“Before you create a product or sales materials you need to know exactly who your avatar is and the words they are using and the things they are struggling with.”<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nYou’ve narrowed your niche, but who are you selling to? You will only have a business when you are solving someone’s problem, so you need to be very clear about the issue and who has it. That person is your ideal customer avatar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGet to know your customers \u2014 particularly your buyers \u2014 and pay attention to their pain points and the language they use to describe them. Then create content to attract and serve those people. Ideally, you’ll build a keen audience of people who are just like your avatar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDevelop a brand statement to keep you on track<\/b><\/h2>\n
Your brand statement has two purposes. First, it helps identify your niche and customers to build an identifiable brand by stating <\/span>who<\/b> + <\/span>results + benefit.<\/b><\/p>\nExample \u2014 The Langpreneur Business Statement:<\/b><\/p>\n
“We help people turn their passion for languages <\/span>(Avatar)<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\ninto a profitable online business <\/span>(Result)<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nso that they can live an independent life doing something they love.” <\/span>(Benefit.)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nSecondly, your brand statement helps to keep you focused. Consult it whenever you have a new idea and ask, does this fit with my brand?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBrand statements are often long and detailed, so use yours to develop a shorter tagline for your website, podcast intro and marketing.<\/span><\/p>\nExample \u2014 The CreatorSmarts tagline:<\/b><\/p>\n
“Learn directly from the world’s leading creators and leverage your own audience to build a smart education business.”<\/span><\/p>\nBuild an engaged audience and beat the competition<\/b><\/h2>\n
Possibly the best way to attract an audience when you’re starting is by developing a personal brand that includes your origin story and a framework or system that only you teach. <\/span>(Check out episode #112 Should Creators Build a Personal Brand or Business Brand?)<\/span><\/p>\nHowever, having a huge audience doesn’t guarantee you a massive income.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n“What matters most is what happens after people go to your website and sign up for your newsletter.”\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSo, what you need is not huge numbers but excellent conversion rates. Your successful online education business will grow when it has a highly engaged, niche audience that wants to buy your products.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTo build that audience, you must understand your avatar’s struggles and give them the solutions they want and need.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYour content should pique their interest, demonstrate your expertise and have them diving straight for your opt-in bar.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is your real business?<\/b><\/h2>\n
It may sound like a silly question, but do you really know what is attracting your customers? For example, they come for your course \u2014 or do they crave community?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nExample: The Langpreneur Community<\/b><\/p>\n
The product: <\/span>In-person events<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nThe perceived benefit: <\/span>Learning how to use an existing audience to develop an online business<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nThe REAL benefit people came for: <\/span>Networking with other language entrepreneurs and in-person coaching.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\nGet to know your audience by asking questions. When they like a product, offer more of the same, but improve it. Create a premium version, or make other levels available. If you started with a beginner course, offer intermediate and advanced ones too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nConsider having group coaching or one-on-one sessions as a high-end product.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n“It’s a synergy. You offer something, work with more clients, learn more about their problems, create better, more expensive products, and solve bigger problems. Use that in your marketing to create even more high-value clients.”<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nAs you grow, create an ecosystem<\/b><\/h2>\n
When your business expands to six figures, create a “world” for customers to join. In Olly Richards’ StoryLearning World, he attracts his audience through YouTube, podcast, and blog.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOnce people enter his ecosystem, he offers a world of possibilities, from 30-day challenges and books to premium courses and more. Every learner who arrives is likely to find their perfect solution \u2014 but it’s all based on the StoryLearning system.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nYour business needs an online home\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n
Creators attract their avatars by posting content on various platforms. You might be a YouTuber, podcast host, blogger or Instagram influencer, but those are not your business. Instead, they give you the means to entice customers to sign up to your mailing list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nEventually, you’ll need to create a website, but if that seems daunting, start with a landing page, a one-page website where people can sign up and download your lead magnet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMost bulk email providers such as Convertkit, Mailchimp, and MailerLite will host your landing page and have online tutorials to help you build and run it.<\/span><\/p>\nWhen you’re ready for more than a landing page, then build your website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nInclude these essentials:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Business name<\/span><\/li>\n
- Tagline<\/span><\/li>\n
- Logo\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Your face and origin story<\/span><\/li>\n
- An opt-in field<\/span><\/li>\n
- Social proof \u2014 testimonials, places where you’ve been featured etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n