As an entrepreneur in the online coaching or course creation space, generating a steady flow of quality leads is crucial for the success and growth of your business. Without a consistent pipeline of potential customers, it can be incredibly challenging to convert sales and scale your impact.
Fortunately, there are several effective strategies you can implement to attract the right kind of leads – people who are genuinely interested in and aligned with your offering. In this post, I’ll share three proven techniques that have helped many online coaches and course creators build thriving, sustainable businesses.
Tip 1: Leverage Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations One of the most powerful ways to generate leads is by tapping into the audiences of complementary businesses or industry influencers through strategic partnerships and collaborations. This could take many forms, such as:
Guest posting on relevant blogs or podcasts
Appearing as an expert guest on others’ webinars or livestreams
Hosting a joint venture workshop or masterclass
Participating in virtual summits or challenges
Exchanging promotional content on social media
The key is to identify potential partners whose audiences overlap with your ideal customers. This could be other coaches, course creators, bloggers, YouTubers, or anyone else who serves a similar target market. When done right, these collaborations allow you to access new pools of qualified prospects who are already primed and eager to learn from someone in your industry. It’s a win-win, as you get to expand your reach while providing value to your partner’s audience.
To make the most of these opportunities, focus on building genuine relationships first. Get to know the people you want to work with, understand their businesses and audiences, and look for authentic ways you can help each other out. Avoid the temptation to hard sell; instead, be genuinely useful and contribute to their success. Additionally, be selective about the partnerships you pursue. Quality is more important than quantity – it’s better to have a small number of highly relevant, high-quality collaborations than to spread yourself thin across too many channels.
Tip 2: Create a Lead Generation Funnel with Gated Content Another effective strategy for attracting qualified leads is to build out a content marketing funnel, which allows you to capture contact information in exchange for valuable, gated digital content. This could include:
In-depth guides or whitepapers
Exclusive webinars or workshops
Assessment tools or quizzes
Free email courses or challenges
The key is to create content that is highly relevant and useful for your target audience, addressing their specific pain points, questions, or goals. This establishes you as an authoritative expert while simultaneously generating warm leads who have explicitly shown interest in your offerings.
To implement this strategy, start by mapping out the customer journey and identifying the most logical entry points and conversion opportunities. What are the key questions, concerns, or aspirations your ideal clients have at different stages? How can you create content that guides them towards your products or services? Once you have a content plan in place, build out a lead capture funnel using tools like email marketing platforms, landing page builders, or all-in-one sales funnels. Ensure that your opt-in forms, calls-to-action, and digital content assets are visually appealing, user-friendly, and optimized for conversions. It’s also important to nurture these leads through ongoing email marketing, social media engagement, or other touchpoints. Don’t just collect their information and then go silent – continue providing value, building trust, and guiding them towards your paid offerings.
Tip 3: Leverage Social Media Advertising In addition to organic content and partnership strategies, savvy online coaches and course creators can also utilize paid social media advertising to reach and convert new leads. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even TikTok can be powerful lead generation tools when leveraged strategically.
The key is to get laser-focused on your target audience and create highly-relevant ad creative and messaging. Take the time to thoroughly research your ideal customer’s demographics, interests, behaviors, challenges, and goals. Use this intel to build out detailed buyer personas and custom audience segments.
From there, you can craft compelling ad copy, eye-catching visuals, and clear calls-to-action that speak directly to the pain points and desires of your target market. Consider promoting your gated content offers, webinar registrations, or other lead magnets to drive opt-ins and build your email list.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ad formats, placements, and targeting criteria to see what resonates best. Social media algorithms are constantly evolving, so it’s important to remain agile and data-driven in your approach. Closely monitor your campaign performance and adjust your strategy accordingly.
It’s also worth exploring retargeting ads to re-engage users who have already interacted with your brand or content. This can be an incredibly effective way to nurture leads and guide them towards a sale.
