The essentials ingredients for a thriving business

In this episode of The New School of Marketing Podcast, I'm exploring the key strategies your business needs to not just survive, but thrive in today’s competitive market. From aligning the right offer with the right audience to driving targeted traffic and harnessing the power of freebies, I’ll break down the essential elements that fuel sustainable business growth. Plus, I’ll discuss how to create a customer journey that builds trust, loyalty, and long-term success.

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Transcript

Hey, welcome to the new School of Marketing podcast. I am so super grateful to you for tuning in. Before we dive in, I would love to pay respect and acknowledgement to the Palawa people of Lutruwita who are the traditional owners of the land on which my business operates. And I pay my respects to their eldest, past and present. Awesome. I want to talk to you about something really, really important today. I want to talk to you about what your business needs, not just to survive, but to really thrive. I want to talk about how important it is to have the right offers and match them with your ideal audience. I want to talk about traffic and I also want to talk about freebies because there's a little bit of controversy going on around freebies and whether or not you should use them and things like that. And yeah, really just looking at the customer journey. So let's dive in. So I've been doing this for over ten years now, and I've just seen so many businesses struggle to really find their footing, especially when they're not reaching the right audience or their offers aren't resonating and like, they've just literally created a business. And I feel like they're like flailing around like in the ocean, trying to stay afloat. But when you actually sit down and think about things and map it out and get strategic, you can make such a big change. So that's what I want to talk about today. Well, let's start with having the right offer for the right audience. You really are not going to have any success if you don't have the right offer for the right audience. I know it's so super tricky because a lot of us start a business because we either know something or are really good at doing something or really passionate about something and we create the product, but we might not necessarily know who the actual audience is. It's actually usually my first question I ask a client. Who is your ideal client? Who is your ideal audience? And it is a tricky exercise. It is really, really hard to know who your buyers are unless you actually have the buyers and you get behind the psychology, the demographics, the psychographics, all of that. Yes, you need to create a product or a service that your target market genuinely values and is willing to pay for. And whether that starts from a passion or from something that you're good at, that is totally fine. But it's not just about what you think is a great offer. It's about what your audience sees as valuable. And that could be a lot of different things. And a lot of them are not like a need or a necessity, but more like a want, or sometimes even a nice to have, but it's valuable to that person. So let's talk about identifying your ideal audience and aligning your offer with the right audience. Firstly, you really, you need to research your marker. You need to understand who your ideal customers are. And I don't necessarily like to talk about pain points, but that's how most people refer to them. So let's talk about pain points. I like to call them desires. You know, it's usually something that is going to make their life better if you offer a service or just something that makes them feel better or helps them with something, if it's a product. So what are their pain points? Or, you know, what are their challenges or their desires, and what are they looking for? Or maybe they might not know that they're looking for it. You know, if you have something that is so unique that has helped you with something, or some other clients with something, but it's not widely sort of known, then they might not know that they need. It gets a bit tricky going after those kind of clients because people that are problem aware and solution aware tend to be slightly easier to sell to than those that are not problem aware or solution aware. You also need to tailor your offer. So really think about your offers and something that directly addresses your audience's needs and their desires. It needs to match up. Even if you have an offer, you need to think about who is the person that would most benefit from this and who would most value this and what. You know, what kind of person are they. It usually helps if you can only think like, if you can think of one specific person. And this is why, if you've already worked with a number of people, I say pick one person that if you could have more of those clients, who would that be and what are their, in a way, characteristics? I don't like to talk too much about demographics because it doesn't always matter too much. But in terms of psychographics, like what, who are they and what do they really value, and why is it that they would just not question it? Well, they question things, but why they want to work with you and why should they have your offer and just keep getting feedback? Because it's all about testing, refining. Keep getting feedback and adjust your offers. And sometimes it's not the offer, sometimes it's the messaging. Like sometimes you don't need to adjust the offer, sometimes