Audience Growth Strategy: 17 Ethical & Non-Pushy Ideas

So you’ve heard that you should focus on audience growth for your coaching or consulting business? Indeed, expanding your audience is a crucial part of any successful marketing strategy. However, audience growth for big businesses differs from that for coaches and consultants. Let’s explore an ethical audience growth strategy, from understanding what an audience is to how this applies to your small business. We’ll conclude with ethical audience growth ideas. Most importantly, we want to help you humanize your audience. Remember, your audience consists of real people, and as a coach or consultant, you genuinely care about the individuals you aim to serve.

Introduction to Audience Growth: Understanding Your Audience

In the context of audience growth, your audience consists of individuals who have shown interest in your coaching or consulting services. These are the people who have engaged with your content, attended your events, or shared their contact information, such as email addresses or phone numbers. They are crucial for your business as they represent potential clients who can benefit from your expertise.

What Are Audience Members?

Audience members are individuals who have demonstrated an interest in your business by interacting with your content or services. They can come from various sources, including:

Networking Events: In-person interactions where you connect with potential clients.
Online Forms: Sign-ups for newsletters, webinars, or free resources.
Email Campaigns: Targeted communications that encourage engagement.
Webinars: Interactive sessions that provide value and build trust.
Social Media Interactions: Engagements on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.

The Role of Audience Members in Your Business

Audience members play a vital role in your business journey. They are the foundation upon which you build your client base. Not all audience members will become clients, but by nurturing them and providing value, you can guide them through their journey and increase the likelihood of conversion.

Nurturing Your Audience

Nurturing involves building meaningful relationships with your audience by offering valuable content, addressing their pain points, and fostering trust. This process helps in:

Understanding Their Needs: Tailoring your approach to address specific challenges.
Building Trust: Consistently providing solutions and support.
Encouraging Engagement: Prompting them to take action through clear calls to action and incentives.

By focusing on audience growth and nurturing, you can create a loyal community that appreciates your expertise and is more likely to become long-term clients.

From Audience Growth Funnel to The Gentle Sales Path

Now, let’s explore what we here at Humane Marketing refer to as the “Gentle Sales Path,” which is an alternative to the conventional audience growth funnel. The aim of the Gentle Sales Path is to identify and engage with potential clients, gather their information, and nurture them into becoming qualified ideal clients who are ready to make a purchase.

This journey typically comprises several stages, forming the shape of a path rather than a funnel:

Starting Point & Entry into your Gentle Sales Path (Cold Audience):

At the beginning of the path, you focus on attracting a wide array of potential ideal clients through various marketing strategies such as social media ads, search engine optimization, content marketing, and email marketing. As these potential ideal clients engage with your brand and provide their contact details, they take the first steps along the Gentle Sales Path.

Middle of the Path (Warm Audience):

In the middle of the path, you employ nurturing techniques to deepen the relationship with your ideal clients. These strategies help build connections and educate them about your product or service. As ideal clients become more interested and engaged, they progress further along the path.

A Conversation with you in Your Serene Garden (Hot Audience):

At the endpoint of the path, your ideal clients are considered qualified and ready to make a purchase. This is when you implement sales techniques, such as one-on-one consultations or Discovery Calls to close the deal and convert the ideal client into a satisfied client.

The overarching goal of the Gentle Sales Path is to attract more potential ideal clients, nurture them, and ultimately convert them into clients through a series of targeted and considerate marketing and sales efforts.

In the realm of humane marketing, we strive for a different approach—one that resonates with those who care, not only for their businesses but also for themselves, their clients, and our planet. So, instead of referring to these wonderful human beings as “leads,” we prefer to call them “ideal clients,” ‘pain points’ become challenges, and the traditional “Audience Growth Funnel” transforms into our “Gentle Sales Path”1.

This shift in perspective creates a different energy. A Gentle Sales Path is unique for each ideal client, and it’s all about empowerment rather than forcefulness. It allows clients to make their own informed buying decisions, following personalized signposts along the way1.

By focusing on audience growth through this gentler approach, you’re not just expanding your reach, but also building meaningful relationships with the people you aim to serve. This human-centric audience growth strategy aligns perfectly with the values of coaches and consultants who genuinely care about their audience’s well-being and success.

