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12: 3 easy ways to pinpoint your ideal student · Online Business Uncovered: Simple Strategies for Female Entrepreneurs

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to the Digitally She Does It Show.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode 12, and in today's episode, I'm going to be sharing with you three easy ways to pinpoint your ideal student.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: So let's jump right in and get started.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the digitally she does it show.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host Karen and I'm here to lift the lid on what it actually takes to create a successful business.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: If you are an ambitious creative ready to build a business on your own terms and without compromise, then this podcast is perfect for you.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: With my award-winning approach to marketing and expert knowledge in creating online courses, this show will leave you feeling inspired, energized, and ready to bring those big dreams to life.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Join me each week for a dose of motivation and marketing know-how, along with actionable step-by-step strategies to help you accelerate your business's growth.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: So let's dive in and don't forget to subscribe to all my upcoming episodes, which drop every Wednesday.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to today's episode.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Today I am going to be sharing with you three easy ways to pinpoint your ideal students so you can get really clear about who you are creating an online course for.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this episode has been inspired by a conversation that I had last week with a fellow entrepreneur.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: We were discussing online courses and she was saying that she was really keen to create an online course.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: She understood that it would really benefit her business and it would give her the opportunity to help more people.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: She didn't know who her ideal student is, which was causing her a problem because she didn't feel she could really move forward with her ideas until she had nailed that ideal student.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now, this is a conversation that I have with a lot of female entrepreneurs who are looking to create online courses, and it is a struggle, especially if you are a service provider and you support various client types.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: So that's why I've decided to cover this in today's episode.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: I'm hoping that by giving you three easy ways to define your ideal student, it will help you move past this so that you can continue and create your online course.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the things I want to just bring up, because I feel like this is a really important point, is that when you are looking at your audience, you don't want to be going too broad when you're selecting your ideal student.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_00: The narrower, the better, because it will enable you to create a course that lands with that student and supports them to achieve a specific result.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I do get clients to say to me, My course can help everyone.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: But the problem with this is that if you go too broad, then the chances are you'll miss what your students need because you're going to be too busy trying to help and support everyone.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: And whilst your intentions are good, it won't sell your course.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: And that's the real hard fact here.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: That's the truth.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: Because when you focus on everyone, you're actually selling to no one.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: So whether you're creating an online course or you're delivering services, when it comes to marketing, the thing that you have to put in front of your ideal clients or your students, if you are creating messaging that is trying to appeal to everyone, you will miss the boat and you will appeal to no one.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: The truth is, you cannot market your online course to everybody out there because your message will simply get lost.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's a far better and more effective strategy to narrow down your audience and to focus on a segment of the market that you can really help and make a difference to because you'll be able to create far more effective content that leads them to a result.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: This is why niching gets mentioned a lot in business because it follows the very same principles.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Now, just to be clear, for those of you who may not know what niching is, niching is when you focus your product or your service, whatever that thing is that you're selling on a small section of the population.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: So you are narrowing your audience and you are targeting a specific audience.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Now, by niching your audience, you can focus directly on the needs of them, which will enable you to create a far bigger impact.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: It also allows you to get really clear on exactly who you are trying to help.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: Trying to help everyone is too much, it's too big a hill to climb.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: You cannot be specific if you are trying to cater to everyone's needs.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: By focusing on a smaller audience, you can then crystallize exactly what their challenges are or the problems are that they're currently facing, and then you can focus your energy on creating an effective solution for those people.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: The more you connect with your students on a deeper level, the more you will know how to support them better.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when you know the audience that you can help the most, it will not only help you to create an effective online course, but it will also help you to determine the content that needs to be included in your course because you can make it specific to them.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: By knowing your students and what they need, you can create exactly the content that's going to help them achieve the result that you're promising.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: Because remember, that's why they're taking your course.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_00: They're not taking your course because they want to take a course, they're taking a course so that they can get a result so they can have some kind of transformation, and you can only focus in on that result or transformation when you know exactly who you're helping.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: So don't go too broad, get specific because the best online courses are the ones that are very specific.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: So rather than being too broad, successful online courses focus in on the details of that particular topic.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: Now, knowing your audience will also help you when it comes to marketing and selling your online course because you'll be able to curate effective messaging that speaks directly to the hearts of your students.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: You'll be able to identify their pain points through your messaging so that what you have to offer lands with them, it resonates with them.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_00: Now, sales come from selling products that provide solutions, and so throughout your marketing, you want to be able to engage your audience so that they know that you understand them, you get them, you know what they are currently experiencing, you know what their problems are, you know what may be their blocks, and you are the person that's going to provide them with the solution they need.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: You want them to buy your course because you are the provider of that solution, of their solution.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: And this can only come from you understanding exactly who they are, what they want, and the results that they need in order to move forward.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_00: So the clearer that you are about your ideal student, the easier it will be not only to create your online course, but to also sell it.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: Now, with this in mind, I'm going to share with you three easy ways to start pinpointing your ideal student.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now, my first tip is to think about who do you want to help?