While social media advertising does require an upfront investment, it can be a game-changing lead generation channel when executed thoughtfully. Just be sure to track your key metrics, continuously optimize your approach, and tie your ad spend directly back to tangible business outcomes.
I can help you with getting more leads for your business. Please join me for my new Masterclass on Dec. 3rd to discover:
Generating a consistent flow of high-quality leads is essential for the long-term success of any online coaching or course creation business. By leveraging strategic partnerships, creating lead-capture content funnels, and utilizing social media advertising, you can build a powerful, multi-faceted lead generation engine that supports your growth objectives. Remember, lead generation is an ongoing process that requires patience, experimentation, and a data-driven mindset. Stay focused on your ideal customer, provide tremendous value, and continuously refine your approach. With the right strategies in place, you can fill your pipeline with qualified prospects and position your business for sustained success.
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
Don’t Ever Boost Posts on Facebook or Instagram – Do This Instead
Many businesses, especially solopreneurs, believe boosting a post on Facebook or Instagram is a quick and easy way to gain visibility. While boosting might offer short-term engagement, it lacks the precision and efficiency of other advertising methods. Instead of relying on this broad, inefficient strategy, there are more advanced techniques that provide better control, insights, and results. Here’s what you should be doing instead to maximize your ad spend and achieve better outcomes:
Create Custom Audiences Boosting posts throws your content at everyone, but not all of them are relevant to your business. A more strategic approach is to create custom audiences based on highly relevant data. By building audiences using your email list, website visitors, and lookalike audiences, you target people who have already expressed interest in your brand or resemble your ideal customer. For instance, someone who has visited your website or added something to their cart is much more likely to convert than a random user scrolling by. Custom audiences help you reach those warmer leads, leading to better results and more efficient use of your budget.
Use Facebook Ads Manager Many business owners shy away from Facebook Ads Manager because it looks complex. However, it’s actually more straightforward than it seems. Once you get past the initial overwhelm, you’ll realize that the platform mainly has three sections to focus on: the Campaign, Ad Set, and Ads levels. These sections allow you to set your objectives, define your audience, and choose your creatives, giving you far more control than simply boosting posts. In Ads Manager, you can optimize your campaigns based on your specific goals, be it driving traffic, generating leads, or making conversions. When you compare the detailed targeting and optimization features of Ads Manager with the limited reach of boosted posts, it’s clear which tool offers more value.
A/B Split Test Like Crazy Don’t rely on a single ad to carry the weight of your campaign. Successful marketers know the power of A/B testing, which involves creating multiple versions of your ads with different elements like copy, images, and calls-to-action (CTAs). This allows Facebook’s algorithm to do the heavy lifting by showing you which version performs better. By testing different variations, you get real data on what resonates most with your audience. Small changes in wording or design can make a huge difference, and the insights you gain will help you fine-tune future campaigns.
Retarget Like a Boss Retargeting is where the magic happens. Retargeting campaigns target people who have already interacted with your content, visited your website, or are on your email list but haven’t yet made a purchase. These people are much closer to buying because they’re already familiar with your brand. Setting up retargeting ads is like giving them a gentle nudge toward the checkout line. By reminding them of your products or services, you’re significantly increasing the likelihood of conversion, as these users are already interested in what you offer.
Focus on Objectives Boosting a post typically results in increased likes, comments, and shares, but these aren’t always the actions that drive business growth. Instead, when creating campaigns in Ads Manager, focus on specific objectives like conversions, lead generation, or video views. Facebook’s algorithm is smart enough to find the right people for your desired action. By selecting the correct objective for your campaign, you’re essentially telling the algorithm what you want, and it will optimize your ad delivery to help you achieve that goal. Whether you’re looking for email sign-ups, purchases, or engagement, having a clear objective will drive more meaningful results.
Boosting posts may seem like an easy win, and convenient but it’s often a waste of your budget. To truly maximize your Facebook and Instagram advertising efforts, it’s essential to use more advanced strategies like creating custom audiences, utilizing Ads Manager, A/B testing, retargeting, and focusing on specific campaign objectives. These techniques will help you reach the right audience with the right message, ultimately driving better results for your business. By taking the time to master these tools, you’ll see a higher return on your ad spend and build stronger relationships with your customers.
