Some may believe that connecting with your target audience online does not create meaningful relationships with customers or potential customers, but with millions of online users who are active on social media every second, connecting online with your target audience can be the sole source of income for your small business, when marketed the correct way. How can you connect with your target audience online without becoming “too salesy?”
Whether you’re selling a service or a product online, trying to build a lasting connection with your target audience for your small business, can become a bit tricky. With different social media platforms to choose from, Instagram and Facebook ads, SEO, and digital marketing services, narrowing down what’s the best approach to try to build a trusting relationship with your target audience can make all the difference when trying to convert your audience into paying customers.
Kalilah Wright, founder of Mess in a Bottle, t-shirt company that allows you to put messages on apparel that comes packaged in reusable bottles, has successfully learned how to convert her 34K+ followers on Instagram to a profitable brand without forcing her product directly on her audience.
Check out Khalilah’s tips on how to build lasting connections with your customers online.
How do you define your target audience?
To define your target audience, begin to do beta testing. Test specific product and phrases to see what your audience gravitates towards more. Social media will tell you what your audience likes and what they don’t like. When you build an organic following, your audience will be very forth coming and tell you how they feel. They will tell you what products work and what items don’t.
How can you best reach your target audience online?
Take relatable pictures that your target audience will gravitate towards. Target similar interests and retarget customers with similar interests.
What are some tools small businesses can use to connect with their audience?
Learning facebook ads, understanding SEO’s and curating an instagram that will relate to potential customers. Also figuring out what social media platform most of their audience is on, focus there.
How has your connection with your target audience online helped the overall success of your business?
It has helped tremendously. Most of our customers are on instagram. 94% of our sales come from instagram. Understanding where your customers are, can drastically change your business.
How do you sell to your target audience online?
We don’t force product on them, we usually share relatable MESSages that they gravitate towards and like and then share customers in that MESSage. This makes them want to buy.
Do you market your products to your male audience differently than your female audience?
All of our items are unisex, but we mostly target the female audience. Women mostly have the buying power and then encourage their mate or male friends to purchase.
What’s the best way to manage your connection with your target audience?
After you post, wait a couple minutes and be sure to interact, comment, reshare and communicate with your target audience.