We’re in the middle of talking about how to be your B.E.S.T self when marketing your business online. We’ve already talked about the concept of attraction marketing and also discussed B: Branding. Today, we’re going to tackle E: Engaging your Audience, another important key in attraction marketing.
What does it mean to engage your audience?
I own chickens. Some I’ve hatched from eggs or purchased as day-old chicks. I’ve taught them from the beginning that they can expect certain things from me. As a result, when I walk out the back door, they come flying from all over the property, anxious to see what treats I might have for them.
Experience has taught them from day one, that I am the one with the treats. I arrive and they pay attention.
However, I have other hens that have been rescued or came to live with me for various reasons as adults. These girls could care less if I show up. In fact, they like it when I don’t. I don’t have their attention…until…I get down on their level, treat in hand, and wave it in front of them. AH! Treats!
Once they SEE what I have to offer them, they pay attention. When I repeat this behavior consistently, they’re mine. They, too, will stop what they’re doing and fly at me from all directions when they see me walk out the back door.
Our target audience is just like these hens. If they’ve been with us long enough, and they’ve come to know that we bring them treats (solutions to their problems), they’re more willing to stop what they’re doing and pay attention.
But sometimes our target audience is more like the rescue hens. They might be leery of people (they’ve probably been burned too many times), are focused in other places and don’t want to waste their time on the likes of some stranger promising a prize. That is until we show up over and over with that prize dangling in front of them. Once they consistently taste what we have to offer, they’re in.
So, how do we get to the point that our audience will stop what they’re doing when we show up, and pay attention to what we have for them? First, as yourself these questions:
Will they recognize me?
This is all about branding, which we talked about recently. If I’m not branding MYSELF (instead of my network marketing company), how will I stick out from the cookie cutter people doing the same company branding? How will they notice it’s even ME? What sets me apart?
When a stranger walks out my back door, my chickens scatter. They have come to know me, what I look and sound like and what I have to offer. I’m distinctly set apart in their mind and they know what to look for. Everyone else looks the same to them: they aren’t me.
Who am I talking to and what lights them up?
I might dangle a fresh slice of pear in front of a chicken who will greedily gobble it up, but my cat will turn his nose up at something like that. I have to figure out those deep needs my tribe has, speak to those needs, and offer real solutions to those problems. Learning to see from their perspective and think like they think is an important step in this process. Treat them like THEY want to be treated, not like WE want to be treated. Address THEIR concerns, not the concerns we think they should or could have.
Can I be trusted?
Am I showing up consistently? Offering tons of value for free? Serving my audience and sincerely desiring the best for them? Do I think about how to help them more than I think about how to sell to them? Am I creating and curating content that is helpful and needed? Do they feel like I’m adding value to their lives and not wasting their time?
We have to earn the right to be trusted. But if we consistently do our best and show up like we say we’re going show up, the trust will come. If we over-deliver on what we’re giving to them, they will notice.
Do I have their attention?
Have you ever, when you’re lost and trying to figure out your directions, turned down the radio so you could figure out where you need to go? Trying to navigate a busy street or find the right intersection in an unfamiliar place sometimes takes concentration. The radio is a distraction.
One of my coaches recently said that someone scrolling on the Internet is like an inebriated toddler. They are so overwhelmed and overstimulated they can’t think straight or focus on one thing for very long. They have a low comprehension of anything we’re trying to communicate to them because of all the noise and distractions. This says nothing about the intelligence of your audience, it just explains how hard it is to be seen and heard in that massive, roaring crowd and bright, shiny lights.
We need to be very clear on our message. If we slow down and focus on clearly conveying one major concept at a time, we help our audience ‘keep up’ while they navigate through the noise and distractions.
There are many successful ways to engage your audience. We’ll talk about 20 or so ways to get good results later this week. Before you know it, you’ll be stepping out your back door and your target audience will be flocking to you!