PP 198: 3 Questions to Find the RIGHT Person Who’s PERFECT for Your Work (Community Building Series Pt. 3)
“He who asks a question remains a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask remains a fool forever.” - Chinese Proverb
Today is all about questions, and trust me...I’m tossing a gaggle of them at you.
Let’s start with this: Who doesn’t want that massive, cult-like celebrity following, right?
The old me dreamed of fame. The new me, if I’m being honest, is more like 23.3% “I want it” and 76.7% “Not at all.”
Next, do you know what your Love Language is? (If not, check out the book The 5 Love Languages—it’s more than just for marriages.)
My Love Language is “Words of Affirmation.” Admittedly, I love having my ego stroked. It adds fuel to my fire and pep to my step.
However, I enjoy my small life in Iowa with my family and don’t want the TMZ drama of a celebrity following.
I also seriously enjoy the power of a super-engaged small-to-medium-sized community.
It allows me to go deep and grow relationships with my like-minded freaks who vibe to what I vibe to.
To grow any type of small-to-medium-sized hyper-engaged community, you have to attract ONE person at a time.
That’s why I put a lot of emphasis on attracting the RIGHT “person” and not “people.”
(Singular > Plural)
As we wrap up Part 3 of this Community Building Series, yes, I’m going to pepper you with a lot of questions. But more specifically, I’m giving you 3 questions you need to ask yourself in order to find who the RIGHT person is that your work is PERFECT for.
Who the Hell is the RIGHT Person & Why Does it Matter?
So what does the RIGHT person look like, and how do you attract them?
In the marketing world, the goal is to figure out who the RIGHT target market/audience is for whatever it is you’re selling.
This is comprised of:
Demographics - The study of age, education, nationality, religion, and ethnicity
Psychographic - The study of psychological traits like personality, values, opinions, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles.
Yes, this is important, but let’s go one step further and apply it to the RIGHT person (fan, listener, reader, client) who is a PERFECT fit for what you provide the world.
Knowing who the RIGHT person is for what you offer does two things:
It eliminates guesswork and helps you create with intent and post with purpose.
It keeps top of mind why this person should care and what’s in it for them.
Both are hella important if your goal is to grow a long-term engaged community around you and your work.
The 3 Questions You Should Be Asking...
Here’s a quick exercise I recently gave to my Fall Coaching Students to find the RIGHT person that their work is PERFECT for.
Always ask yourself these 3 questions:
Who is your work for? (demographics)
What are their biggest dreams, fears, and struggles? (psychographics)
What benefit, value, or solution does your work provide them? (see previous episode 197 on the 3 Buckets of Value.)
Note:
"Work" can be interchangeable with product, service, message, or offer.
These are great starter questions, but the full list of questions I have goes much deeper!
If you’re struggling to answer these, frame it through the lens of yourself being the RIGHT person.
When I started sharing my art, writing blog posts, or publishing podcast episodes, I was creating the type of work the lost version of myself needed in my early 20’s.
Everything I created kept that version of me in mind until I started to gather data/info from my audience who were starting to manifest around that work.
Fast forward to today—I now know who the RIGHT person is, and my focus is solely on creating a personal experience for this individual.
(I go super deep with hella good tips on creating a personalized experience for your future fans in the upcoming video course!)The Beauty of Going Deep
There’s a beautiful benefit I’ve learned in focusing my efforts in going deep.
Here’s why…
You’ll find over time, despite you creating for this one person in mind, your work is going to ripple far beyond them and impact that overall target audience!
Go deep vs. trying to cast a wide net to appeal to everyone!
This is how you leverage the power of building a small-to-mid-sized hyper-engaged community.
One that’s full of like-minded people who support the shit out of you and what you create.
Celebrities can’t connect at a deep level with the RIGHT people.
You can.
Best Deals on top Design Resources
G.A.R.M. Co. - Use PIZZA20 for 20% OFF premium courses, brushes, textures, and fonts. Shop here.
Engaged Community Guide - A FREE guide for growing an audience around you and your work. Download here.
Happy Money Course - Generate passive income by transforming your artistic passion into a digital product. Enroll here.
The Lettering Pricing Handbook - A handbook and video series helping letterers get paid their worth. Purchase here.
Lauren Hom’s Classes - Use PERSPECTIVE10 for 10% OFF Lauren’s premium classes. Shop here.
Design Cuts - Download your FREE Ever-Expanding design resources bundle pack. Download here.
Note - These are affiliates meaning a small portion of your purchase goes back into supporting the growth of the podcast.
Credits
Music - Blookah
Executive Assistant - Paige Garland
Photo & Video Specialist - Colton Bachar
Social Media Coordinator - Hannah Schick
Animation Specialist - Greg D'Amico