you need to adjust the messaging to really make a what your audience needs. When you align your offer with the needs of the right audience, you're not just selling, you're actually providing a solution that people value and that they're actually really keen to invest in. So one thing, it's the offer. Two, I'm bringing in messaging. It's about how you put that offer forward to your audience. And sometimes it is just super straightforward. Like it's like this is my thing, it solves this problem. But sometimes we need to explain a little bit more and we really need to get into that side of your audience where you paint the picture of what youre a service or your product is going to do. So you need to have the right offer in front of the right audience with the right message. The next part is traffic. Traffic is essential for your office. There's no point in opening your doors. You know, I'm just using the metaphor here of a physical shop. There is no point in opening your doors if nobody is going to walk past or you're not actively getting people through your door. It's that classic build it and they will come kind of mentality. It does not work. And the same goes for online marketing. It's not like just starting an Instagram page or a Facebook page is going to magically give you traffic. No, the algorithm doesn't support you in that. Doesn't work like that. Showing up, just, you know, just showing up is not going to get you the traffic that you need. Yes, it's a step in the right direction, but the most successful people are those who meet their audience where they're at, aka going to them. Whether that is a physical thing and you go to networking events or you go door knocking, that still happens, or whether that is online by being in the room with other people, that might be your ideal audience, which could be being part of summits, collaborations, speaking on other people's podcasts. Like, you need to go to where your audience is. So traffic is so important. Like, even if you've got like the best thing ever, it's not going to succeed if it's not seen by the right people. Like, traffic is literally the lifeblood of your business. It's what brings potential customers to your, you know, metaphorical doorstep, but not just any traffic. You know, there's no point in taking your offers or selling your offers in a place where your ideal clients, like, are not like, you know, like if you sell baby clothes, don't go to, you know, the 55 plus bingo meter. You know, you get the point, right? So it's about attracting the right kind of traffic that is aligned with your offer. So driving traffic to your offer, there are so many options. I've already spoken about Instagram, Facebook, those kind of things. So yes, there is online marketing, but there is also traditional marketing. You need to use targeted marketing, whether that is online, offline, or a combination. But you need to focus on the channels where your ideal customers are the most active. It could be that they are listening to podcasts. It could be that they are listening to audiobooks. I'm not sure how you would get into that unless you write a book. So like, they are more the audio kind of participants. It could be that they're just sitting on the couch scrolling Facebook and Instagram. It could be that they are driving and listening to local radio or watching local tv, or they might be going to certain meetups, mum's meetups, you know, bingo, networking events. Like where are your ideal customers the most? Where are they the most active? The other thing is you really need to think about SEO, search engine optimization, especially if you are creating content like blogs, website pages, even podcasts, and also social media because it's becoming more and more search friendly. But you need to think about your content to attract organic search traffic. So everything you post, all the words you use, do think about search engine optimization. And another one, and of course, I'm going to add this, invest in paid advertising. And whether that is traditional advertising or online digital advertising, you need to invest in your business in terms of where are they and how can you attract or bring in the right traffic to your business, whether that is your physical business, your website, all of those pieces you need to think about where are your ideal clients? Like I said, you know, focus on the channels where they are most active and at the same time also push that a little bit. Like I said, there's no point in showing up on Instagram and on Facebook over and over and over and over when the algorithm is not on your side and it hasn't picked up yet. You're running a business, for starters. So use an ads budget to target like specific demographics, psychographics, and really drive that traffic directly to your office. And social media advertising, Facebook and Instagram advertising is such a great place to start. Obviously, your ideal clients need to spend time there, but a lot of us do. And I would probably guess that your audience is on those platforms, but you need to invest a little bit. And Facebook and Instagram ads are such a great way to start because you can start for like as little as like one to $2 a day, literally, to drive traffic to get your business seen. You can start for a super small amount, just getting a little bit more traffic. Obviously, the more you invest, the bigger the numbers get. And there's other things at play. Don't need to work, but get people to your store, your doors, your services, your website, like whatever you have, you