How to Refine Your Messaging to Attract the Right Audience

Diane: I've been talking with Paul about my PGE school membership. My annual renewals were up. and I had five people that were annuals that were gonna be renewing. I was excited. I got four out of five. And then the one sent me a message and said, I don't wanna renew, blah, blah, blah.
So I started talking to her more and I found out she was 80 years old. And she was like, so I'm like, okay. So that demographic isn't what I'm, I'm actually looking for, I'm looking for the people that are in my group that are like maybe forties and fifties. Their mom and their grandma made the pierogis and they wanna learn because that tradition wasn't passed down.
I don't know how to retarget or how you, I don't know if that's the right word. because I was talking to Paul, like I have a Facebook. Homemade pierogi people in there, but a lot of them already know how to make them. And they're like, like I think Paul, you called it like my peers, they're on the level.
So, but there are a large number in there that don't know how to make them. But I, I don't seem to know how to reach them and target them like through my email list or, you know, through the Facebook group to kind of grab them out. And that's why I'm wondering if I should start doing ads. I haven't ventured into ads yet.
So I'll stop with that. I don't wanna ask too many questions in one like white thing, so thank you.
Paul: Yeah. So has anybody put more or less your social media, your list building, Facebook group, anything that you put out there? I. That then you realize at a certain point, like you really attracted a broader audience than what you really wanted and what you have done to correct so that you're going more towards the bullseye person versus the peripheral audience that's not quite right aligned.
has anybody experienced that? And is there anything that you've done to correct Alice? Yes. Yes.
Alice: Go ahead, Alice. I coach memoir writing, and what I did was I attracted every kind of writer that's out there. And so what I have been doing is I changed the title of the, group to include the word memoir.
So that was the first thing I did. And then I just started using the word memoir as much as I could in every post so that they would kind of catch on that that's what I'm doing. And then same on the outside. And I also actually put in a post saying that I was restructuring the group.
Like I just broadcast it, that that's what I was doing. And I lost some people, which was fine because I only want the ones that do memoir writing. and so I still have the same number of people because I've got new people that kind of replace the ones that left because, you know, they wanna write fantasy or whatever.
So, so that's what I did and great. Process. It didn't happen overnight and it's still
Diane: evolving,
Alice: but
Diane: that's what I Great. Thank you. I appreciate that. I never thought about, sometimes when someone else says it, it seems so simple. I didn't think about just kind of redirecting the, the way the group's going or the structure of the group and stuff, so that's helpful.
Thank you.
Paul: Great feedback. Anybody else have any perspective? Has anybody been in a group where they restructured the messaging and you felt like either more connected or, oh, this is the wrong place. It could be a Facebook page or a YouTube channel, or a podcast? I'm sure all of us have lived through the experience that we had our favorite radio station for a long time, and then.
The holidays happen. They played holiday music, and then on January the first, you're like, woo, this is a Deborah genre. I amm not gonna, I'm gonna take this outta my little pre-programmed, button. anybody else have any, input or thoughts?
Robert: Yeah, I, sort of to piggyback off what Alice had mentioned, I mean, I, I've had this situation, I had a LinkedIn group, where.
I had a similar issue. I was targeting small business owners who were trying to learn more about. Analytics and using their data in their business. and what I attracted were people who wanted to become analysts, wow. Which is a very different target audience. and I thought that my messaging was very, very clear.
and I had Like zero engagement. It was a kind of a disaster. Now, fortunately I had a small enough group that after trying to get it all back on track and track the right audience, I ended up just saying, yeah, like, okay, screw it. We're gonna start this one over. and I actually apologized to everyone personally and told them, I'm shutting the group down because this is not.
I don't know that you're getting what you want to get out of this, and I'm not getting what I am trying to do with this. So, but the point that I'm trying to make is, I think that, don't underestimate the power of your messaging in your group, and that if that group is supposed to serve as a. sort of lead magnet or entry gateway into your universe.
and your course that the way that you're messaging things and the way that you're talking to 'em, and it's fine. You don't, like, doesn't, everything doesn't have to be about your course. And it shouldn't be, I mean, that would just get annoying, right? But, you know, it, it's, it's okay to say we're talking about these things, but I also have this other thing and make that really clear.
You know, I think sometimes you're gonna have group engagement. Content and messaging that you put out there, which is, I'm doing this, this is, we're interacting in the group and we're doing our thing here. And then you're gonna have other direct, almost more like direct marketing kind of things. Like, Hey, by the way, I also have this membership over here.
Like, if you're in this group of people that wanna learn how to do this and you, you have the nostalgia of what, your grandmother or your mom used to do, it's at like, come on over here, we're doing this. That's what I, that's the whole point, like. You know, and I can help you out there. And I think that's a nice way to have that messaging kind of separated out and very direct and very clear for them to try and pull those members over.
Diane: I like that too. Yeah, that's a good idea. Thank you.
Paul: in the chat, Jamie had,suggested what she does,
Melissa: when they sign up for the her group, I have them answer a few questions to make sure they're a good fit before I approve their membership. So
Diane: I do have the entry questions, but it, it leads them to like my lead magnet.
So maybe I'll go back and revisit. I don't even remember what I ask right now, and, and I'll have to go back, but it usually ask them if they want my lead magnet to get that to them, but that's a good idea. I'll go back and look at my questions and see if it's leading the right people, into the group too.
these are all really helpful ideas. I appreciate it.
Paul: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Anything that you, you
Diane: have,
Melissa: um,I'll just piggyback messaging like what, Alice, and Robert had mentioned with the messaging piece, that's the hugest piece. we've been working a little bit with Alice and with her transition, just really like, I'm gonna just gonna lay it out.
