How and where to find your customers

In my last post, How to find the right people to be your customers, I wrote about how you can go about identifying the right people to be your customers.

Now that you know how to do that, let's talk about how to go about finding these fine folks.

Let me take a step back and talk about a couple of different stages that your customers will find themselves in.

The first stage is when people are leaning back. They're trying to relax, watching their favorite show, a game on TV or spending time with their friends or family. These people are leaning back. What I mean is that they're not actively seeking solutions to their problems, needs, wants or desires. They're trying to do something else, and when they're leaning back, that's not the time for us to try and reach them.

Instead, I want you to focus on the people who're leaning in. The ones actively looking for solutions to a problem, want, need, or desire that your organization or company can help them with.

Focus on the people leaning in.

The "leaning in" behavior can be different by category or industry. A great starting point is oftentimes to just talk to your existing customers. How did they find out about you? How were they doing their research? What sources influenced them? What keywords did they type in on Google?

Speaking of Google, that tends to be a really awesome place to find people who're leaning in. Here is a useful article about how to get started with keyword research.

Next up is one of my favorite approaches ever.

Find their water coolers

It's called "Find their water coolers" and I am pretty sure I first heard about in a podcast interview with Arvid Kahl. The idea here is that in every category, with every problem, every hobby, every need, every want, and in every industry - there are digital watercolors where your prospective customers will go to talk about products/services/brands like yours, and or more likely the kinds of problems, needs or wants you can help solve.

Again, asking your existing customers is a great way to find these water coolers.

Water coolers obviously vary by industry. Sometimes they're subreddits, sometimes they're LinkedIn groups, sometimes they're old school forums, sometimes they're Twitter hashtags or Facebook groups. But the fact of the matter is, in every category, there are gathering places where people talk about your products, your services, and the problems you solve.

Here is a water cooler for people wanting to set-up a home gym.

Here is a water cooler for SEO professionals.

Here is a water cooler for people interested in bicycle touring.

Focusing on the people leaning in, and finding their digital water coolers are great ways to find your future customers.

What are the water coolers in your field?

Next week, I'll cover what to do once you have found your future customers.