Well, it’s sweata weatha! Do you know what sweata weatha is? If not, tune in to Episode 31 of the Power Your Platform Podcast where we’re talking about layering up for the cooler days ahead – and how our storytelling needs to layer up too in order to warm up our audience!
Because let’s be honest: if there’s one thing Canadians know about, it’s how to layer up for the weather. But for me, the idea of layering doesn’t stop with fall fashion.
I actually find there’s a ton of valuable in applying the concept of layering to storytelling and brand building. And I’ve even got a fun acronym that I use. Quite appropriately, it’s HEAT. And it’s all about moving your brand audience from cold contact to warm lead and finally to hot prospect for your paid product or service.
Let’s take a look at each stage of the HEAT Process:
H- Hook Your Audience.
The idea of hooking an audience today is less about spectacle and more about specialization. Today, the most effective way to hook your audience is to know your audience and what makes them tick. Knowing your audience helps you decide which language to use, which images create impact and which pain points they want solved.
E - Earn Their Trust.
Because it’s not enough to hook your audience – you need to have something of value to offer them when they show up – whether that’s in your social media feed or on your purpose-driven platform of choice or in your paid course, Mastermind or one-on-one coaching session.
When you show your audience you’ve taken the time to thoughtfully prepare the ideal solution that addresses their unique pain point, it demonstrates you’re someone who can be trusted – why? Because you’ve taken the time to get to know them. You recognize the challenge they’re facing. And you’re holding onto a valuable solution that can help them save time, money, effort or all three.
P.S. Be sure to show up consistently for your audience, since consistency helps to build trust.
A – Address Their Objections.
This is a big one when it comes to warming up your audience. A lot of people miss this step and head straight into making their offer once they’ve hooked their audience and earned their trust.
But the fact is that most people have a lot of doubts and objections that need to be addressed before they’re going to take the final step and spend their hard-earned money on your offer.
So this step includes first anticipating what doubts or fears are lingering in your audience’s mind and addressing them openly. If you truly understand your audience because you’ve walked a mile in their shoes, then you likely already know what their objections are. Because at some point, they were likely YOUR objections.
T – Tell Them How You Can Help.
Believe it or not, a lot of business owners do the first three steps, but never make the ask in the end. And of course, it’s impossible convert your audience into paying customers if you never actually make your offer.
So it’s important to remember that once you Hook your Audience and Earn their Trust and Address Their Objections that you Tell them how your solution can help them overcome their unique pain point.
The key here is to be clear about what you offer and how they can learn more from you. You want to have a link ready that they can click to contact you, and ideally an easy way to transfer funds once they know the cost of your goods or service.
As you move through these four phases, you’ll create a multi-layered brand story that guides your audience along a customer journey that transforms them from stranger to loyal fan.