This is who this is for, this is who it's not for, and, and you just make that transition. And the people that will wanna stay, they'll get really ex and you make it a positive thing. You make it exciting. Like, I'm so excited, you know? this group is really all about. X, Y, and Z and you're gonna start seeing a little bit more posts that reflect that and, you know, make it like it's, no one likes change, no matter if, even if it's a positive thing.
So you just, you just frame it and you just make that shift and you start shifting the messaging and then the right people are gonna stay and hang on and hold on to those words. And the other people that it's not quite right for, they're gonna dip off.
And the same thing even too with your emails, like, I would pay attention maybe to some of maybe your subject lines, on your emails. When you send, do you send out like regular emails to your list?
Diane: I'm trying to get better with it. No, I, I don't have a, I don't know if you call it like a plan in place for what I do with the emails.
Mm-hmm. I usually when I send them out, they've been kind of sporadic and it's like a tip on helping them make their pierogi. I, I a little scattered there as to what I even should be. pinpointing or sending out to them. So around the holidays, I sent things to help them, make them, you know, are you struggling with this?
Try this, you know. so no, I don't have like a, a consistency or like a monthly thing or anything
Melissa: yet. Okay. So that would be something I would maybe start to explore what that could look like. when it comes to like email communications, like, the biggest thing is consistency and figuring out that rhythm for you that would, that's gonna feel sustainable for you.
Whether it's monthly, whether it's biweekly, whether it's weekly, but just start something so that it's like a consistent thing. 'cause people can afford to, even anyone that's been opting on your list, they came into your world, but then it's like kind of like.
They forget. Yeah. Because they don't have that communication. And that can be where you could even send things that are a little bit more personal, like almost like a personal as if you're writing like a personal letter to a friend. Mm-hmm. you know, telling me a little bit about your story, telling a little bit about your passions of telling a little bit why, you know, why you're doing this.
Everything you kinda shared as to like mm-hmm. You know who you wanna help and why. Those are the kind of things you can put into the email where it's a little bit more story based, as well as some sort of tip or recipe in there as well.
And then that's gonna lead them to, opt into, you know, courses, memberships, things like that you have in your,Offer stack too.
Diane: That's awesome. And then I saw somebody, maybe might've been you guys, I can't remember, like at the bottom of your email, you now have like links where like, if they are interested, I think Paul, you were telling me about that.
Like they could then take the next step, you know, and have those down at the bottom as well as like a tagline. yeah. Which I could do. That's,
Melissa: that's we, we call that our, our super signature. Okay. So super signature is something that's on all your email communications and, It's anywhere from one to three things we like three.
Three is a nice easy number. okay. But usually it's the first two are something free that they can opt into. and then, the, the third one is maybe like one of your paid offers. Okay. so for us, we talk about, our ads challenge. That's one of our free things that people can opt into that and go through that challenge.
We talk about influenced workshop, which is the workshop that I teach that eventually leads into influenced course. and then the third piece is if you're, Hey, if you're interested in more, direct coaching, we have our adaptive marketing program. So, and you can switch them out throughout the year too.
but like, it's kind of like just, it's like a little directory. It's like a ps by the way, if you know you need help with these things, here's some ways that we can help you. And you can have that on all your communications just as a way, it just, it kind of gets that bulletin board out there too.
Diane: I have the free lead magnet and I have the Facebook group listed on there, but I didn't put anything that is a paid offer, so I can add that in.
And I realized that the tagline is only on. people that are already in my membership, it's not on my big email list, so I'm gonna do that when I get off the call. Good. I have to go switch that tagline. I'm like, wait a minute. As she's talking, I'm like, I don't have a tagline on the, on the big email list with the 4,000 people.
I have it on the small group in the membership, so I'll make that switch today too and see. Good. So, and then, I had talked to Paul, but I haven't, eight, like a lower end dough workshop, that's where everybody kind of starts. So I can put, that would probably be my first step or my ebook, at the bottom to start kind of maybe bringing them into the circle.
So I love that. Thank you guys so much. Oh, I, I have a lot to do today. So,
Paul: and, and just keep in mind that for, for all of us, you get in this inner marketing space and most of the $2,000 course people that sell us all internet marketing stuff. they don't know if we're good with marketing and sales at all.
But what? So when they teach you their thing, they normally just get you the list build at that point. You know, get 50 people on your email list. Get a hundred people in your Facebook group. Get a hundred people that are following you on a Facebook page, because that's something from a vanity metric that you feel good by time.
The eight weeks are over and you're done the course, you know, but they can't promise you a sale because they don't know if you're good with marketing and sales or not. Right? And at the same time, a lot of us accidentally. You know, going this methodology, we focus so much on list building and nurturing forever that a lot of people that are coming into our world today, there's, there's a certain percentage of them, it's a small percent, but there's a certain percentage that were already willing and able to purchase a, a solution, but we didn't give them that.
Option. Mm-hmm. We create a lot of friction for people to give us money, the, you know, a lot of us. so just by having that super signature, even it's subliminal. If you do a podcast, have it in your show notes, you know, the same thing. If you have a blog, you should have the same thing on every page.
Like you should be sprinkling it around your entire ecosystem. I know you talked a little bit about, ads. so maybe on one of the, the Monday coaching calls, I can help you on that because there's mm-hmm. There's a few ninja things that you can do where you can actually, a lot of people don't realize, but you can actually create an audience based on people that are in your own Facebook group.
It just, most people don't know how to do that. No,
Diane: and
Paul: and I'll share that with you, on one of those other calls.
Diane: That'd be great. Thank you you so much.
Paul: Wanna make sure we get the other people just, we Absolutely. That would be a whole other rabbit hole.
Diane: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much. I appreciate you guys.