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Building an audience is the key to growing your business. But how do you do that? Today were joined by entrepreneur and podcaster Pat Flynn who will walk you through all the steps needed to serve and build a revenue generating audience.
Building an audience is the key to growing your business. But how do you do that? Today were joined by entrepreneur and podcaster Pat Flynn who will walk you through all the steps needed to serve and build a revenue generating audience.
3:15 – Having skill in your chosen profession isn’t enough to convert
Just check Instagram! There are people with less skill and knowledge than you who have an audience hanging on their every word; you can be the most skilled artisan in the world, but if you don’t know how to communicate that skill, you’re going to be outdone every time.
4:40 – Being self-aware
Pat advocates for becoming part of your target audience before you start to build a presence there. This gives two big advantages:
8:12 – An example of being audience-first
Pat tells the story of a guy who helps people get out of debt – this man put himself into debt on purpose, so he could start to understand how his audience felt.
Pat says that you don’t have to go that far, but the point is to put yourself so much in the shoes of your target audience that you can make true, empathetic recommendations.
11:50 – Common mistakes
A lot of companies pick their platform first, then start building an audience.
Pat says that first you should join the community, then pick the platform where that audience already is.
Another common weakness is making a shallow impression with a lot of people. At first, you’re going to want to go deep with a few people. You’re still building your bona fides, and proving your knowledge.
14:24 – How many platforms should you start on?
Pick one platform, and master it.
If your effort is distributed across five platforms with five different sets of best practices, you’re going to fail.
Instead, pick one platform and take courses on how to best utilize it.
From that one platform, you can bring your audience to your website, your email list, and eventually other social media channels. But none of that can happen without mastering your first platform.
17:53 – The dangers of depending on one platform longterm
If all of your marketing is based on a social media platform, you’re in danger of having it all go away in the blink of an eye. Your account could be hacked, the algorithm could change, the company could change priorities.
That’s why it’s important to build a community in a place where it will last. Pat uses a platform called Circle; others use their email list or website as a central hub for audience members who have bought in.
20:54 – The commander’s intent
Unlike with a business plan where you have all the steps laid out in front of you, you’re going to start with the general statement of intent to serve.
“I intend to serve this community in the best way possible.”
Then, don’t guess! Don’t guess about the best way to serve your audience – ask them. And when you launch a new product/community/service, pay attention to their response, and be responsive to how they feel about it.
23:28 – What’s the return on investment?
Pat said it’s better to not think of it in terms of x hours in, x dollars out.
It’s tricky to measure the impact of an ongoing conversation with a follower.
Pat says ROI is the wrong way to look at it – when you discover who the people are, and what they need, you have an infinite number of ways you can solve their problems.
