How To Grow An Entire New Audience Of Buyers For Your Brand In Singapore

Buyers are to your business what oxygen is to your body. Without them, your business will eventually die.

But unlike oxygen, you can’t just sit back and expect buyers to come to you naturally. You have to go out and get them. Or, more accurately, you have to figure out how to grow one.

While the methods for attracting buyers may have changed over the years, the basic principles are still the same.

You need to identify your target audience, figure out where they “hang out” online and offline, and then craft a marketing message that resonates with them.

Benefits of Building an Audience of Buyers

The benefits of building an audience of buyers are numerous, but here are a few of the most important ones:

• Insights

Getting into your buyers’ minds and understanding what they really think is what dreams are made of for most businesses. That’s why marketers are always looking for ways to get “inside the head” of their target audience.

By having a direct relationship with your buyers, you can gain invaluable insights into their likes, dislikes, needs, and wants. These insights can then be used to improve your products and services and your marketing message.

• Improved Sales

If you want to improve your sales, you need to focus on two things: 

1) generating more leads and 

2) converting more of those leads into paying customers. 

An audience of buyers can help you with both of those things. First, they can help you generate leads through word-of-mouth marketing. And second, they’re more likely to convert into paying customers because they already know, like, and trust you.

• Lower Customer Acquisition Costs

The cost of acquiring a new customer can be very high, especially if you’re in a highly competitive industry.

But if you have an audience of buyers, the cost of acquiring new customers goes down dramatically because you’re not starting from scratch with each new product or service launch.

You already have a relationship with them, which means they’re more likely to do business with you.

• Trust

Trust is the foundation of any good relationship — personal or business. 

If you have an audience of buyers, you already have their trust.

And that’s because they’ve chosen to follow you and engage with your brand. They weren’t forced into it. Therefore, they’re more likely to do business with you and recommend you to others.

• Free Advertising

If you have a large and engaged audience of buyers, you have a built-in marketing machine that can help promote your products and services for free. 

All you have to do is give them something valuable in return (like a coupon or discount), and they’ll be more than happy to share it with their friends and followers.

• Support During Tough Times

No business is immune to tough times. There will always be ups and downs. But if you have a loyal audience of buyers, they can help you weather the storm. 

They’ll stick with you during the tough times and help promote your business when things go bonkers.

• Improved Customer Service

Having a ready audience of buyers can be likened to having a team of customer service reps working 24/7. They can help answer questions, give feedback, and provide support – all for free.

Building an audience of buyers is one of the smartest things you can do for your business.

It will not only help you attract more customers but also give you a chance to build relationships with them and get valuable feedback about your product or services.

• Networking (especially for B2B businesses)

If you’re in a B2B business, your audience of buyers can act as a powerful networking tool. They can be a powerful plug into new markets and help you make connections you wouldn’t have otherwise made.

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How to Build an Audience of Buyers?

Now that we know the benefits of building an audience of buyers, let’s take a look at how to do it:

•  Listen to Those You’re Trying to Reach

You can start by finding out who your audience is and what appeals to them. Create momentum by writing about the initiative you’re launching that hinges on your mission. 

Build value and trust by catering your content to their needs. If you’re not sure what those are, consider using surveys or social media polls to get a better idea.

Get active on social media and encourage customers to leave reviews. Respond to both the positive and negative ones courteously.

The idea is to lend an ear to what your customers have to say and show that you’re taking their feedback seriously. 

•  Meet Your Audience Where They Are

You can’t expect your audience to come to you. You have to be the one going to them. 

The best way to do this is by being active on the channels they frequent the most. If they’re not active on social media, consider using email marketing or even old-fashioned text or direct mail.

No matter what channels you use, make sure you’re providing value and not just talking about yourself.

Otherwise, you’ll quickly lose their attention.

To successfully connect with your audience, you must dedicate time and resources to understanding your target audience and what channels they use.

Only then can you establish a deeper understanding of who they are and their preferences.

• Co-Create a Secret Language

This is all about creating an inside joke that only your audience will understand. 

It could be a certain way of using words, a shared experience, or anything else that bonds you together. The idea is to create a connection that goes beyond the superficial.

This will make your audience feel like they’re part of an exclusive club and have a common understanding with you.

Simple, use your brand culture and word choice consistently in your marketing, and eventually, it will stick.

For example,  we could talk about “MediaOne-ing” to refer to the process of creating successful digital marketing campaigns.

• Be Controversial

Taking a stand on hot-button issues can be a great way to connect with your audience more deeply. 

Keep in mind, though, that you should only take a stand on issues that are relevant to your business. Otherwise, you risk coming across as tone-deaf or even offensive.

For example, if you sell environmentally friendly products, you could take a stand against plastic straws. Or, if you’re a B2B software company, you could speak out against the use of outdated technology.