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: So here's the thing: when you decide to create an online course, it has to be fun, it has to be something that you're going to enjoy.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: You're going to enjoy the journey of creating something that's going to serve the people that you want to help.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, who are those people?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: Is there a particular type of person, or is there a specific group of people that you feel that you could easily support because you know what they need, you understand them and you understand the solution that they're looking for.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you feel like you know exactly what they struggle with because maybe you are part of that group.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you can identify them because maybe you can resonate with exactly what they're going through.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be afraid to kind of use you as an archetype as well.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: So if you fit into a certain group of people, then consider that.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: So I encourage you to ask yourself, what is it you care about?
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: What do you want to teach, and what students do you want to support?
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you can identify this, you're halfway there.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so you may already have a course topic that you have decided on, and this may be what's influencing your ideal student, and that's normal that can happen because it might be born out of your own experiences or what you do currently in your own business, and therefore that's going to influence the type of course that you're going to be creating.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: But if it hasn't, if you are at that stage where you can't quite make a decision because maybe there's multiple groups that you could help, then start profiling who your ideal student is.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_00: So think about their age, how old are they?
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Consider their gender.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: Are they male?
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_00: Are they female?
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Are you going to be creating a course that, you know, it really doesn't matter what gender takes it because it could appeal to both?
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Think about their demographics.
• 10:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, where are they based?
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: Where are they located?
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: The great thing about online courses is that you're not restricted by location.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_00: So you could have somebody the other side of the world buy your course.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_00: Now, it might be that your course doesn't work being sold abroad because maybe it's something that you need to sell to people in your own country or maybe locally.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: If that's the case, then profile that, you know, understand that and bring that into the core decision that you're going to be making.
• 11:28
  SPEAKER_00: But if it isn't something that is relevant, then just know that you can sell globally.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's one of the things that I get really excited about.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: In the early days of my business, I created a branding strategy planner, and it was all geared to helping clients get really clear on their brand so that they could really show up in an authentic way and create authentic branding.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because a lot of the clients that I was working with at the time, they were really struggling to get a grasp on exactly what their brand is, what they stood for, their personality type, and the tone in which they would need to communicate their messaging.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: So I created a brand strategy planner that I sold and I sold it online, and I I was quite successful with this, but I always remember my very first sale came from South Africa, and it really did surprise me because I hadn't considered that.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: I hadn't considered that by putting something online it opens up location.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: So what I encourage you to think about is if that's something that is exciting to you, really do consider that.
• 12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Are there other countries that you would like to sell in?
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_00: If that's the case, then profile that and make a note of it because again, it's going to influence your decision as to where your idle students are based and located.
• 12:55
  SPEAKER_00: Just as a side note, if you are interested in developing your brand and you're looking to get clarity around your brand, then do visit my website because the brand strategy planner is on there and it's still available to purchase.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: And actually, if you go to www.pink-lemondesign.co.uk, you'll be able to see that you'll be able to access it through the shop.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are struggling with getting clear about your brand, because maybe you need to do that before you create an online course, then I encourage you to gain access to the brand strategy planner because that will very much help you.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_00: So just going back to profiling your ideal student, also consider where they are in their life.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: So are they at a crossroads?
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_00: Is something happening that is making them shift or change direction of some kind?
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because it may be relevant to the type of student that you're going to appeal to.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: And also consider that if you are targeting a group of individuals, do they have identifying similarities?
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: So is there commonalities within the group that groups them all together?
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: And if so, what are they?
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: Also consider what they may need from you.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: And how are you going to support them in a way that resolves their challenge or develops their learning?
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: And how is this going to benefit them in their life or in their business if you are targeting entrepreneurs?
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: What can you bring to the table that is ultimately going to make a difference to them?
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: Now, just as a side note, this is not the time to be humble.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: This is a time to really dig deep.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: Look at what you do, where your skills are, where your zone of genius is, and what you have a natural ability in, and how you can support your ideal student in the most effective way.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: So please don't play your skills or your talents down.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: This is the perfect time to really step into that, step into your power as an online course creator and create something for a student that's really going to help them and support them to move forward.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, my second tip is all about considering their skill level and your skill level as well.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: So consider what skill level you want to teach at.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: So let's start with you.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: Will you be teaching at a beginner level?
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: Will it be an intermediate level?
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you want to dive into a topic in an advanced way?
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: So do you want to teach at an advanced level?
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: Where are you most comfortable in your teaching?
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_00: By identifying the skill level you wish to teach at, you can then determine the type of student that you want to attract.