need to get traffic. But driving traffic isn't just about numbers, it's about quality. So you need to put your offer in front of people who are most likely to by and not just anyone who would click on your site. And this is where knowing your audience comes into play and knowing where they spend time and knowing how to speak to them in the right way. The next point is freebies. And I do want to talk about this because freebies are a really powerful, powerful tool for building trust and attracting leads. I know there's some controversy. People, some people say don't like, use freebies because you're just going to attract the freebie hunters. Some people will never open it. They won't invest in it. It'll just collect digital dust, blah, blah, blah. Yes, there is some truth to that. And you might want to test whether or not you start with a low cost offer. Get people to actually invest in something with you so that they do take the action. Mind you, there is honestly no way of knowing if they would value a free thing or a $9 thing. Like, you know, whether or not they are more likely to take action. You just don't know. But offering something or some value for free means that you can showcase your expertise, you can provide immediate value. And if you offer a freebie that is so flipping good and your funnels and your communication shows that and promotes that, that they don't want to actually shelve this in their digital dust section. They actually want to watch it or take action or read it or something like that, then you start building a relationship with your customers. Like if you give them something so good, like if your free thing is so good, they're going to want to take the next step. They can also really help you with word of mouth marketing. If your freebie is so good, people will share it with others. They're like, oh my goodness, take this thing. And I've seen it in Facebook groups where people are literally sharing it because they've just done this thing. Or someone will ask, does anyone know anything about XYZ? And everyone's like, try this thing. This person's freebie is amazing. Like, all of that kind of thing. Also, freebies really create what they can if you do it right, a positive impression of your brand. And if you hook them from that first free thing that is so good, you're most likely to get repeat customers and people will refer to you. Like I said, I see it all the time in Facebook groups. People like, oh, go to this. You know, this, and this person is the person for this and this. And as more people share your freebie, your brand awareness grows. It brings in new leads. So a really well crafted freebie is more than just a giveaway. It's a way to demonstrate your value. It's a way to build trust and then build that, or create that ripple effect of word of mouth marketing, whether it's, you know, online or in a different kind of setting. But if you do it really well, you're, like, creating waves. So I do want to say I still believe that freebies can be an incredible tool, but it has to be the right freebie, obviously. And I want to talk about customer journey and really creating, like a business from a place where you love it. They love it. Just creating that customer journey where every person is treated as valuable, whether they are a paying customer or not, whether it's just someone who is getting your freebie, they are just as important as someone who is paying. Like I said, if you create the right freebie, and even if someone just signs up for that freebie and doesn't buy from you, you can still create that ripple effect because they might tell other people about it, even if they are not the ones buying from you. So make sure that every person is treated as valuable and doing that. Like, it doesn't only build trust and loyalty, but it just creates a really positive experience. And I it actually does encourage people to become customers. And it might not be straight away, some people might be following you for like, you know, a year, two years, three years, five years. Some people are there to come along. Like, you've just created that trust with them. And they might not be at that point where they are ready to invest with you now, but they know that when they are ready, that you are that person. So to really create that customer journey that, you know, feel good customer journey, you need to listen actively. You need to understand what your customer needs and respond to them with empathy and with solutions. Like I said, not everyone's business solves a pain point. Some businesses solve desires, but you can still respond with empathy and with solutions. Like what you have is the thing that is going to satisfy that desire. You need to provide exceptional service, whether or not it is a paying customer or not. You need to go above and beyond to make sure that every interaction is positive and is memorable, and you can make mistakes. And if you do own it, apologize and see how you can solve it together. That in in itself usually is such a strong connection builder and you need to nurture your relationships, build long term relationships with your audience by consistently providing value and support. It doesn't mean that you need to be available and answering questions and all of that. You need to set some boundaries around this, but you can do this in a way that works for you and in a way that works with your audience, whether it is automated, by sending them to certain blog posts, if they have questions, like you can really create that strong relationship and provide value and