Just make sure you’re prepared to back up your stance with facts and logic. Otherwise, you risk alienating your audience instead of connecting with them.

• Make Them Look Good

One of the best ways to endear yourself to your audience is by making them look good. 

You can do this by featuring them in your content, sharing their story, or even just giving them a shout-out. This will make them feel appreciated and valued, enough to get the conversation started.

We can all learn a lot from our audience. After all, they’re the ones who know what they want and prefer. 

• Develop a Social Mission

 Create a social mission for your business that aligns with your audience’s values. 

This could be anything from supporting a local charity to going carbon-neutral. The important thing is that your mission is something that your audience can get behind.

And it should be something that you, as the founder, are genuinely passionate about. Otherwise, it will come across as inauthentic.

Commit to raising awareness about your social mission on all social media platforms — your company’s website, the media,  and even your personal accounts.

• Be Human

At the end of the day, you’re not growing an audience of robots, but real people, with real emotions. 

So, it’s important to be human in your interactions with them. Be friendly, approachable, and authentic. Show them that there’s an actual person behind the brand.

Don’t try to be something that you’re not. Just be yourself and let your personality shine through.

• Identify Your Shared Purpose

What are you and your audience working towards? What is the shared purpose that binds you together? 

This could be anything from a love of animals to a dedication to environmentalism.

Once you’ve identified your shared purpose, you can use it to guide all of your interactions with your audience.

For example, a German company called Cherrisk recreated a risk-sharing company that existed in the 17th century. 

This allowed them to tap into a shared purpose with their audience — a dedication to innovation and progress.

•  Let Your Audience be Part of Your Brand Development

Your audience should be more than just a passive observer of your brand — they should be involved in its development. After all, they’re the ones who will be using your products or services.

So, get their input! Ask them for feedback on your latest product launch, or poll them on what they want to see from your brand in the future.

Allow your customers to actively ideate, criticize, and contribute to your brand development process.

•  Keep Them Engaged

Even after you’ve built a connection with your audience, you can’t just sit back and relax.

Figure out how to keep them engaged, or else they’ll quickly lose interest and move on. There are a few key ways to keep your audience engaged:

• • Regular content updates: If you have a blog or podcast, keep pumping out new content. This will give your audience something to come back for again and again.

• • Social media interactions: Don’t just post one-way messages on your social media platforms. Take the time to interact with your audience, answer their questions, and start conversations.

• • Email newsletters: Keep your audience in the loop by sending them regular email newsletters. That is a great way to share new blog posts, product launches, or anything going on with your brand.

• • Be Genuinely Interested in Them: Be genuinely interested in your audience and their lives. Ask them questions, get to know them, and learn about their interests.  The more you know about them, the better equipped you’ll be to give them what they want — whether that’s information, products, or services. And, of course, the more you know about them, the easier it will be for you to build a connection with them.
  • Hone in on What Makes You Unique: What’s that one thing that makes you different from all the other brands out there? What is your unique selling proposition?  You want to build your community of buyers around the passion and uniqueness of your brand. Stoke this fire, and your community will grow passionate and engaged, eventually becoming your best advocates.

• Build a Community, Not Just an Audience

When thinking about your audience, don’t just think about them as a faceless mass. Think about them as individuals who could eventually become part of a community.

A community is more than just a group of people who share an interest — it’s a group of people who interact with each other and support each other. 

So, how can you turn your audience into a community? Here are a few key ways:

• • Host Events: This is a great way to get your community members to interact with each other in person.

• • Create content for them: Give your community members something to rally around and share with each other. This could be anything from blog posts to infographics to videos.

• • Give them a platform to Interact: Whether it’s a forum, a Facebook group, or an online chat room, give your community members a place to interact with each other.

• • Nurture Your Community: Once you’ve built a community, it’s important to nurture it. This means regularly interacting with your community members, encouraging participation, and moderating conversations. You also want to ensure you’re providing value to your community. This could be anything from helpful content to exclusive deals to access to new products or services.

• Encourage User-Generated Content

One of the best ways to nurture your community is to encourage them to create content for you. This could be anything from product reviews to blog posts to testimonials.

User-generated content is a great way to show your audience that you’re listening to them and value their input. It’s also a great way to get new content for your site or blog.

So, how do you encourage your community to generate content for you? There are a few key ways:

• • Make it easy for them: Provide them with templates, guidelines, or any other resources they might need.

• • Give them incentives: Offer prizes or discounts for the best user-generated content.

• • Feature their content: Showcase their content on your site or social media platforms.

• • Be Consistent: The key to any successful relationship is consistency. This is also true for your relationship with your audience. It helps to be consistent with your interactions, content, and overall message. It’s the only way to build trust with your audience and keep them coming back for more. Your community members will also be more likely to stay engaged if they know what to expect from you. So, don’t try to be something you’re not — just be yourself.

