On Saturday, while trying to groom my beards for Sunday service, I noticed that my clipper's blade had gotten blunt. It needed sharpening. There is nothing else to do but visit the guy who does the sharpening for me.
The interesting thing about this fellow who sharpens my blade is that he's been in the business for over a decade. I was introduced to him by my barber about ten years ago.
In my city, he's the most popular in clipper servicing and sales. Interestingly, he still maintains the same shop to this day. You've got to trust him to get the job done.
While in his shop, I noticed many posters on the wall. In my usual manner, I read through the writing on the posters. They were all job openings for qualified barbers.
Obviously, he isn't the one seeking barbers. Owners of barbershops, seeing that the spot provides a meeting point for barbers and people of similar interests, decided to place their ads there.
After reading through the posters, I smiled to myself, acknowledging how smart the posters were.
There are vital lessons to learn here.
The shop owner is an influencer in haircutting services in the state
Many of us cannot exert influence in any sphere of life because we've refused to stand for something and be known for that thing over time. This guy has been in business for over ten years. People now trust him to get the best set of barbers by placing ads in his shop. He'll be making a good passive income if he charges for the advertisement. And I think that he does. I can't imagine him or anyone else allowing people to dirty his wall for nothing.
If you wish to be an influencer in any field, choose a path. Consistently build in there, and in years to come, you'll be the go-to person when such a field is mentioned.
Target the right audience
Nothing is as devastating as advertising a good product to the wrong audience. Once, while running ads for a company that deals with smart security cards and identity cards, the calibre of leads who were directed to my messenger almost made me cry. Children. Overgrown kids. Toddlers in adults bodies and whatnot
It was because secondary schools were part of my target due to ID cards and card locks. I just had to rework my target to generate quality leads for the company.
Some of us might be doing everything right, but we're not seeing our desired results because we're targeting the wrong people.
Whatever you do, find out who needs it. Know where they gather. Go there and advertise either your product or service to them.
Place your ads where they can be trusted.
Trust is a big deal in today's world. In the case of hiring, there have been situations where job advertisements have led people into the hands of swindlers. Wise people will likely ignore random job postings.
By placing such advertisements in the shop of a person who's trusted with a related business, it's easy for job seekers to trust it and put it in their application.
In all, you need the right audience for virtually everything. The guys who had those posters were smart in this regard. They knew where to find their audience. Do you know where to find yours?