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Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
Facebook Ads have proven to be one of the most effective tools for business owners and entrepreneurs looking to reach new customers and grow their brands. But the success of your Facebook ads relies heavily on targeting the right audience. The beauty of Facebook’s advertising platform lies in its audience targeting options, which allow you to tailor your message to different types of people based on interests, behavior, and past interactions with your business.
In this guide, we’ll dive into five key audience types that you can use to boost the success of your Facebook ad campaigns: broad audiences, targeted audiences, custom email list audiences, engagement audiences, and buyer audiences. Understanding and utilizing these different audience types is essential for running successful Facebook ads that deliver results.
1. Broad Audience
Let’s start with the broad audience—a category that many advertisers may be skeptical about, but which can actually yield great results when used correctly. A broad audience, as the name suggests, targets a wide range of people with little to no specific interest or demographic restrictions. Think of this as a “top-of-funnel” strategy where you’re casting a wide net.
Why Use Broad Audiences?
A broad audience is great when you’re looking to increase awareness of your brand and reach new potential customers who may not have interacted with your business before. This approach works particularly well for businesses with wide-reaching products or services, such as an online store with various offerings. It’s also ideal for testing your ad creative and seeing which types of messages resonate with a larger, more diverse group.
With Facebook’s ever-improving algorithms, using a broad audience allows the platform to learn who’s engaging with your ad and optimize accordingly. Essentially, Facebook’s machine learning can help refine your audience as your campaign progresses, even if you start with a broad set of people.
When to Use:
Brand Awareness: When you’re introducing your brand or a new product to a large number of people.
Testing New Campaigns: Great for testing out different ad creatives, headlines, and offers to see which performs best.
Lower Costs: Since broad audiences don’t rely on detailed targeting, ad costs may be lower compared to niche campaigns.
2. Targeted Audience
Next, let’s look at the targeted audience. This is the most commonly used audience type for businesses looking to zero in on specific groups of people. With targeted audiences, you can drill down based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and location.
For instance, if you run a yoga studio in Phoenix, you can target people in your local area who are interested in fitness, wellness, and yoga. Facebook allows for an incredible level of specificity when it comes to targeting, which helps ensure that your ad is only seen by people who are likely to be interested in what you’re offering.
Why Use Targeted Audiences?
Targeted audiences allow you to get laser-focused with your ads. By narrowing down who sees your ad, you’re increasing the likelihood of it being relevant to them, which improves both click-through rates and conversions. You’ll also avoid wasting ad spend on people who aren’t in your target market.
You can use factors like:
Location: To target local customers or specific geographical areas.
Age and Gender: To focus on your ideal demographic.
Interests: Based on what people are into, like cooking, traveling, or entrepreneurship.
Behavior: Targeting based on purchase behavior, device usage, or activity on the platform.
When to Use:
Niche Products or Services: When your offering appeals to a specific group of people with defined characteristics or interests.
Higher Conversion Rates: Targeted ads are great for conversion-driven campaigns because they’re more likely to attract people ready to take action.
Budget Management: By narrowing down your audience, you reduce wasted ad spend, making it a great option for businesses with a tighter ad budget.
3. Custom Email List Audience
A custom email list audience allows you to target people who’ve already shown interest in your business. These are users who’ve signed up for your newsletter, made a purchase, or filled out a form on your website. By uploading a list of email addresses to Facebook, the platform can match those addresses with users and show them your ads.
Why Use Custom Email List Audiences?
People on your email list are already familiar with your brand, which makes this audience highly valuable for both retargeting and upselling. These are warm leads who’ve expressed interest in your business, and your goal is to move them further down the sales funnel.