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_00: For example, if you're developing a course that focuses on a topic at an advanced level, then you're not going to want to be attracting students that are just starting out.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_00: Similarly, if you're creating an online course that is introducing your students to a way of doing something for the first time, then you don't want to be attracting students that are experienced in this subject area because it's most likely going to make them bored and potentially they won't complete the course because they're not getting what they want out of that course.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: So understanding the skill level that your idle student is at and the skill level that you want to teach at will help you to determine the depth of content that you're going to be offering and how much of that content is going to be needed in your course.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_00: It will also give you a really good idea of the type of student that you want to be talking to.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so this will really come through when you start writing your marketing message because you can illustrate that skill level and what you're looking for.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, my third and my final tip is all about looking beyond your existing customer base.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what I mean by that is think about who you could help that you're currently not supporting in your business.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: So one of the great advantages of creating an online course is that it's a really effective way to impact more people and expand your customer base.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_00: What I mean by that is you can sell to more people essentially and bring more people into your business.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if you are a service provider that currently offers one-to-one services, then I encourage you to think about the people that would benefit from what you have to offer but currently cannot afford your prices.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_00: How could you support them in a way that makes your offer more affordable?
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're thinking about creating an online course, could you perhaps offer a do-it-yourself option?
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're creating an online course for the first time, then you may want to consider starting with a mini course because it's a really great place to jump off in.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's probably the most easiest and quickest ways to create a course, to be honest, because the amount of content that needs to be included is not vast.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: You can create a mini course that really sort of focuses in on an area, but you don't have to throw everything and the kitchen sink at it.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_00: So you can create a mini course in a very quick time, essentially.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_00: So mini courses are great for getting started with.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: So depending on how much time you have available, you could create a really effective mini course within maybe six to twelve weeks, just to give you a time frame.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: But of course, that really depends on the amount of time that you can dedicate to getting that course created.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_00: If you're looking for a more involved course, something that offers deeper learning, then it may be that it's going to take you a lot longer, purely based on the amount of content that you will need to include.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: But a mini course gives you that option of getting a course created without having to spend months and months and months working on it.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: So you can get a quick win.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the types of mini courses that you could consider creating is getting started.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: So a getting started course could be a really great place to start out.
• 19:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, for example, if you are a digital marketing agency and you currently support your clients with Facebook ads, then a really good course that you could create could be the do-it-yourself version of getting started with Facebook ads.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_00: So rather than being there in person one-to-one helping your clients get started with Facebook ads, you could create a getting started with Facebook ads course that introduces a new customer base to using Facebook ads and getting themselves set up and started using them.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: So these clients are most likely not going to be your clients that you are going to be working with at the moment because they may not be able to afford the fee of working with your agency on a one-to-one basis.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: But what they can afford is the do-it-yourself version.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_00: So the getting started type courses are a great jumping off point if you're looking to create a course for the first time.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: Similarly, you could create a getting started with photography course or getting started with branding or a getting started with energy healing.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, you can change a title, but you can use a content that you would use if you were introducing your clients to the subject area for the first time.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: So really consider if you can create a do-it-yourself version of a service that you currently provide, because this offer could then be expanded to help other audiences.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: So look beyond your existing customer base and consider who you can help that you're currently not supporting.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you are looking to scale your business, expanding your customer base is a really smart move because essentially it gets more eyeballs on.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Your business and hopefully more money in the bank, which is a win-win, and also it provides further opportunity for other ways of growing.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: Now, I've got a tip for you, a bonus tip, and this is if you are currently looking to create to identify your ideal student, then consider creating a student persona.
• 22:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when I work with clients, before we dive into creating an online course, I encourage them to create a student persona so that they can get really clear on who their ideal student is.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_00: Now, a student persona is similar to a buyer persona, but instead of focusing on a specific customer that will be buying your products or services, the student persona represents your ideal student that you want to enroll on your course.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_00: So it includes key information that is specific to them and their needs.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_00: Now it can include all different kinds of information like the demographic info, their background, what their goals are, their motivations.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: It can include their frustrations, and it can also include any objections that they may have at the moment because of any fears or beliefs that they're carrying around.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is a really great tool to have at your fingertips when you're starting to create your online course content because it will keep you focused on who you're creating that content for.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_00: Now, what I recommend to my students is that if you create a template called My Perfect Student Canvas Board, which I'm going to be sharing with you today.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_00: So this template will be available in the show notes and in the links below.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_00: Then you can print it out and place it directly over your desk so that when you are creating content, you can keep it aligned so that you are creating content specifically for your ideal student.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: Knowing your ideal student will also give you confidence, it will also help you to really understand them.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I cannot emphasize that enough.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: The more you know about your student, the more effective your course is going to be, and the easier it will become to sell.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to today's episode.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you found this episode of value, and of course, please feel free to share it with others who you may think will also benefit from listening to today's episode.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: If you are feeling inspired and would like to know more about getting started with creating an online course, then why not download my free ebook, 10 Steps to Digital Course Success, by visiting my website www.carin-davies.com.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: I will be back next week with another episode.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: But until then, have a great week.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Digitally She Does It Show.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Don't forget to check out the show notes for all the links and resources mentioned in today's episode.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_00: New episodes drop every week on a Wednesday.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: So why not rate and subscribe so you never miss an episode?
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for tuning in today, and I will see you next time.