🚩 If you’re new to Humane Marketing, you’ll find great value in our Humane Marketing Words Glossary. It contains a collection of words we cherish, along with alternative phrases to replace pushy marketing language, such as “leads” and “lead magnets.”

17 Ethical Audience Growth Strategy Ideas

Here are 17 ethical and effective strategies to grow your audience, foster genuine connections, elevate your humane brand, and attract ideal clients who resonate with your values. From client referrals to strategic partnerships, each method aligns with your commitment to building relationships over transactions in the realm of Humane Marketing.

Client Referrals:
- Encourage your satisfied clients to refer others and become advocates for your humane approach.
  >> Listen to this episode of the Humane Marketing Podcast: Online Networking Redefined: Make Deep Connections to Get More Referrals
Value-Packed Webinars:
- Host webinars sharing valuable insights in your niche, positioning yourself as an expert and building trust.
Thoughtful Email Campaigns:
- Practice personalized email outreach, ensuring your communication resonates with the individual needs of your leads.
  >> Listen to this episode of the Humane Marketing Podcast: Grow Your Business with Authentic Personalized Outreach
Social Media Engagement:
- Foster meaningful conversations on social media, transforming your online presence into a community hub.
  >> Or if you’d rather quit Social Media once and for all, read this post: Marketing without Social Media and Still Have a Thriving Business
Strategic Partnerships:
- Collaborate with ethical businesses in your niche, amplifying your reach and credibility through trusted partnerships.
Host Virtual Summits:
- Organize online summits with industry experts, providing a platform for collaboration and lead generation.
Community Engagement:
- Engage in forums and relevant online communities, establishing yourself as a valuable contributor.
  >> Check out our community, the Humane Marketing Circle
Case Studies and Success Stories:
- Share authentic success stories on your website, demonstrating the real impact of your humane services.
  >> Read an example case study from one of my Marketing Like We’re Human participants.
Ethical SEO Practices:
- Optimize your website for search engines, ensuring your content reaches those actively seeking ethical solutions.
  >> Listen to this episode of the Humane Marketing Podcast: Attract the right clients with SEO
Refine Your Gentle Sales Path:
- Develop a non-intrusive sales path that resonates, guiding leads with a genuine commitment to their well-being.
  >> Read about the difference between a Sales Funnel and our Gentle Sales Path
Host Free Workshops:
- Offer free, value-packed workshops, showcasing your expertise and creating a platform for connection.
Networking Events:
- Attend or host ethical networking events, connecting with potential clients in an authentic, in-person setting.
  >> Listen to this episode of the Humane Marketing Podcast: Online Networking Redefined: Make Deep Connections to Get More Referrals
Create Valuable Resources:
- Develop informative ebooks, guides, or templates, positioning your brand as a valuable resource.
Loyalty Programs:
- Implement loyalty programs for existing clients, turning them into loyal advocates for your humane business.
Ask for Feedback:
- Seek feedback from your audience, demonstrating your commitment to continuous improvement.
LinkedIn Outreach:
- Connect with potential clients on LinkedIn, initiating conversations with a personalized and empathetic touch.
Host Local Events:
- Organize or participate in local community events, fostering connections with potential clients in your region.

Ready for an ethical marketing strategy that aligns with you ?Get the 1-Page Humane Marketing Plan Today!

The 7Ps of Human(e) Marketing as a Roadmap to Ethical Audience Growth

The 7Ps of Humane Marketing and its 1-Page Humane Marketing Plan is a roadmap for Changemakers who want grow their audience ethically.
Rooted in reflection, they start with the P of Passion to think about our bigger WHY and then continue to help us figure our very own Personal Power: what’s your Human Design type? what’s our story?, how are we wired?, what are our values and our worldview? Picture this journey as an exploration of our vision, mission, values and the unique strengths we bring to the table. By intertwining Passion, Personal Power, People and Partnership with traditional elements like Product, Price, and Promotion, the 7Ps of Humane Marketing carve a path that not only resonates with our ideal clients but also amplifies the impact of our business.

It’s a holistic approach, where every marketing decision reflects the depth of our commitment, echoing the principles of a truly ethical and conscious business.

>> Read more about the 7Ps of Humane Marketing.
>> Read more about Marketing for Changemakers
>> Find out about the Marketing Like We’re Human aka The Client Resonator Program