ARE YOU TRULY CONNECTING WITH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE?

THE WAY WE USED TO MARKET OUR BUSINESS HAS RADICALLY CHANGED OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS. SOCIAL MEDIA AND OUR USE OF TECHNOLOGY TO KEEP US CONNECTED HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING.

There is now a massive shift towards our customers wanting to connect with the brands and the products they purchase on a much deeper level. And when you are in small and medium sized business, this only means one thing… they want to connect with you, the business owner too!

When I recently went on a 2 week holiday into the outback to the Big Red Bash in Birdsville, Australia, I shared some of my outback travels on social media via my business page, and the response and interest from clients and prospective clients was huge! The following year when I returned again to the outback, and this time with my client and friends MDC Campers on a research and development trip (from Brisbane to Birdsville to Broome), the response was even greater. The whole trip was documented and used as a massive marketing exercise for MDC, and I shot a behind the scenes video (see below) that was really well-received by clients, suppliers, friends and potential clients.

So what made me continually pull out my iPhone to document our every move, and then share it on Facebook, my website and YouTube? Put simply, to connect and give my lovely clients and prospective new clients a clue as to who I really am and what I stand for in business and life. It also showcased the level of business connections that I have in the caravan and camping industry, the relationships I have developed, and the invaluable brand recognition that comes with that. But most of all, it helped me to position myself completely different from others in my industry.

“Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better than we found them, more able to get where they’d like to go.”
Seth Godin, Marketing Genius.

So how do you do this when you are super-busy, on a limited budget and not really even understanding how this new, personal approach to marketing works. The answer is pretty easy, it’s just to get real with your audience. Show them who you are what makes you tick as a business owner and a company. Know what makes your business and product unique, and then have CONVERSATIONS around this. Stop selling to your audience and start sharing some of your vast knowledge and guide them into wanting to do business with you. Put even more simply, when a potential clients like you, the cross the barrier to trusting you and then will buy from you when the time is right.

As a business owner, there are so many ways you can speak to the heart of your clients and potential new customers, and not do an ounce of selling. Gone are the days where we shout our marketing messages at people, almost demanding that they buy from us. This just doesn’t work anymore, and anyway, who wants to sell this way when ultimately it will just come down to price.

So what are some ways you can get better connected to your audience?

Let them get to know you through your blog, website, video marketing, social media channels, speaking gigs, networking events, email marketing, brochures, and podcasts. Start to get real and stop hiding behind your product or services. Become immersed in your own brand and bring it to a much higher level of authenticity and sharing.

“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
Simon Sinek.

Here are some ideas:

• What do you stand for in your business and in particular your industry? A colleague of ours is passionate about the ethical hiring and payment of staff as this is a real issue in her industry. This is what she should be sharing with her customers to get real engagement.
• Who do you employ? Let people know who your team are, believe me, they’re interested!
• Show them how you spend your days off if you have an interesting hobby or taking an exciting holiday
• What organisations are you part of and what charities do you support? You can really connect with your audience if you are passionate about the same social issues
• Who are your customers and how do you make their lives better? These real life stories of the people you are already helping can be the most powerful connections of all. Some people call them testimonials, but go one step further and tell the actual heart-felt story about the impact of your product and service.
• Show your human side, share a funny story about yourself 
• Share relevant industry news that might be beneficial and show your knowledge. Position yourself as a leading authority in your industry.
• Be inspirational. If you have had a major breakthrough with something or just want to share some powerful knowledge you have come across, spread the love! People will really appreciate it.
• Brag about your kids and friends if they do something amazing. I have a lovely client who is an absolute trailblazer and every time she wins another award I sing her praises loud and proud. I figure I might as well be seen as successful just by our association!
• Are you a pet lover? Don’t laugh, I can’t tell you how many clients I have connected with on a deeper level because we share a passion for our dogs!

So are you catching my drift? I hope that you find this really helpful and spend some time thinking about how you can be far more engaging with your existing clients and potential new customers. So often in business we need to find our competitive edge and often it’s the little things that engage us more on a personal level that will ultimately determine if a client will continue to keep doing business with us… or not.

“The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing”
Tom Fishburne

If you want to speak with Melissa in greater detail about how to develop a deeper connection with your audience, then please contact us and we can have an obligation-free chat.