The Santa Barbara Web Design and Marketing Blog

As the Santa Barbara Web Guy with three decades of experience in marketing, web design, and consulting for both PC and Mac users, I’ve observed a recurring problem among countless small business owners, entrepreneurs, and even seasoned professionals: they build what they think the market wants—often in isolation—and end up wondering why no one buys. This is a mistake I’ve seen play out time and again, and today, I want to dig deep into why this happens and, more importantly, what you can do differently to ensure your next digital product, online course, or service offer isn’t just another drop in the ocean.

Let’s talk about letting the market tell you what it wants, and how to actually listen.

The Illusion of Knowing Your Audience

One of the greatest traps in entrepreneurship is believing you already know what your audience wants. You’ve done the work in your industry. You’ve developed your expert perspective. You know what people should want—right?

Not quite. The reality is that, however well-intentioned, this blind confidence can lead you straight to failure. Too many small business owners spend months perfecting a product, developing an online course, or planning an event, only to hear the deafening silence of “crickets” on launch day. It wasn’t a lack of effort or passion; it was the tragic misstep of building before listening.

Let’s explore how you can shift your approach, from “if I build it, they will come” to “let’s build it together, so they can’t wait to come.”

The Fundamental Shift: Serving With Your Audience, Not At Them

The key is to stop guessing—and start asking. Successful entrepreneurs, coaches, consultants, and creators all eventually learn to let the market tell them what to do next. This means you don’t just hope your offer lands. You craft your product right into the hands of people who are already looking for it.

How do you do that? What practical steps can you take to connect with your audience, hear their needs, and gather the golden feedback you need to create a winning offer?

1. Become a Participant, Not Just an Observer, in Online Communities

The first and most actionable step is simple but often overlooked: get out there and participate in the communities where your ideal customers already spend their time. Don’t just lurk—become an active member.

- Join Facebook Groups: Search for groups related to your niche. For instance, if you’re developing an online course on personal finance, join groups dedicated to financial literacy, budgeting, or personal growth.

- Visit Industry Forums: Explore Quora, Reddit, or niche-specific forums. Read the posts. Watch the questions people ask, not just the answers given.

- Engage on Social Platforms: Use Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram to find conversations. Respond to relevant tweets. Comment on posts and participate in threads.

The Key: Listen for Pain Points

While you’re interacting, focus on questions, complaints, and repeated frustrations. What keeps coming up? Where do people feel stuck? What do they wish someone would solve for them?

Insider Tip

Set up Google Alerts or use social listening tools (like Hootsuite or Brand24) to be notified when certain keywords are mentioned in your industry. This will help you track ongoing conversations even when you’re busy.

2. Build Relationships and Start Conversations

It’s not enough to just observe—reach out. When someone posts something relevant or insightful, send a friend request. Follow their content. Build a lightweight social network of people who are active and vocal in your niche.

Why? Because these are your real, living, breathing focus group. When you interact with them regularly, you build familiarity and trust, which leads to honest feedback down the line.

Example

Suppose you’re planning to create a series of tutorials on AI tools for small businesses. Over weeks, you’ve noticed a handful of people are always asking about workflow automation and saving time with new tech. You’ve commented on their posts, helped answer questions, and now you’re connected on social.

When you want input on your upcoming offer, these connections will be far more likely to respond, giving you insights you could never buy with advertising dollars.

3. Survey for Free—and Often

You don’t need a fancy survey platform to start learning from your audience. Here are a few low- to no-cost ways to gather feedback:

- DMs and Messages: After a helpful exchange, simply ask: “I’m putting together a new resource about [topic]. What’s the one thing you wish it included?”

- Social Polls: Use Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn polls to run quick multiple-choice questions: “What do you struggle with most when [doing X]?”

- Comment Solicitation: Post in a group: “I’m curious—what’s your #1 challenge with [topic] right now?”

- One-Question Email: If you’ve got a small email list, send a short message: “What’s holding you back the most when it comes to [problem]?”

The Magic of Specificity

The best feedback comes from specific, actionable questions. Instead of “Do you like my course idea?” ask, “What’s the single most frustrating part of learning [this skill], and how would you love to see it made easier?”

People love being consulted—especially when their opinion will shape a real offer.

4. Make Your Audience Your Beta Testers

Once you’ve gathered insights, don’t go back into the lab to build alone. Involve your early audience in the creation process.

