Customers in general don’t like hard sales tactics. In fact, most of them loath such an approach. Even the success you may have in a few rare cases doesn’t outweigh alienating the majority of your prospects.
A better approach is to focus on building trust and rapport so your prospects feel they’re making their own buying decisions, not being forced. You want to persuade them, not make them feel they’re being pressured.
Below, Zoetica founder Kami Huyse outlines the 5 steps you should take to attract the right customers for your business.
1. Define your target audience.
It all starts with defining your audience. You need to be clear about who you’re serving or hoping to serve in order to offer something your audience is interested in. That’s particularly important when creating the right lead magnet.
“If you have a lead magnet, it needs to be attractive to a specific audience. A lot of times I know we want to help as many people as possible – it [may feel] ] like you're giving up clients to really focus in on one person or one type of of person,” says Kami.
But “here’s why you need to do that: the lead magnet has to solve a specific problem for a specific person [because] people are who make [business] choices…. You are going to have to get in and penetrate that business through an individual, through a person. So you need to think about what the problems of that person are and what they need to solve day to day,” she advises.
Successful lead magnets connect with audiences through the language they use. People who see themselves reflected in the words are much more likely to positively respond to an offer. Kami recommends creating a customized word vault for this purpose, namely a list of words and phrases your ideal customer uses which you can incorporate into your marketing messages.
2. Offer value.
“A lead magnet needs to have a huge amount of value in a very small space,” Kami explains. “It shouldn't be something that they have to spend a ton of time on. But it has to be valuable enough for them to give you their email.”
She isn’t opposed to charging people for a lead magnet, but recommends that if you’re just starting out, you make a free offer. “Create something at the beginning level that brings people into your world that lets them see what kind of value you create.”
3. Optimize your opt-in.
To optimize your opt-in, create a landing page that talks about the problem your offer helps people solve. You want your audience to recognize themselves, so use language that reflects how they would describe their situation. Relatable and simple language is more effective than formal or corporate speak.
To see an example of what such a landing page can look like, click here to see Kami’s own Pathway to Mastery Video Series program. Her landing page is aimed at coaches and consultants who are feeling overwhelmed and don’t know how to start promoting their own brand on social media.
4. Provide social proof.
Providing social proof is a powerful way to persuade your audience that what you’re offering is legitimate and of value.
“It doesn't mean you have to be the greatest thing ever, but [prospects] need to know that you know what you're talking about in that particular domain and that other people have trusted you in that domain,” says Kami.
Testimonials are particularly strong in breaking down skepticism or hesitancy since they come directly from people who are happy with your product or service. Testimonials can come in the form of quotes, audio, video, or a combination thereof.
5. Nurture your email list.
If you don’t already have an email list or are wondering why you should nurture your existing one, remember that email is one of the most direct ways you can communicate with your audience.
Not only that, but people who have given you their email are already pre-vetted as individuals interested in what you have to say or offer.
You’ll therefore want to continue to keep their interest by providing valuable content free of charge. Once you have a product or service you know would benefit from, you can go all in on explaining your offer and highlighting each of the benefits and how they address your customer’s needs.
Email frequency is part art, part science. Knowing your audience is key. As Kami points out, “There's a very fine line between too much and not enough. You're gonna have to find what that is for your audience. Some people can handle one email per day and not get mad with you.”
Bonus: Lead Magnet Ideas
In her livestream, Kami shares a list of lead magnet ideas. They can be as simple as creating a quiz or assessment that helps your audience identify their pain points or challenges, or offering a free trial or demonstration of your service or product.
Informational webinars can also be strong lead magnets. “A free webinar that gives actionable advice or education is great. They work amazingly. I love, love, love webinars,” Kami admits.
To see all of her suggestions, watch the full replay of Kami’s livestream.