For example, you can run an ad campaign specifically targeting people who haven’t made a purchase yet, offering them a special discount or promotion. You could also upsell existing customers by showing them complementary products based on their previous purchases.
When to Use:
Retargeting: When you want to re-engage users who have interacted with your brand but haven’t yet converted.
Upselling/Cross-Selling: To show ads to customers promoting new products or services based on their previous purchases.
Increasing Customer Loyalty: Custom email audiences can be used to nurture your current customer base, providing them with exclusive offers, loyalty rewards, or early access to new products.
4. Engagement Audience
An engagement audience consists of people who have engaged with your content on Facebook or Instagram but haven’t taken any further action yet. These engagements can include likes, comments, shares, video views, or visits to your Facebook page.
This audience type is particularly useful for retargeting purposes. People who have engaged with your content are already interested in your brand or message, but may need a little more incentive to convert.
Why Use Engagement Audiences?
Engagement audiences are excellent for nurturing warm leads. If someone watched 50% of a video ad you ran or interacted with a recent post, there’s a good chance they’re interested in what you have to offer. By targeting this group, you can move them from the consideration phase to the conversion phase with the right offer.
For instance, you can retarget users who watched a significant portion of your product video with an ad offering a special deal or free shipping. Since they’re already familiar with your brand, they’re more likely to click on the ad and complete a purchase.
When to Use:
Video Retargeting: Run ads to users who’ve watched a certain percentage of your videos.
Post Engagement: Target people who liked, commented, or shared your Facebook or Instagram posts.
Page Visitors: Show ads to people who visited your Facebook page but haven’t yet converted.
5. Buyer Audience
A buyer audience is made up of people who have already purchased something from your business. These are your loyal customers, and they represent a highly valuable segment for repeat sales, cross-selling, and brand advocacy. Facebook allows you to create an audience of your buyers based on past purchase behavior.
Why Use Buyer Audiences?
A buyer audience is gold for any business because the cost of acquiring new customers is higher than retaining existing ones. People who have already purchased from you are far more likely to buy again if they had a positive experience. This audience is perfect for running ads promoting complementary products, subscription services, or even loyalty rewards programs.
For example, if someone purchased a coffee maker from your online store, you can show them an ad for coffee beans or accessories. The more personalized the follow-up, the better the chance of a repeat purchase.
When to Use:
Repeat Purchases: Encourage customers to return by showcasing new products or offering a limited-time discount.
Cross-Selling: Promote complementary products based on previous purchases.
Customer Loyalty: Engage your most loyal customers by offering exclusive perks, early access to sales, or loyalty rewards.
The Power of Facebook Ads Targeting
Facebook Ads offer a wealth of audience targeting options that can dramatically improve the success of your campaigns. By understanding and utilizing these five audience types—broad audiences, targeted audiences, custom email list audiences, engagement audiences, and buyer audiences—you can fine-tune your approach and reach the right people with the right message at the right time.
Each audience type serves a unique purpose in your marketing strategy, and the best campaigns often use a mix of all five to nurture prospects through the sales funnel, from awareness to conversion and repeat business. So whether you’re just starting with Facebook ads or looking to optimize your current campaigns, mastering audience targeting is key to achieving your business goals.
Work with me to come up with your ideal audiences for your ad goals and budget. >> bit.ly/5WeekAds.
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
In today’s competitive business landscape, it’s crucial for entrepreneurs and small business owners to continually adapt and refine their strategies to stay ahead. Whether you’re looking to increase revenue, grow your audience, or create more value for your customers, there are key principles that can make a significant impact. In this article, we’ll explore seven proven strategies to help you optimize your efforts, collaborate with industry leaders, and elevate your offerings to the next level. From embracing paid advertising to creating high-ticket items, these actionable tips will provide the foundation you need to grow and scale your business efficiently.
Here are 7 Ways you can Double Your Income Before 2024 Ends!
Track What’s Working and Use the 80/20 Rule: Focus on the 20% of your efforts that bring 80% of your results by analyzing key metrics and optimizing what works best in your strategy.
