research should have confirmed your package prices are fair and will meet your audience’s needs. If you offer the right pricing people will begin to notice you and try to find out more. Perhaps you will catch them at the right time when they are looking for information about those services or ways to do it themselves. Knowing your audience will help you understand them better, which in turn allows you to be able to offer what they need at the right package pricing.
Five: Inquiries with Clients
It is important that you not only understand who your audience is but also why they chose to work with you. Asking your current and past clients can be the key to unlocking this knowledge.
Ask your clients questions similar to these:
- How did you find me (asking them to be specific about search terms if using a search engine brought them to you)? I ask this question on my form for a free mini-coaching session with me. This helps me to put my energies in what is working so I do not waste time on other things.
- Why did you choose to work with me (ask them to be specific – what was it specifically that made you want to pick me)?
- Have I provided the services you were looking for (and if not please explain how I may meet the need)?
- Do you think my pricing packages were fair?
- Have you worked with a freelancer before our working together?
- If you were referred to me, what did the referring person say to make you want to reach out to me?
- Please provide any other details you wish to include about how we came to work together.
I do not suggest asking all these questions but choose a few that are most important for you to know. Perhaps offering a small discount on their upcoming invoice may entice them to complete the survey. This should help you understand how to connect with your audience better.
Six: Write Compelling Content to Connect with Your Audience
I already discussed how producing consistent content will help you connect to your audience. Therefore let’s look at the type of content you should write. Your content must be compelling and on topic for the audience you wish to reach.
Knowing your audience will help significantly. You would not write about how to post on social media to reach people who are never online.
Helpful Tips for Writing for Your Audience:
- Following Industry Leaders – follow those who are industry leaders. You do not want to duplicate their content but rather find a unique and new way to approach similar topics.
- Ask your audience members – go right to the source. Ask your audience what type of content and writing would benefit them most. You can ask them what type of questions they need answers to right now.
- Product compelling content – this draws your audience in when they are searching for a product.
- Use Emotions – emotions draw them in and will help keep them there. Emotion always works and lets you resonate with your audience. Telling a personal story and sharing how it made you feel, for example, will help you connect more deeply with your followers.
Compelling content is highly relevant to your audience.
Marie Ennis-O’Connor
For content marketing to work, it must be high-quality and relevant to your target audience. All successful businesses are based on their ability to meet the needs of their audience and content marketing is no different.”
Seven: Utilizing Social Media Platforms to Connect
Social media platforms are a great way to connect directly with your audience. I suggest that you are only active on one or two platforms. You can post on all if you want via social media schedulers like Hootsuite, Buffer, or Social Pilot to put all of your content out there. It is not recommended to try to be active on all of them.
When I say only be active on one or two I am referring to following others, sharing content from others (not competitors), commenting in groups, and answering comments on your posts.
I hope focusing on these areas will help you connect with your audience in new ways.
I love helping my clients learn how to do this and so much more!
Reach out and set up a Free 1-on-1 Mini Session with Me Today!