If there is one thing that I get from my grandfather, it is a love for ice cream.
Specifically soft serve custard — but that's beside the point.
This bond between us runs so deep that I told a story about it at his 90th birthday this past December.
And I spent seven years of my life working in an ice cream parlor.
I can confidently say that I haven't "ruled out" owning an ice cream stand sometime in a future life.
So my grandparents obviously thought it was a hilarious joke to tease that I wouldn't want to go out for ice cream with them and the rest of the family after we finished mowing the lawn up at our cottage on Sunday.
As we got ready to leave, my grandpa (whom I call Opa) asked,
"You know where we're going, right? To Baby Baby's?"
I didn't know which of the seven tourist-frequented ice cream parlors within driving distance he was referring to, but I said I would follow him there.
And I honestly didn't think much about it.
We drove for 10 minutes, passing turns for a few different places I had been before, before pulling into the spot I had been a couple of times before.
Then, I proceeded to wait in a loooong line of Memorial Day Thousand Island goers like myself, and then it hit me.
I looked up and noticed that the name of this place was not "Baby Baby's".
It was an option for a size.
You could get a baby baby.
Or a baby.
etc.
Thousands of cone orders from my past life flashed through my mind: Moms with little kids that are only going to eat three bites, people who are actually just ordering for their dog and don't realize that we have a dog cone, girls who are considering this a "cheat," old ladies who lived in an era of, ya know, portion control — all saying those words...
"I just want like a baby baby."
A size that didn't even exist on our menu.
But that people asked for all the time.
And for the first time in my 15-year experience as an expert in the East Coast soft ice cream and custard world — I saw someone capitalizing on it.
Giving people the exact thing that they were asking for.
And what they got in return. Was Brand loyalty.
Because what would make my 90-year-old grandfather drive past 4 other ice cream places (2 of which used to be his go-to's), completely out of his way — and pay for the family with a paper gift card he had folded up in his wallet? Further evidence of his known loyalty to this place: a gift from my Dad.
Maybe you're thinking…
It has seating on the water…
A great view…
Cute patio.
None of which would be the case.
(In reality, Gal's Place — otherwise known as Baby Baby's — is on the side of Route 12 with a view of storage units in one direction and directly into an RV campground on the other. It's a little weedy, and the building and seating sits in the middle of a giant gravel parking lot.)
As far as "cuteness" goes, it's one of the least charming places around.
But my Opa's loyalty is pretty simple.
They have the exact thing he and my Oma want — a Baby Baby.
And they do that thing — really well.
In Opa's opinion, they have the best soft custard around.
Sure, there are other places you can get a cone and walk around by the water — but here the ice cream itself is the ONLY draw.
And still, there is a line around the building.
They listened to their audience.
They gave them exactly what they want.
And they do it well.
It's that freaking simple.
And it can be for your brand too.
How to figure out what your audience wants in the first place
Having conversations with your audience, tuning in to what they are talking about, and the words that they are using is one of the most important skills to learn as a solopreneur building a brand.
I have singlehandedly seen how much of a difference being tuned into your audience can have on the success of your brand.
I've seen a launch that never even happened build a 150-person waitlist with nothing more than a Flodesk landing page and a couple of emails because the founder was tuned into exactly what her audience needed and created an offer for it.
But I've also seen a launch fail because the brand lost touch with their audience.
Personally, I have seen how the more I engage with my audience, the more conversations that I am having with them — the better my offers, content, messaging, and positioning get.
On the flip side, in the last month, I haven't been engaging quite as much, and suddenly content is a little harder to create.
You can't create effective messaging or offers without understanding what your audience needs RIGHT NOW.
Emphasis on the "right now" — because most brands are experiencing a slow period of inquiries — and the brands that are growing, that will continue to grow, the brands that know how to adapt — are listening.
4 ways you can practice audience listening in 30 minutes or less
01. Engage with your audience on IG for 30 minutes a day: Comment on posts and stories, respond to comments, and direct messages. If you want people to engage with you, you have to make sure you are engaging with them first.
02. Conduct free research calls: create a link for a 30-minute Zoom session, and tell your audience what you are looking to learn about + a link where they can volunteer (I've met some awesome people and even gotten a client out of my rebrand research calls — something I want to do more of later this year)
03. Ask for it directly: I know that research forms or questionnaires are not as common as they used to be for your audience as a whole (people typically need some incentive) but making sure that you are asking the right questions in your client processes, gathering feedback and testimonials, and testing your offers creates social proof that is necessary to earn your audience's trust in this day and age. However, simply asking for a testimonial isn't enough — you also want to ask what you could do better or differently actively. Fran at The Passions Collective has an awesome resource that I recommend here.
04. Can you believe that I saved my favorite for last? And that it takes the LEAST amount of time? The single thing that I honestly wish was around when I first started my brand, because it makes learning about your audience, what they need & exactly how they are phrasing and describing that need take as little as 5 minutes. For once, it's not too good to be true. It's Threads — and although I'm not yet the Threads queen I aspire to be, it's a platform that single-handedly gave me the idea for and verified the need for my illustration offer, Brand Brushstrokes. Simply scroll and search to learn exactly what your audience is looking for answers on or help with.
Your audience is already telling you what they need. The question is: are you listening closely enough to hear it?
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FROM THE ARCHIVE
sales strategies for slow seasons
We're all noticing a collective clutching of wallets. The world gets a little crazier with each news cycle.
But that never means there aren't clients out there. That there isn't a way through... right?
There's plenty of content floating around about how to "recession-proof" your business.
But what about when you're already in the thick & shit of it, wondering if that business you've poured your heart and soul into is going to make it out alive?What moves will make the biggest impact when the rubber hits the road?
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NOTE TO SELF BLOG
building a brand that sells itself
Last I checked, you didn’t start a brand. Just to sit on it.
In fact, you’ve got big ideas and offers that you want to get people’s attention.But – that’s wayyy easier said than done.
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FROM THE ARCHIVE
high ticket offers? in this economy?
Is a multi-offer sales strategy the right approach for your brand?
The multi-offer approach that is working for me + how it can help you when it comes to repositioning.
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