3 Super-Simple Ways to Become an Expert on Your Audience in 5 Minutes or Less

Do you want to better understand your audience? Are you doing everything you can to connect with your readers, viewers and listeners?

The more you know about the people who read your blog, listen to your podcast, or stop by your store, the better you can serve them.

Over the past several weeks, I've spent a significant amount of time studying the art of community building. While working on the content for an upcoming webinar series, I realized that individuals in any audience will fall into one of three categories.

Register for the next webinar here.

These categories are the basis of any business. Large corporations, like the one I worked at for four years, have spent millions of dollars refining what I'm about to share with you.

Even if you consider yourself “just a blogger,” you can, and should, take a strategic look at your audience. Because, the better you understand the people in your audience, the better you can serve them.

The 3 Types of People in Your Audience

1. The Interested
2. The Involved
3. The Invested

Every social group, business, and network has these three categories of individuals.

At first, we're curious, or Interested. Then, if we like what we see, we want to become Involved. Finally, if we decide the subject or group is worth our time, either with our time or money, we become Invested.

By targeting each of these types of people, you and I can expand our reach and grow our audience. We can increase the amount of impact we have on the world if we can better understand the people in it.

What I've learned is that we need to attract the interested, involved, and invested people in unique and specific ways.

Readers who are interested are different from the readers who want to be involved. People who are involved are different from the people who want to be invested.

If you've been creating content for any amount of time, you know the value of the optin box.

At the basic level, opt-ins are a great way to connect with your audience. On a more advanced level, opt-ins allow you to test the market for an idea before investing the time and effort to create a product.

So, how can we use opt-ins to target our interested, our involved, and our invested audience?

Let's take a look.

For a deeper look at how you can target your audience, register for my next webinar here.

The Interested

Readers of your blog, watchers of your videos, and even the people who walk through a store, begin as interested.

The Interested are curious about you, your products, and what you're all about. They arrive on your site often through a Google search or the suggestion of a friend.

People who are interested don't yet know if they like you.

You can target these passers-by using opt-ins with language like:

• “Join the community”
• “Get every episode”
• “Stay connected”

I'm interested whenever I flip over to the Golf Channel to watch The Masters. I can change the channel any time, or come back any time.

Interested people want to read your posts and listen to your shows passively. They want updates. They like your content and don't want to miss anything. They want to stop by and say “hi”, but nothing more. Yet.

The Involved

Everyone who opts-in to download a guide, a transcript, a toolkit, or a checklist, is Involved.

The Involved have seen the value you provide and want some of it. They see what you're doing, what you're accomplishing, and want to replicate that success.

You can target these resource-collectors using opt-ins with language like:

• “Download the checklist”
• “Get the resources mentioned”
• “The Top 3 Resources the Pros Use”

I'm Involved whenever I buy the same golf clubs I see the pro's using. I think if I have the same tools they do, I can play like they do.

Involved people are the ones who have taken action in some way. They want what you're offering and are willing to trade an email address to get it. Involved people join communities and want to interact with other Involved people. They want to connect, but nothing more. Yet.

The Invested

People who are willing to invest money to learn from you are Invested.

Whether it's through one-time sales, monthly memberships, or a coaching program, Invested people spend money. They want to know what you know and want you to teach them.

If you can increase someone's skills, you can charge for it. If you can shorten the time it takes to learn how to do something, you can charge for it.

You can target these go-getters using opt-ins with language like:

• “Apply now for coaching”
• “Become a Premium User”
• “Take it to the next level by…”

Whenever I pay a golf-pro to help me drive further, I'm Invested. I hire the professional to help me improve, reduce mistakes, and help me get better faster.

Invested people have received a ton of value from what you're doing over an extended period of time. Either that, or they've received incredible value over a short amount of time. They want updates and the tools, plus, they're willing to pay you for your attention.

How to become the expert on your audience

When you're first starting out, most of your audience will fall into the Interested category. Don't worry; it takes time for people to know, like and trust you.

You can become an expert on the people in your audience by reaching out to them in different ways, tracking which way they respond to.

If you find that most people are just interested, provide more value and inject more of your personality in what you're doing. If you find more and more people becoming involved, maybe that's your cue to create your first product.

By tweaking the types of optin options you provide (download my business tips vs download my blogging tips), you can narrow down the best ways to help your audience.

If you can target each of these three types of people, more and more people will join your community. They'll join your email list and they'll use your resource guides. Some will even pay you for what you know. And that's an incredible feeling!

To create my opt-in forms and boxes, I use OptinSkin and OptimizePress.

[optin_box style=”24″ alignment=”center” action=”https://app.getresponse.com/add_contact_webform.html?u=sngJ” method=”post” email_field=”email” email_default=”Enter your email address” integration_type=”custom” double_optin=”Y” name_field=”name” name_required=”Y” name_default=”Enter your first name”][optin_box_hidden][/optin_box_hidden][optin_box_code] [/optin_box_code][optin_box_field name=”headline”]Get My 4 MUST-HAVE Resources for Building an Online Business[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”paragraph”]PHA+TG9yZW0gaXBzdW0gZG9sb3Igc2l0IGFtZXQsIGNvbnNlY3RldHVyIGFkaXBpc2NpbmcgZWxpdC4gRG9uZWMgdmVsIG51bmMgbm9uIGxhY3VzIHZlbmVuYXRpcyBjb21tb2RvLjwvcD4K[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”privacy”]I value your privacy and would never spam you[/optin_box_field][optin_box_field name=”top_color”]undefined[/optin_box_field][optin_box_button type=”0″ button_below=”Y”]Get Instant Access![/optin_box_button] [/optin_box]

 Question: What have you done to learn more about your audience?