- Pre-Launch Sneak Peeks: Share module outlines, sample videos, or drafts. Ask for feedback: “Is this the info you were looking for? What’s missing?”

- Private Beta Groups: Offer a free or discounted “insider’s access” to a handful of your most engaged followers, in exchange for brutally honest input.

- Iterate Together: Tweak the product based on real feedback. Demonstrate publicly that you’re listening and improving, specifically because of your audience’s contributions.

Why This Works

When people see that their words literally shape the final offering, they feel like co-creators. They’re invested. They’re more likely to buy, rave about, and recommend what you launch—because it feels like theirs, too.

5. Let Their Answers Surprise You

Possibly the most important part of all: Be willing to have your assumptions challenged. The market may want something slightly different, or even radically different, than what you assumed.

- Maybe you thought your audience wanted an advanced course, but they’re craving beginner-friendly basics.

- Perhaps you planned a detailed guide, but everyone just needs a simple checklist.

- Maybe your community cares less about features and more about a thriving peer-to-peer support forum.

What you hear may surprise—and sometimes frustrate—you, but this is how winning products and services are born.

6. Use Feedback to Write Your Sales Copy and Offers

Another secret: If you gather enough feedback, your community will hand you the exact language to use in your sales pages, ads, and course materials.

- Capture the phrases and metaphors they use to describe their problems.

- Note the “magic words” that light up their eyes or animate their stories.

- Weave these directly into your marketing. When prospective customers read your offer, they’ll feel like, “This is exactly what I’ve been looking for!”—because it is.

This approach short-circuits the guesswork and endless tweaks of traditional marketing.

7. Only Invest When You Have Proof

The biggest savings of this approach is not just in launching a successful product—it’s in avoiding wasting time, money, and energy on the wrong direction.

What you hear back will tell you if it’s time to move forward, or if you need to regroup. Proceed only when you have heard, clearly and repeatedly, what your customers are willing to buy, and that they want it in the exact form you’re prepared to provide.

Testing with “Minimum Viable Offers”

You don’t have to launch the entire product all at once. Often, a simple “interest-check” landing page, a small pilot group, or a low-ticket beta offer will validate your direction before you commit full resources.

Real-World Example: From “Big Idea” to Market Success

Let’s illustrate this process with a concrete example from my own consulting experience:

Case Study: The Failed Mega-Course

A Santa Barbara client of mine once approached me for help launching a comprehensive digital marketing course. They invested heavily in content, fancy production, and a multi-platform launch.

But after months of effort, the launch flopped. Revenue was, frankly, embarrassing.

When we dug into the problem, we discovered the fatal flaw: the client assumed their audience wanted a soup-to-nuts mega-program. In reality, their audience of busy small business owners wanted quick, actionable “wins.” They had no time for a lengthy course.

The Pivot

We restarted with a simple online survey and a series of Facebook group conversations. We asked, “What’s your biggest barrier right now?” The responses overwhelmingly cited specific, isolated challenges (such as “how to run my first Facebook ad” or “how do I read my Google Analytics?”).

We shifted to a series of short, laser-focused “quick win” mini-courses. Result? Sales and satisfaction went through the roof.

Recap: The Market Will Tell You… If You Listen

If you remember nothing else from this post, remember this: Don’t let your ego or assumptions hijack your next online course or digital product. The only way to reliably create something people are eager to buy is to design it together with them.

Get active in the places your community gathers. Start conversations. Survey and poll your audience for free. Use their feedback to build, and involve them in the process. Prepare to be surprised, and let those surprises guide you to a product that truly sells.

Take Action: Your Next Steps

If you’re planning your next marketing offer, course, or digital launch:

1. Choose two to three groups or forums where your ideal customers hang out.

2. Engage consistently for a week—respond, question, and participate.

3. Connect with those most engaged via friend request or DM.

4. Ask one simple, strategic question: “If you could wave a magic wand and fix [problem], what would change for you?”

5. Collect and review the answers. Let patterns and surprises emerge.

6. Use this real feedback to shape your new offer, and loop your community into the process.

Your audience is your greatest brainstorming tool, your best focus group, and your most effective marketing megaphone. But it all starts with listening—before you build.

Have questions, need more tips, or want me to take a look at your current “market conversation” workflow? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. I’m here to help.

Until next time, this is your Santa Barbara Web Guy—reminding you that every great product begins with an ear to the ground and a conversation with those you want to serve. Now get out there, listen, and let your market show you the way!