3 Simple Strategies to Grow Your Audience
Even before the drastic events of 2020, figuring out how to reach and grow your target audience has always been a common challenge for small business owners.
Now, with the news cycle dominated by the global pandemic, economic uncertainty, and the quickly approaching federal election, it’s more challenging than ever to break through the noise.
While this might not seem like an ideal moment to grow your business, as we approach the end of this unforgettable year, there is no better time to reflect, plan, and create a strategic foundation for 2021.
We’ve gotten multiple questions from small business owners over the past few weeks asking what to do. Should they hold off on posting to social media? What is the appropriate way to continue to grow during this uncertain and overwhelming time? What are the best hacks to stand out from the crowd and cut through the noise?
If you’ve been feeling conflicted or lost about what to post, or if your recent social media posts have had lower engagement rates than usual, we promise you’re not alone.
Take a step back from the noise for a minute and use this time to revisit your goals, make sure you are on the right path and targeting the right customers, and end the year stronger than when you started.
Below are 3 simple strategies you can implement today to ensure you are building a solid foundation and growing your audience in a meaningful way.
Strategy 1: Get to know your ideal customer
You likely have a general idea of who you are selling to, but getting more specific on your target audience puts you in the mindset of the people you are servicing so you can reach them on a personal level.
Take the time to revisit or reflect on who your ideal customer is. With so many significant changes in the past year, the needs, lifestyles, or challenges of your ideal customer might have changed or evolved. Whenever we start working with a new client, one of our very first questions is “who is your target audience?” Oftentimes we get answers like “working professionals” “moms” or “millennials.” These are a starting point, but very broad.
Spend time outlining specific details about your ideal customer (you likely have more than one) such as where they live, how old they are, what other brands they like, where they shop, where they get their news, what their pain points are, how their lives have been affected in 2020, etc. Once you have your ideal customer(s) clearly in mind, you will be able to create content that resonates with them and addresses their needs.
Over time, if you’re communicating in an authentic way that delights your ideal customers, you start to build a relationship with them, they will not only be part of your audience, they will become your ambassadors and superfans.
Strategy 2: Stand for something
Now more than ever before, consumers are supporting brands that stand for something. Businesses that are winning in today’s landscape are rooted in strong values and are telling their unique story in an authentic way.
Think about what you want your business to be known for, what sets you apart from the competition, what your values are, and what makes you relatable. When you stand for something and lean into your values rather than just sell something, people feel like they are supporting a real person and are part of a larger cause.
This is a real opportunity to think about how your business can make a difference. Be authentic and don’t pick company values that you can’t stand behind in the long term. Your business likely already has underlying values. Is it amazing customer service? Commitment to diversity & inclusion? Quality of your ingredients or products? Supply chain transparency? Supporting your employees? Immaculate safety procedures? Commitment to sustainability?
Whatever your values are, make sure to proactively communicate them across your website, social media channels, and in all communications with your customers. Even a value that seems small can make a big impact for your brand and business.
Strategy 3: Create valuable, relevant, and consistent content
When it comes to creating content that will move the needle, think about how you can add value to your audience and help them through your areas of expertise. Look back at who your ideal customer is in step one and think about how to create content that serves them. Getting this right is where the magic happens.
As an example, if you are a restaurant owner, you could create content around easy at-home dinner recipes, wine pairing recommendations, and fresh produce lists for each season.
Write down a list of content categories that reflect your areas of expertise as well as your values and unique story. Once you have these outlined, make sure to post consistently on your owned channels (Instagram, Facebook, newsletter, blog, etc.). As a small business owner you are likely strapped for time, so do what feels manageable for you. Even if that is posting once a week, consistency is key. A few tools we like to use are Canva for branded Instagram post and Instagram story templates, VSCO for editing iPhone images, and Planoly for scheduling.
In our first course, The PR Starter Kit, we will be covering these topics (and many others) in much more detail with video lessons and worksheets.
Stay tuned and make sure to sign up for our newsletter to be the first to know! In the meantime, if you are looking for 1:1 guidance, we still have openings for Small Business Strategy Session this fall. Click here to schedule.
Carla & Kathryn