• Let Your Customers in on what You did to Resolve their Concerns

When a customer raises a concern, and you resolve it, don’t just leave them hanging. Let them know what you did to resolve the issue. 

This shows your audience that you’re committed to their satisfaction. It also shows you’re transparent about your process.

More importantly, it gives them peace of mind knowing that you take their concerns seriously.

• Create an Ambassador Program

An ambassador program is a great way to get your most passionate customers to promote your brand. 

Ambassadors are typically given exclusive access to new products, early access to sales or discounts, and other perks. In return, they agree to promote your brand to their friends and followers.

So, how do you create an ambassador program? There are a few key steps:

• • Identify your ideal ambassadors: Look for customers who are already passionate about your brand and have a large social media following.

• • Reach out to them: Once you’ve identified your ambassadors, reach out to them and explain your program.

• • Give them the resources they need: Provide your ambassadors with everything they need to promote your brand, including social media graphics, product photos, and exclusive discounts.
  • Measure their success: Track the performance of your ambassador program and make changes as needed.

• Leverage social media

Social media is a great way to connect with your audience and build relationships. It’s also a great way to promote your brand and drive traffic to your website.

So, how do you leverage social media to build relationships with your audience? There are a few key ways:

• • Be active: Regularly post interesting and engaging content.

• • Interact with your followers: Respond to comments and questions promptly.

• • Run social media campaigns: Run social media campaigns that encourage your followers to interact with your brand.

• • Partner with influencers: Collaborate with influencers with a large following in your target market.

• • Start a WhatsApp Group for Your Customers: Start a WhatsApp group for your customers and offer them exclusive deals, coupons, and access to new products or services. This is a great way to build loyalty and keep your customers coming back for more.

• Collaborate with Other Brands

No man is an island, and no brand is either. Collaborating with other brands is a great way to build relationships, drive traffic to your website, and promote your brand.

So, how do you collaborate with other brands? There are a few key ways:

• • Run joint promotion campaigns: Team up with another brand to run a joint promotion campaign. This could include a social media contest, a co-branded product, or a joint webinar.
  • Collaborate on content: Create joint blog posts, infographics, or eBooks with another brand.
  • Cross-promote each other: Promote each other’s products or services on your website or social media platforms.

• Offer Customer Rewards

  Customer rewards are a great way to show your appreciation for your customers’ business. They also help encourage loyalty and repeat business.

So, how do you offer customer rewards? There are a few key ways:

• • Offer discounts: Give your customers a discount on their next purchase.
  • Give them access to exclusive products or services: Give your customers early access to new products or services.
  • Enter them into a contest: Run a contest or game and offer the winner a prize.
  • Send them a thank you note: Send your customers a handwritten thank you note. This is a great way to show your appreciation for their business.

• Get involved in Trade Shows

Trade shows are a great way to connect with potential customers, build relationships, and promote your brand.

So, how do you make the most of trade shows? There are a few key ways:

• • Have a plan: Before the show, write down your goals. What do you hope to achieve by the end of it all?
  • Have a booth: Make sure your booth is eye-catching and branded. 
  • Have a giveaway: Offer a freebie to people who stop by your booth.
  • Follow up with leads: After the show, follow up with all the leads you’ve collected.

• Give Back to the community

Giving back to the community is a great way to build relationships and promote your brand. So, how do you give back to the community? Here are a few suggestions:

• • Volunteer: offer your time and talents to a local organization.
  • Donate products or services: donate your products or services to a local organization.
  • Fundraise: fundraise for a local organization.
  • Sponsor an event: sponsor a local event.

• Focusing on Serving Each Customer

Forget about the broader audience and focus on serving each customer that comes your way. 

Take care of individual clients, and the word will spread. Focus on creating a memorable experience for each customer, and they’ll have no reason to go to your competitors.

• Get Listed in Local Directories

Make it easy for people in your community to find your business by getting listed in local directories. 

Popular directories include Yelp, Google My Business, and Angie’s List. Getting listed in these directories is free and can help increase your online visibility.

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Step by Step Guide on How to Grow an Online Audience of Buyers

The above 25 tips are a great starting point for promoting your brand online. But, if you want to grow an audience of buyers, you need a step-by-step guide. 

Here’s a quick overview of what you need to do:

Step 1: Find the Customer

Buyers don’t happen by chance. It takes a systematic approach to find the right buyer and build things (i.e., content).

Note that not every web surfer or potential buyer qualifies to be in your audience of buyers. If anything, when picking an audience, we recommend you abide by one simple rule: choose an audience you care about.

You’ll be creating high-value content for this audience for months, with no discernible benefit other than the promise of future profits. 

Plus, it’s really tough to stay motivated when you’re not passionate or genuinely care about this audience. 

So, how do you know if your audience is a good one? 

It’s called validation.

The idea is to determine whether your audience is already buying a decent number of the products or services. 

