You know that it’s important to know the specific audience you want to reach.
You also know that there are probably different segments to that audience. And that you need to reach those different segments or cohorts through different methods.
But maybe you’re struggling to figure out exactly what those methods are. There isn’t one answer for every situation, but let’s look at some of the common strategies for reaching your audience once you know who you’re trying to reach.
1. Video Content on YouTube
YouTube is now mature. It’s one of the most-used websites and apps online. We don’t even realize the number of hours we spend watching you. On our desktops, phones and TVs. There is a lot of great content. You can be entertained by just about anything and learn how to do new things.
One of the great things for businesses, large and small, with YouTube is that you can reach a specific audience. You can also reach a large audience, but it’s really great for reaching a smaller, targeted audience.
There is a guy in the hunting industry that I’m thinking about specifically. He’s been really focusing on building awareness for himself and his business the last few years via YouTube. He posts about 1-2 videos per week simply answering common hunting questions.
Each video now seems to get 10,000+ views. That’s not a lot compared to major music artists, but it’s quite a bit for a niche industry.
It’s a big effort. It’s a big commitment. It takes time. But it’s a great opportunity and platform if you’re committed. And because it’s challenging also presents an opportunity because many won’t compete with you for attention.
2. Podcast Content
Podcasting has come on strong the last few years. There will always be basically three ways to reach people:
- Written
- Video
- Audio
One always seems to be in favor. Video seems to be in favor right now. Hence, why YouTube was first on this list. But audio seems to be next in line for a run. The biggest reason is that people can do two things at once while listening to audio. We drive. We make dinner. We run. All kinds of things.
That’s why podcasting is a big opportunity. If you don’t know what to do, identify questions your specific audience is asking and provide the answers. Record it. Publish it via Anchor.
3. Blog Content
Written content will be #1 again some day. It goes in cycles. The main focus could be on the newspaper industry, which is just about dead. But there is still a lot of reading going on. Heck, most social networks are still mostly about the written word. The brain is wired to take in a great deal of information this way.
Blogging is a great way to reach people online. We like reading because it’s silent. And for many other reasons. Focus on the questions and provide answers. Do it consistently over time and you’ll reach a lot of people. Mostly via search engine traffic.
4. Guesting
Bring up YouTube Trending at any moment and there is a good chance of a celebrity on a late night talk show doing something entertaining. Those guests are there to usually raise awareness for their new project. The host of the show has the audience, but they need content. They bring on guests for entertainment and education. In return, the guest reaches the audience.
You can guest on podcasts, blogs, videos and more. It’s a great way to reach people quicker while you build your own channels, which takes a lot of time.
5. Current Social Media Platform
This means the currently popular social platform. At the moment, it’s probably Instagram that is the biggest. Certainly Facebook and Twitter are there. But these come and go. At one time, MySpace was the biggest. Tumblr was very large for awhile. It comes and goes fast. Not all die quickly like Tumblr, but they often reach maturity pretty quick.
It’s important to pay attention to where your specific audience is going. You reach often see a trend and be a first adopter to a new platform. You can also often reach younger cohorts of your audience with new platforms that are growing fast.
The big key is to create native content for the platform. Content meant to be consumed on that platform in the way that is appropriate for that platform. That’s what the platform wants. That’s what they promote. It’s also what the users want. So lean into that.
6. Partnerships
Many businesses have forged partnerships as a way to reach new audiences. There are all kinds of partnerships. Referral partnerships, complementary partnerships, 50/50 partnerships, 90/10 partnerships.
Identify other businesses with the same audience as you and think about a way you can present them with an offer that is beneficial to both of you. You might have to make a big offer. The payoff is reaching your audience. You’ll have to make your best guess to see if it’s worth it.
A simple example is a mechanic shop with a popular gas station down the street. They reach out to the gas station and say that any of their customers gets a half price oil change anytime they want. That’s a big commitment, but with the number of people at that gas station it can lead to a lot of profitable business.
7. Sponsorship
The influencer world has exploded in recent years. It will probably pop at some point, but that is an opportunity for a lot of businesses. Social media has allowed people with various skills to build followings. Not always on a massive level, but certainly impressive levels.
If you try sponsoring a few influencers in your industry you’ll learn that with the right situation you can reach a lot of people. And often for great value. You may lose money the first few times, but that can lead to a great and profitable relationship.
8. Free
What is your competition charging customers for that you can offer for free?
It’s not always easy to figure out, but if you can find something it can be enough to attract their customers to you.
One of the best examples of the restaurant Olive Garden. Other restaurants charge for appetizers. Olive Garden decided to give away hot breadsticks to every customer. Even if that customer only ordered soup.
That’s the type of thing you can look for to attract new customers.
Conclusion
Reaching a specific audience isn’t always easy. These methods are also not short term. Even with guesting it takes consistent outreach and relationship building to start getting opportunities. But if you try these all out and identify the ones you like best you can commit to doing them for years and in those years you’ll see your reach expand.