support even without you physically doing that. So when you treat every interaction as an opportunity to create positive impact, you build a business that people want to support and recommend to others. So it's not just about am I going to get the sale? Am I going to get the sale? You are creating a positive impact, and in that way you get that ripple effect because you're building that business that people really want to support, whether it is by recommending you to others, by buying from you, or in a different way. So don't always focus on the monetary side of things. Yes, we need to make money. We have bills to pay too. But some people that come into your network will not buy from you. But how can you still give them a like a positive interaction so that they may, you know, spread the word and do something else for your business. They could bring you other clients. So to wrap up having a successful and driving business means that you have the right offer for the right audience with the right message and driving the right traffic to those offers. They are so important they need to match up. You can have all the offers in the world, but if you're not getting the traffic, and literally traffic is your lifeblood, then it's just not going to happen. Same the other way around, you can have all the traffic, but if you don't have the right offer, or sometimes you have the right offer but not the right messaging to actually tell and convince those people that you have the right offer. And I'm using the word convince. You shouldn't have to convince people. Your offer and your messaging should be so good that as soon as people learn about it, they should kind of go, oh, my goodness. Like, this is amazing, I need it. But, you know, so you need to have the right message, the right audience, the right, like, the right traffic, and you can use the power of freebies or, you know, some lower cost offer. Sometimes giving something away for free will mean that you will get business. And if you have a physical business, sorry, a product based business, that can be a little bit tricky. But sometimes you can do samples or you can do a come and try day, or sometimes freebies are a little bit tricky. Free shipping can get people over the line. But yeah, you need to think about how are you going to create that trust? How are you going to create that authority and show people that you're, like, you're serious, you're in business, you can help them. You can satisfy their needs and desires or help them solve their pain points. So you need to build that, build that trust and then think about your customer journey. Like really think about each step in that interaction with you. And how can you give them such a good experience so that they actually want to support you and recommend you to others. So just sit down, take some time, and think about how each one of these strategies are actually working in your business and where you might need to make some changes. And if you need help with this, you can either book a one on one session with me and we can nut it out together, or, and this is like seriously amazing. I think as part of my office I have the new school of Marketing Business club where you can join us twice a month for a brainstorm call. And we can literally tease these things out. As a group. You'll get so much support inside the group, you will walk away with ideas, but also clarity, confidence to sort of move forward. Sometimes it only takes like a little tweak. And the best thing is these calls, like twice a month calls are available for $29 a month. It's seriously such amazing, epic value. And the reason I'm doing this is because I want to help people, not just with their marketing, but just if you have questions. I know how lonely it can be running a business and how much I lean into on, and lean on my business besties and my peer networks, because I'm just one brain. Sometimes you just need to have that, you know, that brainstorming with other people and get some ideas. And it is a no lock in. Like, you can literally join for one month if you need to, get some answers, and then you can leave again if you want to. Although I don't think you want to. So yeah, you can either do this with me one on one, or you can join one of our calls and get some answers. The next call is on the 28 August and I'm actually giving you free access to this call. So if you're listening to this episode in time, go to the show notes and join this free call. If you want to do some brainstorming, get some ideas on your business, work on, you know, potentially whether it is do you have the right audience? Do you have the right traffic? How can you get more traffic? How can you create a freebie? Like, if you have any of the questions that about the things that I talked about in this episode, join that call for free. Like literally you get some free business coaching in a way, and I just want to help you. All right, well, other than that, you can try to sit down and up this out on your own, or you can join the call or book a session with me. I want to say thank you so much for joining me on this episode. I hope it was helpful. And as always, I can't wait to share more marketing tips with you next week. If you're ready to take your business to the next level with Facebook and Instagram advertising, make sure you visit newschoolofmarketing.com to download practical free resources. Plus subscribe to the podcast so that you never miss an episode. I can't wait to go on this journey with you. Until next time, take care and market your business every day.