Blogging Is an Art But Attracting the Right Audience Is a Science You need knowledge and inspiration to write but finding readers in the vast online world is a step-by-step process.
By Pratik Dholakiya Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You are convinced you have a great gift to offer mankind. You also have the resourcefulness to channel this gift through a business, and you understand the importance of digital marketing in an Internet-driven world.
But, indispensable though they may be, great intentions and content alone do not take one far in the larger scheme of things. Finding and connecting with the right audience is crucial for the success of a venture. Here are a few effective ways in which you can attract the right kind of people to your business.
Related: 6 Strategies for Launching a Successful Blog
Send Out a Consistent Message
You can't find the right people until you know exactly what you stand for and are making it clear in unambiguous terms.
Confusion attracts confusion.
If you don't define your brand, you are going to have a tough time attracting the kind of audience you want.
Say you are a life coach who wants to attract more clients through her blog. But life coaching is a vast field. Is there anything specific within this field that you excel in? Perhaps it's your insights into romantic relationships? Or you are good at helping people overcome personal blocks and fulfilling their potential?
At some point the above may overlap. After all, everyone has romantic problems. We are all fighting some personal demon, or another, at any given point. But it's important to realize that you cannot be everything to everybody, even if you are in a position to help most people.
It's therefore crucial for you to delineate your area of expertise, and create marketing messages that reinforce your strengths.
Whom Do You Want to Reach Out To?
We know who this blog reaches out to: all kinds of entrepreneurs.
Is that specific or broad? A bit of both. But for the purpose of this post, let's narrow it down further and look at the subsets within this broad set of people.
- Mom entrepreneurs.
- Young entrepreneurs.
- Post-60 entrepreneurs.
- Entrepreneurs from all over the world.
Turns out, the readership of this blog covers all of the above and more.
What is your blog about? Can you handle such a broad sweep?
If not, exactly what kind of readership would you like to attract? Who are these people, what are their interests, roles and the problems in lives? Would they be able to buy what you are trying to sell them? Would they want to buy what you are trying to sell them? Where in their life do you think your product/service would fit, and how will it benefit them?
Start digging. Creating detailed buyer personas is a great way to clear your own mind about your target audience and move from confusion towards clarity.
Related: Do Your Marketing Messages Target the Right Personas?
What Are Their Popular Internet Hangouts?
Once you know who you want, it's time to figure out where to find them.
If you have created rich buyer personas, you must know their interests, which in turn will take you to places on the Internet they are most likely to visit.
Start following popular groups in your niche on LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and Quora (depending on which kind of social media platform would be the most attractive to your target audience).
There is, of course, a lot of overlap as far as users on various social media platforms are concerned, but it makes more sense, for instance, to first seek out fashion and food lovers on Pinterest than on Twitter.
Participate in groups and blogs dedicated to your niche to get your name known. Take interest in people's problems and try to help them out in a genuine way, and don't push the link to your blog into their faces. Establish credibility first.
Start speaking their language
It's now time to create good, targeted content.
People cannot help but pay attention when you are speaking in a tone that is familiar, sharing thoughts that seem almost their own, giving advice that seems so timely as to be god-sent.
Of course, none of this is going to happen without effort.
You have been hanging around in the right circles, studying your target audience, paying attention to their comments and questions, learning their problems, and have found a way to create content that is tailored to their needs and promoted in the right places. How can they not respond to it?
Finding your right audience is initially a process. Knowing where you want to be and being obsessed with the details of the kind of people your product would resonate with are the best places to start.
