It’s time for a reality check.
You’re probably never going to build a massive audience for your brand (whether it’s of the business or personal variety).
There are only a handful of people in every generation who manage to put themselves on the biggest stage possible.
But here’s another reality check: having a big audience isn’t the same as building something that delivers high revenues and profits.
So, with that in mind, let’s look at the benefits of SMALL audiences for your business.
Why chasing more is absolutely pointless
A sure-fire way to develop imposter syndrome is to constantly compare yourself to anyone with a bigger audience, emails list, or social audience than yourself.
You’ll feel like you could never fit into that world.
And you probably won’t. But that’s not a bad thing.
Knowing how to create high income from a small audience is the key to success. It’s the ‘1,000 true fans’ theory, as described brilliantly by Wired Magazine founding editor, Kevin Kelly.
The idea is that if you can obtain 1,000 true fans of your work and encourage them to pay you £100 each year, you’ll be on course for annual revenues of £100,000.
We’ve seen this in practice. With the right offer and the right audience, I’ve witnessed a business create over £200,000 in revenue from a single Facebook group of just 300 people.
Yes, you read that right.
So, why chase MORE? More leads, more clients… that’s just more work.
How to create high income from a small audience
Remember - you’re not the hero in this (as hard as that might be to accept). You’re simply there to help and guide your audience - however small it might be.
This is why it’s better to be known FOR something, rather than being WELL KNOWN.
The benefits of selling to a smaller audience are compelling. It means that you’ll:
- need less content;
- experience higher profit margins; and
- make far easier sales.
Sounds like the dream, right? But it really isn’t. You see, if you focus on building a high-quality, relevant, but small audience, it’ll be full of people who are far more likely to buy from you.
They won’t need as much convincing, either (hence the reduced need for LOADS of content), and they’re also more likely to pay you handsomely for your products and services (hence the higher profits).
Makes sense when you put it like that, doesn’t it? And it’s why building an audience is a brilliant long-term asset (even if it only consists of 100 people).
The next steps
There’s no need to hang around - you can start building your small and perfectly formed audience TODAY.
Add a call-to-action at the end of your blog posts which asks for people to sign up to your mailing list. Include the same link in your email footer.
Whenever you have a meeting with a prospective client, seek their consent to be added to that same mailing list.
Be super insistent on social media about it; tell your followers that they’re missing out on weekly behind-the-scenes insight and updates.
And as that audience builds, just be sure to provide them with relevant, regular content to keep building their advocacy. Before you know it, your 100/300/1,000 true fans will start to form a long line to your front door.
It all starts here.