Come to think about it; competition isn’t that bad. It actually gives us a good starting point for finding the right buyer.

And yes, you’re in this business because you believe you have a far more superior product than your competition. And, if they’re making money off this audience, then there’s a good chance you can too.

So, how do you validate your audience?

To validate your audience, you have to consider the three types of audiences in your market. 

• Product Type #1 — Physical Products

This audience group consists of buyers who only buy physical products. 

To validate this type of audience, you need to determine if there’s a large enough market for the physical product. 

You can do this by heading over to Amazon or eBay and searching for the product. For example, if we’re in the business of selling physical products like women swimming costumes, we would head over to Amazon and search. 

As you can see from the screenshot below, there are quite a few results for this particular product. This tells us that there’s a ready market for this product.

You want to begin by going through reviews. If the top products have thousands of reviews, that’s a good sign. It means people are buying the product, and they’re leaving feedback. 

Secondly, you want to look at the price point. If the top products are selling for $10 and above, that’s a sign that people are willing to spend money on this type of product. 

It might also mean that your audience cares for much more than the cheapest product possible. If you find that the top products are selling for less than $10, that could signify that your audience is looking for products on the lower end of the price spectrum.

• Product Type #2 — Informational Products

The second type is an informational product. 

These are products that teach people how to do something or learn more about a particular topic. To validate this type of audience, you need to determine if there’s a large enough market for the informational product.

You can do this by heading over to Kindle Book Store or Amazon and searching for the product. 

For example, if we’re in the business of selling informational products like books on how to knit, we would head over to Kindle Book Store and search. 

As you can see from the screenshot below, there are quite a few results for this particular product. This tells us that there’s definitely a market for this product.

To validate an audience that buys informational products, you want to begin by reading through the reviews. Next, click on an individual book and scroll down to the “product detail” to see its ranking. 

If you find that the book is ranked highly, that’s a good sign. It means people are buying the product, and they’re leaving feedback. If it’s ranked under 100,000 in Amazon’s Kindle store, that means it’s only selling like one book per day.

• Product Type 3 — Software Products

The third audience type is software products. These are products that people use to make their lives easier or to automate a certain task.

So, how do you validate your audience for software products? You go to Google, and you search for “best {software product category}.” 

For example, if we’re in the business of selling software products for freelance writers, we would head over to Google and search for it. 

The more ads we have, the better. It means marketers don’t mind spending money on advertising because they know they’ll make their money back.

After validation, narrow your audience down

After validating your audience, it’s time to narrow your audience down. You want to do this because you can’t be everything to everyone. 

The basic idea is to focus on a smaller group of people you can serve more intimately. 

For example, if you’re selling a product that helps people learn how to play the guitar, you might want to focus on beginner guitar players interested in, say, rock music.

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Step 2: Research the Basic Demographics of Your Target Audience 

The next step is to research the basic demographic of your target audience. This includes their age, gender, location, income, education, religion, ethnicity, marital status, number of children, etc.

One way to find these demographics is with Google Ads Display Planner. You can use this tool to find things like the age, gender, and interests of people who have seen your ad.

Too bad Alexa is shutting down this service on 1 May 2022. If you want to find out your audience’s demographics before then, you can use this tool. 

Another way to find this information is through Facebook Insights.

• Continue with Psychographics

This data focuses on the “why” behind people’s actions. It delves into the things that drive them and motivates them to make a purchase.

To get this information, you need to ask your audience questions. You can do this through surveys or interviews.

It includes questions like: 

• What do they want to learn about (in your niche)? 
• How important is it to them to learn this information? 
• How do they want to learn this information (video, audio, text, etc.)? 
• What type of product are they looking for? Why? 
• What are their biggest pain points? 
• What is their buying process like?

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Step 3: Kickstart Your Audience

Don’t start blogging until you have a personal network of readers. You can use promotional techniques, but the best way to get people to read your blog is to start with a personal network. 

So, what exactly should you do?

Well, there are two things you can do:

• Write a fantastic blog post or two that can get people hooked enough to subscribe to your email list.
• Send them to a landing page with a mouth-watering lead magnet they can’t resist.

The basic idea is to get a few hundred regular readers before you start blogging. In this phase, you’re essentially looking for a high-growth tactic. You want to get as many people reading your blog as possible to move on to the next stage. 

Here are two proven strategies you can use to get your first 100 regular readers:

1) High Growth Tactic #1 — Guest Posting: This is where you write a blog post for another blog in your niche. 

The idea is to get exposure to their audience so you can bring some of them over to your blog. 

2) High Growth Tactic #2 — social media: This is pretty much self-explanatory. 

You use social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to market your blog posts. 

3) High Growth Tactic #3 — Paid ads: You can use paid ads to get exposure for your blog or landing page.

The key here is to make sure you’re targeting the right people.