The Studio Source.com

Humans love comfort. We love comfort so much we climb into ruts and make ourselves at home. We tend to stick with our circle of acquaintances, both online and in the real world. We’re also inclined to spend time with people who do similar things, which is helpful for collaborating on projects, but may not be the best way to find new customers. Professional organizations are great, but they tend to make us insular. Maybe even a little boring.

So what do your customers do for fun? Where do they hang out? Do you have common interests? How do you figure that out?

Break your routine.

If you’re a web designer who loves exotic flowers, check the local newspaper to see if there are any upcoming flower shows. I live near a small city, and we have them. We even have an orchid society. People love to talk about their passions, so ask a couple of questions, even if they seem like stupid questions to you.

Go to a book signing. Check out a flyball tournament. Take a gourmet cooking class. Go with a friend if you’re not a social butterfly, or pretend you’re a cultural anthropologist and just observe what kinds of people show up.

Take note: do something you find interesting. Otherwise, you will either give up on the whole exercise, or look like you’re just trolling for new clients, and you’ll find people waving garlic and holy water at you. Metaphorically speaking.

Once you start checking out new things, you might discover a couple of unexpected side effects. You get to move out of your comfort zone and realize the sky won’t fall (so it’ll be easier the next time you do it). You may find your creativity gets a boost as you encounter new people and new experiences.

You may also get a surprise meeting with your preconceived notions about your who your customers are.

If you’re glued to your computer and don’t get out much, you can explore forums and social networking sties, or find a few blogs you really like and leave a thoughtful comment or ask a question. This isn’t exactly groundbreaking advice, but remember the rule of interest: make sure it’s something you’re attracted to. It’s obvious when you’re trying too hard to get eyeballs on your website (not that I’d know anything about that.)

If you don’t have something to contribute immediately, watch the discussions and keep exploring. Check out links to participants’ websites. You might be surprised who you discover. You will also find it’s far easier to join in on a conversation when you’re jazzed about what’s going on.

If this sounds scary, forget about the marketing part of your mission. If you’ve always wanted to try a yoga class, join up. Go and have a good time. The question, “So, what do you do?” is likely to come up, anyway.

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