Everyone knows that a business is nothing without its consumer.

I don’t have a background in business, let alone marketing. Needless to say, I was completely overwhelmed when I began to figure out how I wanted to market my business.

And the first thing I always do when I get overwhelmed? I map it out on paper and plug it into a spreadsheet.

This has allowed me to visualize the different sales funnels that I want in place. I have also created a way to keep track of who my audience is and what they want from me.

In the Outline Your Business post I created a printable to map out my business. To be able to do this, though, I have to really understand who my audience is. So I have to research them and keep detailed records. I then track it all in my spreadsheet.

Let’s take a closer look at how I do this.

For this post, I have created an amazing freebie! It is an editable spreadsheet similar to the one I use to organize my own marketing plan. Make sure you grab your own copy!

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**This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive a small commission from any purchase made, at no additional cost to you. I only suggest products that I use myself. You can read more on my disclosure statement here.

Have an Email Marketing System That Works

First and foremost, you have to have an email marketing system you can rely on. And I don’t mean to send out your weekly newsletter.

I’m talking about tracking your audience and letting you know how they’re responding to you.

Knowing who signs up for want and then categorizing them based on their interests.

I use ConvertKit, and am blown away by the options I have!

Being an amateur marketer, it is absolutely essential that I have such an amazing tool to help me. Especially with such an important area of my business.

If you aren’t aware of the awesomeness that is ConvertKit, check out the Blissful Bites podcast, “How to Become a Convert Kit Expert with Elizabeth Goddard.” I’ll let the people who really know what they’re talking about fill you in on the details. But trust me, it’s worth every penny.

Know Your Audience: Demographics

While your email marketing system can tag people based off of their behavior, it is up to you to find out who they are. Where they live. What they read. Who their role models are.

But most importantly, what’s the problem that they’ve come to you to solve.

If you don’t know these things, send out an email to your list and ask them. If you truly want to have a positive impact on their lives, you have to know what they need.

It will also save you enormous amounts of time, in the long run, knowing this stuff up front. You won’t waste time trying to give them something that they don’t even want.

I also like to track any trends that I notice. If one month I get a boost in a particular demographic, it is always important to try to see why. It could be something as simple as being shared by an influencer for that demographic. Or it could be that you are appealing to a market that you aren’t even aware of.

So keep track of this. And make note of any changes.

Poll Your Audience

It is also important to check in with your audience from time to time with more specific questions.

Where they live may tell you whether they’ll be interested in your snow gear or not. But it won’t tell you which color they prefer. Or which material.

If your audience is following you to help them solve a problem, ask them which part they need help with the most.

Use your email to really dig into how you can best serve your audience.

I also think it’s good policy to poll any Facebook groups you are in as well. If you know beforehand that a group won’t be interested in a certain post, don’t waste your time marketing it to them. You can read more on organizing you social media marketing here.

You have to keep track of all this information, though. This way you can always refer back to it to fine tune your funnels and position yourself appropriately.

Track Your Opt-Ins

I’m sure you have countless email sign ups all over your website. In your sidebar, at the bottom of your posts.

And I’m sure that most of your posts have different opt-ins as well.

It is absolutely essential that you keep track of these.

You may only have one product to sell, but you can position it in different ways.

You don’t want to send someone who signed up for parenting tips to the same landing page as someone who is looking to grow their business. While the product may benefit both of them, the same landing page will alienate them both.

By keeping track of who signed up for what, you already know what they are looking for. Now you can personalize how it will work for them, just by knowing what they were looking for in the first place.

Save yourself time figuring this all out after the fact. Stay on top of this from the beginning and categorize your opt-ins according to your different funnels.

Track Your Sales Funnels

Which brings us to the heart of this entire article.

Keep a running list of all your different sales funnels.

This way, you know exactly how to set the parameters when a new post goes up. You know exactly which funnel you want those sign ups to be directed towards.

If you engage with a certain demographic, you know how to address their needs. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel for every single post or promotion you send out. If you already have your funnels mapped out, all you have to do is plug them into the one that serves them best.

By keeping this all in one place, all you have to do is refer to your list.

Again, I use ConvertKit to do the heavy lifting. Their automation allows me to set up rules designating which funnel a person is going to end up in based on what they signed up for.

And the time that saves me is absolutely worth it.

 

Want Your Own Personalized Spreadsheet?

If you want me to create a personalized spreadsheet for your own business, shoot me an email at brianna@spikedparenting.com.

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And Don’t Forget, Sharing is Caring!

If you know someone who could use the information covered in this article, do them a favor and send them over!!

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you all back here next week!

And now, I am super excited to announce a new challenge that I created to help YOU increase your productivity!

5 Day Productivity Challenge!

Are you a highly productive person? Or are you still struggling to figure out a way to get things done in a way that works for you?

I have created a 5-day productivity challenge! In it, I will walk you through creating a system that works for you. The best part? It’s absolutely free! Click here to read more!