This blog article addresses the second stage of the AIDA Marketing Model

1. Awareness,

2. Interest,

3. Desire, and

4. Action.

This is about generating interest and curiosity in your business.

When prospective NDIS clients (or Referrers - such as Allied Health, LAC, Disability Industry representatives) understand the type of services they (or their clients) desire, they will have some distinct preferences on what they are searching for and may be open to learning how services they come across can best meet their needs.

The ideas listed below are designed to highlight how you can show that you meet their needs and preferences, which, in turn, will pique their curiosity and interest in what you do. Therefore, the steps below need to take into consideration what the clients (or Referrers) concerns and preferences are, and allow you the opportunity to showcase the great service solutions which will best meet their needs.

Each of the ideas listed below are mostly free, but they take time, planning and persistence to develop. I recommend creating a schedule, and diarizing what you are going to do and when, so that you can allocate sufficient time to get the best outcomes. Try to be consistent in your approach, as this will help to keep your audience engaged and listening.

Research other NDIS Providers and your prospective client's pain points, needs and perspective Ensure that you fully understand the market place and what are your customers (or Referrers) perspectives and likely preferences are. Ask around, observe, read articles, and follow social media groups your prospective clients (or Referrers) are likely to be part of, to see what are the issues and challenges are that they discuss. You could do a client needs survey, interview those fellow providers (who are non-competitors) servicing similar target groups or conduct focus groups to better understand their needs and pain points. You can also check what your competitors are saying on their social media and websites as well. You could then test your ideas out on the group and get feedback. Document your findings and keep them as part of your Marketing Plan.

Network regularly

• Meet more people, grow your connections

• Have a good elevator pitch that explains what you do and the difference you make.

• Focus on the benefits and examples of how you have helped or want to help to achieve outstanding results.

• Show genuine interest in others and develop a great rapport and connection

Generate Interest through social media - Create content themes and create a plan of what you intend to post, then create and schedule it for release through platforms such as Hootsuite, Later.com or other tools.

• Create information which shows the way you solve problems for clients and have it posted on a website that your clients or Referrers are likely to see (see an example here with the Expert Blog Series),

• Showcase examples of outcomes you have achieved, real case studies, along with your experience and qualifications,

• Use a variety of media such as video, images, special effects offered through Social Media

• like and follow those who stand out to you, that are non-competitors

• Ask questions and respond to others' posts and articles

• Share testimonials, great photos of your work, services in action, images of team members and who you serve.

Give back to the community

• Support a charity event, a worthy cause, sponsor a team or donate

• Be active in the community by volunteering in the group that has contact with your audience

• Be genuine in everything you do, as this helps boost rapport and a positive reputation.

• Ask “How I can help you?” This builds trust by showing how interested you are in others, not just yourself. This shows you to be a kind and considerate person.

Provide demonstrations and Information

• Hold Open Days (or Come and Try Day) for clients to see what you do, how it works

• Stands at markets, Expos, shopping Centers - eg. Disability Expo

• Give out brochures, samples or promotional items (like show bags)

• Create a guide to help people which shows your expertise. Use it as a free "give away" also known as a Lead Magnet.

Create Special Offers - Ideas may include:

• Offer a 2 for 1 or bring a friend for free as a special

• Discount on services as a special offer

• First session free

• Free membership or sign up for Newsletter

Great Customer Service - Find ways to exceed expectations to create 'Wow' moments so you are creating advocates for your service. When the client tells the story to others, you are getting free promotion and referrals!

Generate Media Interest and Advertise - Having a big name or high profile person, that everyone knows, being part of your promotion is a great way to generate enquiries and interest. For example, in the campaign of 'Get Chris to Cowra', has been a huge success. Read the story here.

Generate news stories (or Editorials that accompany an advertisement in a newspaper) that can be published – be creative and helpful to the media with great story ideas and pitching them. You could make announcements that something new is happening and have a build up to the big reveal.

• Contact journalists who specialise in your area through Newspapers (free Community publications and commercial Newspapers), Radio, TV, Websites or other media. Pitch them story ideas and send through proposed articles and press releases.

• Let Journalists know you are an expert in your field and available to be interviewed on specific topics.

• Be part of a local compaign about an issue or need in the Community

• Flyers at local events, community services, local shops

• Google Adwords, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn

Update your website – regular fresh and valuable content that benefits your client makes people curious to see what you’ll be offering next. You can share these updates on your social media.

Collaborate with a complementary business - Joining in with another business that doesn’t compete with you and shares the same target client is a great way to combine your strengths to generate more opportunities to serve clients. If you can create a joint offering, have something new to offer. This can generate more leads by cross promoting and helping to grow each other’s businesses.

Events - Speaking or Presenting - Find opportunities to hold informational events or be a guest-speaker at another event such as a class, conference, forum, webinar, educational session or podcasts. You’ll raise your profile and get your name out there. By showcasing your knowledge and skills, you can attract more people to your business, especially if they want to know more about how you can help and what you offer. For example, check out the Ask an Expert where I cover off more ideas on how to generate interest in your business.

Conclusion - the strategies above will help to keep people interested in you and your business. If you can plan out your actions and schedule into your diary, you'll have a good chance of generating more interest and leads into your business. Please comment below and share what's worked for you, or others you are aware of.