As a start-up founder, one of your key objectives is to reach out to the maximum number of people to spread a word about your idea. Well, you don’t just want to reach them but also be seen as a thought leader in your field and spread your circle of influence. And yet if this is the area you are finding most daunting, here is help. Here are handy tips about how you can use every aspect of your business to tell a compelling story that connects with your audiences and helps you expand your circle of influence
#1 Act like the expert that you are
So you know a lot about your niche. The idea is to now go all out and tell people that you are the expert. In today’s milieu, with consistent action, you can achieve this goal. For starters, you need to create a lot of content around your niche- write articles, create gripping videos, speak at forums, use the power of social media to convey your thoughts, ensure that your website has a captivating blog, write a book. The possibilities are simply endless. The idea is to be consistent in churning out great, forward looking content, irrespective of its format. As long as you have something worthwhile to share, you will soon find yourself building a steady following. If you create valuable content, customers will seek you out instead of you pitching your services to them. Consistency however is the key. Having built a community, it is important to keep the interaction going and to be seen as the go-to person when it comes to your domain.
#2 Build Trust
People do business with people that they trust so ensure that every aspect of your business radiates this trust. Be it the way you communicate with people, the way your website positions you, your testimonials or any other aspect. In short you need to walk the talk and ensure that not just your domain expertise, but also your reliability is depicted by all aspects of your brand. Everything must come together in one consistent whole to deliver a common message that not only are you an expert in your field, you are someone people can trust with their business.
#3 Effective Storytelling
One of the biggest buzzwords in business today, is storytelling. A story well told sticks in our minds and help us create an association that graphs and numbers and power point presentations cannot. The businesses that can tell a good story have seen their ideas stick. You can use stories to help clients understand your work ethics and in turn you can also establish how your business is distinct from that of your competitors. However you need to remember to use storytelling as more than just a sales tool. In telling a story about yourself as a founder and of your business, the one thing that has to come through is your honesty. If people get a feeling that they are being manipulated, it will alienate them from you and your brand.
#4 Nurture your network.
Jim Rohn, the famous motivational speaker once said that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Nothing could be closer to the truth than this. It is time you looked at your network carefully and ensure that the people you are surrounding yourself with add value. Do away with toxic people and having done that, ensure that you use your network wisely. It may help if you set tangible targets for yourself: 3 great conversations a day, 100 emails a week and so on. Ensure however that every piece of communication is compelling and personalized for it to have the desired impact. When done correctly, all the investment of time that you make in your valuable network, will eventually get you returns. It may be in terms of great ideas, connections, impact or wealth.
These methods when used effectively will help you not expand your audiences but also reach out to potential customers without overtly trying to make a sale.