Are you struggling to connect with your target audience via social media? If you are like most business owners or entrepreneurs, locating your ideal customer online is often a large challenge. In fact, “How do I know where to look for my ideal customer on social media?” is a question I get asked all the time from my followers and clients. I’ve actually asked myself the same question for years…

Luckily enough, as the founder of a boutique online marketing agency myself, I’ve been able to figure out where to find and connect with my ideal customer through a good balance of trial and error. Okay, okay…my knowledge in psychology, sales and traditional media has definitely helped as well.

Believe it or not, my ideal customer doesn’t use social media and doesn’t understand social media. Crazy, right?! Good for me, bad for them.

If you’re a business and not taking advantage of social media, you’re missing out on a relatively inexpensive and effective way to reach your target audience. When you have a specific presence on social media, your customers are provided with a chance to find and connect with you. This in turn builds on the authenticity and credibility of your brand within the online space. In fact, when your social media has solid intention behind it, your business has the potential to grow to a place you’ve never imagined!

This is why I absolutely love connecting with my ideal customer and working closely with them to transform their social media presence. I’m all about making those click to sale conversations!

When it comes to seeking out new customers on social media, there are a few simple steps you can follow to help you find and connect with the right audience for your business. The following steps have helped me to get in front of my ideal customer and have proven to be a huge help in the long run.

Step #1: Identify your ideal customer

Knowing the personality of your ideal customer is half the battle. You also need to think about the problem your product or service solves. See more on this step here.

Step #2: Find out what social media platforms your ideal customer spends their time on

If you already have direct access to your ideal customer, you’re one step ahead. Take advantage of this and ask them what social media platforms they prefer to use. If you’re not sure where to start, most platforms provide demographic data that you can use to build your target audience. Keep in mind that general demographic data tends to only provide surface level information. So, if you want to know more about your unique community, you’ll need to dig a little deeper and get to know them on a personal level.

Step #3: Search for your ideal customer using relevant #hashtags and/or keywords tied to their industry, location, and wants/needs

Hashtags and keywords will help you find a number of people talking about the same topic. Once you’ve determined your relevant hashtags, keep a hard record of them and monitor them to find the conversations you should be a part of. Some of the hashtags I follow include #cairnsbusiness (my target audience), #paragoncollectiveau (our business name for monitoring), and #socialmediahelp (conversations where I can add my expertise).

Step #4: Engage and connect with your ideal customer

After you’ve located your ideal customer, you’ll need to begin connecting and building a relationship with them. Hang out where they are and listen to what they’re talking about. If you feel that you’re in the right community, you can begin engaging in small ways, including leaving likes, thoughtful comments, and re-sharing their content. You may even decide to start your own conversations by posting valuable content and sharing your expertise in a non-salesy way.

At the end of the day, your aim here is to help your ideal customer to overcome their challenges or speak to what’s important to them. If you successfully do this, you’ll be able to build a loyal following of people who’ll be eager to purchase from you. If, after 6+ months of being on the same platform and you’re not seeing the engagement you’d like, you may need to re-evaluate the platform or strategy you’re using.

Step #5: Use an appropriate call to action

If done right, all your hard work of finding and connecting with your ideal customer will pay off in the form of new followers, and fingers crossed – new customers! As you start engaging with your target audience, it’s important to provide a strong call to action to help move interactions beyond social media. Find ways to incentivise them to visit your website and get to know you and your business better.

You’ll find the greatest success when you focus your efforts on showing your ideal customer that you understand and care about what’s important to them. After all, people make decisions based on emotion rather than facts!

If you’re someone who doesn’t have the time or desire to learn how to use social media for your business, Paragon Collective is here to help! If you want to know more, shoot me a message via our contact page!