When you are creating a course, there’s one thing you need to do first – even though it’s not always the fun part! Let me tell you about what happened to me…
So a few weeks ago, I picked a new target market I wanted to reach. I have worked with a lot of coaches on their courses individually in the past, so it hit me that could be a perfect target market. I have experience and success (the folks I’ve worked with have sold over six figures of their courses) and even better, I know where to find coaches.
Facebook groups are a perfect place to get into the mind of your prospect so I posted a couple questions for coaches in these groups. Guess what happened?
Crickets. Nothing. Not a single reply.
Uh-oh. Maybe this isn’t such a good playground, like I was positive it was!
But I’m so thankful I did this one thing before I jumped in and bought a domain name, created a course and did a lot of marketing. I did just a little bit of RESEARCH.
Research is one of those annoying little steps we tell ourselves we don’t need to do. We know our target market. We know what they want. Heck, I’d worked with a bunch of them. Surely I didn’t need to know if coaches needed what I had to offer. 
But the results pointed in a different direction.
So rather than thinking I know everything about my target market, now I’m researching FIRST to make sure I don’t waste time and effort. I want to find the interest first, and then provide the solutions.
If you are just getting started (or if you haven’t done any research yet ), no worries, I’ve got three simple ways for you to begin:
1. Ask a Question in a Facebook Group – Do like I did. Find a Facebook Group you can join, lurk for a week or two to get a feel for the group, and then if it’s allowed, post a question about your topic. Be specific. The more specific you are, the more likely you are to get answers.
2. Conduct a Survey – Software like SurveyMonkey.com, and Google Forms allow you to conduct web, email and mobile based surveys so that they can be taken by anyone, from anywhere, using any device.
3. Observe Social Media. Who is the top influencer in your market? Go back through their social media posts to see which ones got the most comments, the most likes and the most shares. It’s likely they hit a nerve with these topics and you can use that knowledge to learn more about your perfect customer.
If you are ready to do more research, I have an unbelievable deal for you. Digital Marketer is offering their Market Research Blueprint for only $7 for a limited time. They have 14 worksheets to help you research your competitors, your customers, your funnels and your ads. It’s one of their Execution Plans which are like “checklists on steroids.” Get your copy here if you want to dive into market research.
(One of my goals is to share the best resources I can find with you – to help you sell more courses, so keep your eyes open for future emails. I have so much fun stuff coming for us on this course creation journey! I can’t wait!)
Have an amazing week!