How to sell your product or service when you don't have an audience
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2024 9:18 am
What do you do when you don't have an audience and you're just starting out with your product or service? I'm sure many of us have asked ourselves this question at some point.
Let's not kid ourselves. When you don't have an audience, launching your product or service on the market starts to feel like climbing a mountain. Going from less to more, with the tools and resources you have at hand. It is a hard stage, yes, but with effort, consistency and recurrence, you will succeed. In this article, a couple of reflections in that direction, what can we do?
How to sell your product or service when you don't have an audience?
Find someone with the connections you need.
The first thing you need to do is find someone in your network who can promote your product or service, preferably at the lowest possible cost if your budget is limited. If you have a physical product, one possibility is to coordinate with a distributor to send gift boxes with samples of your products.
The above is perfectly feasible on a digital level , with the help of an influencer who belongs to your industry. Typically, channels like Facebook or Instagram are ideal for this type of activity. Doing it with influencers, distributors, collaborators who have a larger audience than you, helps you attract people who do not yet know your brand and may be interested in becoming part of your audience.
Connecting with others will help you start building an audience of your own . Instead of building your network from scratch one contact at a time, connecting with a “ connector ” who already has the connections you want to access will make getting started much easier.
It worked for us at Mauna Media . When we gambling data philippine started our adventure of doing digital marketing for people and companies in 2010, our “ connector ” was to organize a series of workshops and courses related to the figure of the Community Manager . With these activities we began to make ourselves known, the first clients, friends and members of our audience emerged, many of whom we are still in contact with.
A “ connector ” is a powerful principle you can use to launch your business, but also to boost your marketing and start growing without having an audience.
Go where your people already hang out.
Many entrepreneurs feel like they have to start an audience from scratch . They start creating content without having any followers, they open an account on every platform that exists, or they opt for the classic email blast or —if you like— the invasive LinkedIn private messages. Clearly, this strategy is time-consuming. It works, but it is only for the medium or long term.
Building and cultivating your audience is a long-distance sport , especially in the beginning: when you create content, no one sees it. Surely you've been posting on Instagram for a while and your posts are only seen by your family? The results are usually exponential: the more people find you and interact with you, the more your content will spread like wildfire.
For me, part of the key is : accessing audiences that already exist. Leveraging someone who already has the connections: find your connector.
I always say that no digital marketing strategy can be successful if we don't do research first. This is why asking our ideal clients where they hang out can mean a huge saving in terms of time and money.
Asking your ideal customers where they hang out , especially digitally. Answering questions like: Where do they spend their time online? Where do they look for information? What type of content do they enjoy? can give you a lot of value in knowing exactly how to attract those who will form your audience.
Once you have this insider information (all you have to do is ask), you can reach out to those communities that already have your ideal audience and collaborate with them by creating win-win actions. You win because you can offer something of high value (usually for free); the audience wins because they receive something of high value; you win because you can access an audience that already exists.
Here are some ways you can reach an existing audience:
Offer an online workshop to a coworking space in exchange for space in their newsletter (talking about the workshop).
Offer a 30% discount on newsletters to include in your next edition, exclusively for your subscribers.
Write a guest post for a blog or digital outlet that already targets the people you want to reach.
Interview people (influencers, journalists, union representatives) on Instagram live, so that their audience can join the broadcast and get to know us.
Use digital advertising to reach audiences similar to yours or the one you want to reach with your message.
The main question you need to ask yourself is: “ Who has access to the community I want to reach? ”
That way, you won't waste your time and effort presenting your message and offer to people who wouldn't benefit from your content, products and services.
Now it's your turn
Whether you’re starting a new business or growing an existing one, going back to the source and connecting is a force multiplier, linking you to groups of people who can in turn connect you to a broader audience—and your target audience as well. It can be the opportunity to drive growth, without starting from scratch, and reach the right people with your message.
Let's not kid ourselves. When you don't have an audience, launching your product or service on the market starts to feel like climbing a mountain. Going from less to more, with the tools and resources you have at hand. It is a hard stage, yes, but with effort, consistency and recurrence, you will succeed. In this article, a couple of reflections in that direction, what can we do?
How to sell your product or service when you don't have an audience?
Find someone with the connections you need.
The first thing you need to do is find someone in your network who can promote your product or service, preferably at the lowest possible cost if your budget is limited. If you have a physical product, one possibility is to coordinate with a distributor to send gift boxes with samples of your products.
The above is perfectly feasible on a digital level , with the help of an influencer who belongs to your industry. Typically, channels like Facebook or Instagram are ideal for this type of activity. Doing it with influencers, distributors, collaborators who have a larger audience than you, helps you attract people who do not yet know your brand and may be interested in becoming part of your audience.
Connecting with others will help you start building an audience of your own . Instead of building your network from scratch one contact at a time, connecting with a “ connector ” who already has the connections you want to access will make getting started much easier.
It worked for us at Mauna Media . When we gambling data philippine started our adventure of doing digital marketing for people and companies in 2010, our “ connector ” was to organize a series of workshops and courses related to the figure of the Community Manager . With these activities we began to make ourselves known, the first clients, friends and members of our audience emerged, many of whom we are still in contact with.
A “ connector ” is a powerful principle you can use to launch your business, but also to boost your marketing and start growing without having an audience.
Go where your people already hang out.
Many entrepreneurs feel like they have to start an audience from scratch . They start creating content without having any followers, they open an account on every platform that exists, or they opt for the classic email blast or —if you like— the invasive LinkedIn private messages. Clearly, this strategy is time-consuming. It works, but it is only for the medium or long term.
Building and cultivating your audience is a long-distance sport , especially in the beginning: when you create content, no one sees it. Surely you've been posting on Instagram for a while and your posts are only seen by your family? The results are usually exponential: the more people find you and interact with you, the more your content will spread like wildfire.
For me, part of the key is : accessing audiences that already exist. Leveraging someone who already has the connections: find your connector.
I always say that no digital marketing strategy can be successful if we don't do research first. This is why asking our ideal clients where they hang out can mean a huge saving in terms of time and money.
Asking your ideal customers where they hang out , especially digitally. Answering questions like: Where do they spend their time online? Where do they look for information? What type of content do they enjoy? can give you a lot of value in knowing exactly how to attract those who will form your audience.
Once you have this insider information (all you have to do is ask), you can reach out to those communities that already have your ideal audience and collaborate with them by creating win-win actions. You win because you can offer something of high value (usually for free); the audience wins because they receive something of high value; you win because you can access an audience that already exists.
Here are some ways you can reach an existing audience:
Offer an online workshop to a coworking space in exchange for space in their newsletter (talking about the workshop).
Offer a 30% discount on newsletters to include in your next edition, exclusively for your subscribers.
Write a guest post for a blog or digital outlet that already targets the people you want to reach.
Interview people (influencers, journalists, union representatives) on Instagram live, so that their audience can join the broadcast and get to know us.
Use digital advertising to reach audiences similar to yours or the one you want to reach with your message.
The main question you need to ask yourself is: “ Who has access to the community I want to reach? ”
That way, you won't waste your time and effort presenting your message and offer to people who wouldn't benefit from your content, products and services.
Now it's your turn
Whether you’re starting a new business or growing an existing one, going back to the source and connecting is a force multiplier, linking you to groups of people who can in turn connect you to a broader audience—and your target audience as well. It can be the opportunity to drive growth, without starting from scratch, and reach the right people with your message.