How should a creative professional go about building an audience for an online project or brand? What can we do to connect with likeminded people and potential partners? How can bring a killer app or perfect gift to a hungry audience?

Like many others on the Internet, I don’t have all the answers, but I know a few experts.

In this episode, we hear from Johanna (@GoodVibesJo) and Charles (@TheBrownVegan), the team behind Good Vibes Life, on the hard lessons learned in their first year of online brand-building. We also hear from Ben Kreuger (@BenWKreuger), of Cashflow Podcasting, on popular and proven tactics for audience growth. Finally, Kate Erickson (@KateLErickson) of Entrepreneur on Fire and Kate’s Take shares the Top 7 Strategies: How to Grow a Podcast Audience. Learn what they are in today’s conversation.

When all’s said and done, there are a few genuinely proven routes to take to building an audience, but each takes consistency, energy, and time. Lots of time.

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Show Notes & Links

  • Johanna is a holistic health coach, yoga instructor, and nurse
  • Recipes are available
  • Long-term strategy pays, some food bloggers have been going for 7+ years
  • @YogaGirl, a popular yogi who shares her personal life
  • Johanna & Charles have taken different approaches with social media: free-form and very regimented

“The point of social media is not just to gain followers.”

—Johanna Perez-Fox

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“75% of the classroom has the same question, but no one is brave enough to ask.”

—Charles Penn

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“The smallest thing you can do in the world is a single tap on a digital screen.”

—Prescott Perez-Fox

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“In order to have an audience of any kind, there has to be a medium of communication.”

—Ben Krueger

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Tools

Techniques

  • Publish recipes or other content to build a following over years (decades)
  • Speak about yourself from a place where you learned something
  • Get involved with in-person events, even if you’re building an online business
  • Position yourself as a mutual learner with a community of likeminded people
  • Leverage your time to the most effective tasks
  • Batch your tasks to save time and energy
  • Growth Strategy 1: Confirm Uniqueness (format, tone, content)
  • Growth Strategy 2: Be Social (spread the word; no one else will)
  • Growth Strategy 3: Be Consistent (always!)
  • Growth Strategy 4: Create Community (make people feel welcome in comments)
  • Growth Strategy 5: Do the Rounds (guest blogging and guest appearances)
  • Growth Strategy 6: Always Listen (continuous improvement)
  • Growth Strategy 7: Have a Strong Call-to-Action (send folks to the show notes or email)
  • Go back to your archive and use previously-released content
  • Choose 3-5 groups to participate in. There are too many to join to be productive.

Habits

  • Share your personal details as well as your professional happenings
  • Observe and question the value of a “Like”, make sure you’re asking for valuable feedback
  • Continually answer questions to the entire audience, rather than to individuals
  • Work in 2-3 hour chunks, with breaks in between
  • Find ways to publish your content in multiple formats and media
  • Be careful about scheduled posts when a dramatic event occurs in the world
  • Continually tweak and improve your projects; give ’em time.

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About the author: Prescott Perez-Fox

Prescott Perez-Fox is a graphic designer, brand developer, and educator with 18+ years experience in branding, packaging, graphic design, and web design. He runs The Busy Creator.

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