Ways to Build Your Audience from Zero

Every marketer says that building an audience is the key to selling their product and services, but building an audience, especially when you’re just starting out, can feel overwhelming and frustratingly difficult at first.

Whether you’re building from the ground up or are looking to increase your current audience, it’s useful to remember that every business owner starts from zero-zero followers, zero email lists, zero customers, and clients. 

Below are some tips for building and strengthening your audience, whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned entrepreneur: 

1. Identify your unique value - Your unique value as an entrepreneur is what sets you apart from your competitors, even within the exact same niche. Your unique value is one of the biggest reasons why somebody will look at the content you share and it’s up to you to continue creating and sharing consistently in your own unique way. Remember your goal is not to be the most famous in the world but to be the best-known within your particular industry.
2. Define your audience - One of the hardest tasks for every entrepreneur is identifying the right audience for their product or services. Keep in mind that your goal shouldn’t be building the largest possible number of followers, but rather cultivating a specific, targeted audience of engaged individuals. In order to do this, you must first understand the needs and wants of your target customers– who will most benefit from what you have to offer and why? To start understanding who your target audience might be, you can explore and begin making a list of all of the blogs, companies, social media platforms, competitor’s websites, social media accounts, popular hashtags, and any other places your audience is likely to visit.
3. Create an email list  - Email marketing isn’t as trendy as it used to be, but it remains a consistent source of leads and a viable way of building your targeted audience. The process of creating a successful email list is twofold; first, you must get consumers to want to receive your emails, and second, you must keep them engaged so they want to continue receiving them. Having a targeted email marketing list can play an integral part in your business's marketing strategy. 
4. Infiltrate Facebook groups - The purpose of infiltrating Facebook groups is to find a targeted way to share your work for free, without spamming links unnecessarily. You can join a local community Facebook group dedicated to your chosen niche.
5. Getting featured by an influencer - Influencer marketing is one of the best ways to quickly build your audience and raise awareness of your business or brand. This method can be incredibly beneficial for startups or those that have been struggling to gain traction via social media. Your job is to find reliable, reputable influencers to build relationships with and to create high-quality content that they will want to feature. 
6. Use efficient SEO techniques - If you are just starting out, it is highly advantageous to create a website that defines your business entity. Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the best methods to drive traffic to your website. There are many online resources that will teach you how to do this and increasing your site’s SEO will certainly improve your overall searchability and visibility to your audience.
7. Create well-defined content - Bear in mind that content is king and distribution is queen. Both content and distribution are equally important in building an audience; you could have the best content out there but if you do not work to distribute it well, your audience won’t grow. On the flip side, if you distribute very successfully but your content is not up to par, viewers aren’t likely to become a lasting part of your audience. However, if your content is good and you’ve distributed it well, your audience is much more likely to increase. As your audience grows, remember to continually revisit your purpose for building your audience: to make a positive impact, and grow your own skills.

The greatest asset to your business is your audience, don’t overlook its influence on your success. Remember that an audience doesn’t have to be huge, but should be engaged and must care about what it is that you have to offer. Putting your audience first and ensuring that they will consistently want to come back for more will help you avoid making decisions that are short-term focused and instead focus on those that will build long-term success. Don’t try to “beat the system” and get by without a meaningful, invested audience and take care of those who are giving you their time and attention! It’s likely that they will be your biggest supporters and advocates.