If you’re a new entrepreneur, you’ll probably have noticed that you’re not alone. Starting your own business has become more popular than ever and for a good reason. Our modern technology has allowed us a further reach to our targeted audience than ever in history and all the while with very little startup costs. Although the idea of being an entrepreneur may be inspiring and genuine, it’s difficult to remain competitive in what seems to like a trendy sea of young professionals.

I’ve been there; I know the struggles of trying to differentiate yourself from the masses. How do you make yourself visible let alone convince people your business is worthy of their money?

Think about your business idea, and then refocus on your own unique set of skills. While there may be a high quantity of competitors, there are only a handful (if any at all) who possess the skills that you possess within your current environment. Despite all the fancy lingo, guides and coaching courses out there providing ample information, lead generation and lead conversion both start at a very simple concept, and that’s consumer targeting.

Making sure that you are finding and attracting the right consumers is key to your business survival and should be a component of your business strategy from the very beginning of conception. But this is much easier said than done. How do you really establish yourself in the industry so that when people look for answers under your umbrella, they know to come to you for answers? How do you show your expertise to the world so that your friends recommend you, your colleagues suggest you and people organically come to you?

Understand Your Customers by Stalking them

Before we create any marketing material or even strategize, we have to establish a niche. Think about this process as taking your overarching industry or business topic and continually breaking it down until it is as simplistic and specific as possible. What made you attracted to this business in the first place? Can you define yourself objectively? This is an easy place to start because you only need yourself for the research. 

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Understand your feelings, and experiences that went through when you became interested in your industry and document these reasons. Make sure you know all about the “what, where, why and how’s” of your craft. It may seem strange, but by identifying the personal side of why you pursued what you did, your material becomes relatable. Doing this will increase your ability to reach your targeted audience because you are now looking at it through a personal lens rather than an objective one.

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New entrepreneurs often make the mistake of being generalists and claiming that their business applies to everybody - market to everybody and ultimately you market to no one.

Let’s do an example. Say you coach healthy cooking -  who are you appealing to? Are they seniors who don’t have the ability to grocery shop but want to eat healthy meals? Or do you identify with millennials because you remembered what it was like living off instant ramen bowls in college? By knowing who you’re targeting, not only does it provide you with business direction, but you can tailor your marketing material specifically for this niche.

a) Find out the experiences and feelings you went through when you chose your business

b) Understand the audience you are targeting personally rather than objectively

c) Take this information and brainstorm where your targeted audience hang out on the internet

d) Make connections to the sites they inhabit for example forums or groups, e.g., Quora, Reddit, Facebook, Linkedin, etc.

e) Pay attention to the discussions and curate information you can use for your marketing campaign

Build a Presence in the Industry by Being Omnipresent

So you understand your audience, and you know who they are. Good job, that’s the hardest part. Define your audience wrong, and you’re not going to generate any leads. The second question in your business quest is: How do you create a way for your target market to find you. It is exhausting if your primary sales tactic is outreach. You’ll burn yourself out, or run out of time to focus on the growth and development of your business. 

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Building a presence online requires a level of activity put out by you on the internet. This can be done through producing content, by being on social media, and creating your own website. This sounds complicated, but in reality the majority of what you produce can be repackaged and reused. Not to mention the costs of marketing online is incredibly lower than the costs of marketing externally.

1. Start by building a website. It doesn't have to be completely beautified and over the top, but it should be informative and tailored to your targeted audience. Let’s revisit our healthy foods business example. If I am targeted seniors, my website will be simple, easy to navigate with large text. I would keep my website small with very few links and ensure that a phone number is large and present on the landing page.

2. List out all the ways to reach your market. There will be competitors that offer the same services, so you'll need to differentiate yourself from the herd by showing your skills and expertise. Clarify what you are selling and keep in mind “that smaller is bigger." Describe the perspective of your ideal customer. If you were the customer, what would attract you to this topic, and how would it stand out to you? Create webinars, or have a direct call. You'll need to work on developing quality content that gives people a reason to work with you.

3. Be omnipresent. You want to stay unique, but that doesn’t mean you should hit up the places that your competitors are already occupying. Being a new face in your specific industry has it’s advantageous. Take the opportunity to show to people who are already purchasing similar products or services that yours is better.

4. Don’t forget your Call to Action. The goal here is to create a way to attract people and capture their information so that you can talk to them directly. Technology has allowed us to create and share information fast. It is convenient and easy to navigate, but digital information still can’t defeat information given from person to person. Digital information lacks the opportunity to play with multiple senses, and can feel foreign or distant. 

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A call to action provides you with a second chance to reach out to the people who’ve shown an interest in your business and turned them into lead. It also allows you to create relationships, even if it is still through digital paths like email. Have a form at the end of each blog, or a comments section. 

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Have pop ups that allow email capture. Like any relationship, making the first move gives you a higher probability of response than waiting for the other person to make a move. Always make sure that you have a way to reach your audience again. Want some more information on maximizing Call to Actions? Read it here

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