Collaborate With Other Players in Your Niche: Partnering with others in your industry can open doors to new audiences, build trust, and create mutually beneficial growth opportunities.
Raise Your Prices & Rates: Increasing your prices reflects the value you bring and can attract higher-quality clients who are willing to invest in premium services.
Create a New Product for Your Existing Customers: Leverage your current customer base by introducing a new product that meets their evolving needs, increasing loyalty and boosting revenue.
Focus on List Growth and Sales: A larger, engaged email list is the foundation of sustainable sales growth, allowing you to nurture leads and convert them into paying customers.
Embrace Paid Advertising to Grow Your Reach: Paid ads can help you scale quickly by targeting the right audience with precision, amplifying your message far beyond organic reach.
Create a High-Ticket Item You Can Sell Again & Again: Develop a high-ticket offer that delivers exceptional value, allowing you to repeatedly sell it to clients who want premium solutions.
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
September is an excellent time for solopreneurs to boost their promotional efforts, as it’s a transitional period between summer and the holiday season. Here are the top five best solopreneur promotions to consider in September, along with the reasons why they can be particularly effective:
Back-to-School Promotions Why It Works: September marks the beginning of the school year, making it an ideal time to target parents, students, and educators. Even if your business isn’t directly related to education, you can craft a promotion that ties into the back-to-school theme, such as offering discounts to busy parents or promoting productivity tools for students.
Example: Offer a special discount on your services for parents who need more flexible working hours during the school year. Alternatively, create a downloadable resource, like a “Back-to-School Productivity Planner,” and offer it for free to capture leads.
Fall-Themed Content and Promotions Why It Works: With the arrival of fall, people are getting into the autumn spirit. Promotions that leverage fall themes—such as changing weather, holidays like Halloween, or the cozy, reflective nature of the season—can resonate well with your audience.
Example: Launch a “Fall into Success” campaign where you offer a limited-time package that helps clients prepare for the end of the year. This could be a bundle of services that helps them capitalize on the remaining months of the year to meet their goals.
Early Bird Holiday Deals Why It Works: Many businesses start preparing for the holiday season early, and savvy consumers begin their holiday shopping in the fall. Offering early bird deals in September not only helps you get ahead of the competition but also secures some early sales before the rush begins.
Example: Offer a discount on gift cards or a pre-sale on your holiday-themed products or services. You could also create a special offer for clients who sign up for your services in September, guaranteeing them priority booking or extra perks during the busy holiday months.
National Days and Awareness Campaigns Why It Works: September is full of national days and awareness campaigns that can be leveraged for promotions. Tying your promotion to a specific day or cause can increase visibility and engagement, especially if the cause resonates with your audience.
Example: If your business aligns with wellness, consider running a promotion during National Self-Care Awareness Month (September). You could offer a discount on your services or create special content around self-care practices, encouraging your audience to take action and invest in themselves.
Quarterly Planning and Goal Setting Offers Why It Works: September marks the beginning of the final quarter of the year, making it a natural time for people to start thinking about their goals for the rest of the year. Promotions that help your audience plan, strategize, and set goals can be highly effective.
Example: Offer a “Q4 Strategy Session” where you help clients plan their marketing, business strategies, or personal goals for the final quarter of the year. Position this as a way for them to finish the year strong and start the next year with a clear plan in place.
Do you see how these tips can help you this fall? These promotions are not just about making immediate sales but also about building relationships and preparing your audience for future engagements. September is a great time to re-engage your existing customers, attract new ones, and position your business for a successful end to the year. By leveraging seasonal themes, awareness campaigns, and early holiday preparations, you can create promotions that resonate with your audience and drive meaningful results for your business.
Carlene helps entrepreneurs get more traffic, engagement and leads by creating the best return on ad spend campaigns. She creates campaigns with whatever marketing budget her clients can work with for their business growth & expansion. Now is the perfect time to use strategic ads for growth, leads and achieve the income you deserve.
