Marketing.
The dreaded “M” word.
While no one will deny that it is an essential tool for growing your business, “marketing” can feel overwhelming.
But don’t worry – Freedom Consulting is here to help you understand the ins and outs of business….and that includes the dreaded “M” word!
Really, marketing is just showing up, getting your name out there, and building relationships with your customers.
To do that, though, you first have to know who your customers are.
Figure out your target customer or client, and you can unravel how to market to them successfully.
There are many ways to spread the word about your business.
When choosing the ways you advertise, keep in mind that not everyone will find and read your advertisements – but you’re not trying to reach everyone.
You’re only trying to reach your customers!
Getting to know your target audience – your ideal customer or client – allows you to maximize your marketing campaign’s potential.
How?
Let’s start by creating a client profile.
Create a Client Profile
Your thoughts are powerful.
Generally speaking, thoughts become things…
Especially if you work hard to earn them.
Thoughts become things.
So why not work to bring the “right” kind of client to you?
Who – what kind of person – will benefit from working with you as much as you enjoy working with them? What do you value in people?
How can you help each other grow?
Not everyone gets along swimmingly.
Not every job is a good fit, not every boss is a great boss for your needs, not every teacher teaches for your specific learning style, etc.
Sometimes, people just rub us the wrong way. If you run into that, chances are you rub them the wrong way, too.
Customers and clients we can’t seem to get along with would likely be better served by someone they “click” with more easily.
All the better for you both.
(Deuces, dude!)
So, how do we work to attract the customers we can work well with?
Creating a client profile before you begin your marketing campaigns is a way to be intentional about who you attract with your ads.
A client profile is a thorough description of a single, imaginary person who represents the type of client you want to work with.
And thoughts become things…
So, a well-thought-out client profile can help you attract the real people you intend to work with in your business.
It’s an exercise in research, demographics, and psychology – and vital to the success of your marketing campaigns!
We will start with a broad overlook of your clientele – real or imaginary.
What kind of person do you work well with?
What characteristics are common to the people you get along with?
Obviously, you don’t need to be besties with every customer you have, but connecting with people on a deeper-than-surface level builds business relationships…
And those can be both fulfilling and lucrative for your business.
Win-win.
So let’s break down what makes your “ideal” client who they are and get to know them a little bit better.
Remember, even if your business focuses on selling products or services to other businesses, you have to work with specific people at those companies to get things done!
So ask the questions, man! Stick with us.
It may feel cheesy, but it’ll help you find clients.
Promise.
Start With the Dry Stuff – Demographics
At first glance, demographics are boring.
But really, they are big-picture facts describing external influences over your customer’s life.
Demographics, by nature, are pretty cut-and-dry – but they can help you understand your customers better.
Gathering information about your clients such as age, gender, and education and income levels can help you set your pricing, figure out the best words to use in your ads, and better relate to your customers face-to-face.
Although our physical and biological circumstances do not make up all of who we are, they certainly play a role.
Nature vs. Nurture, you know.
So, where does your target customer live? What is the size and shape of their community? How do the people who live around them look and speak and earn money?
These data are external to the customer but influence your target client’s mental health, growth, ability to learn – even opportunities that arise for him or her!
Are external influences everything? No. Humans are incredibly adaptable creatures and biologically wired to survive. (Thanks, Nature!)
But ignoring your customer’s life circumstances would be a mistake.
We are not robots. We are humans.
We think and feel and change.
Life circumstances matter.
So figure out your target customer’s situation, learn to speak to it, and work with it!
Is your target customer a company rather than an individual?
Figure out the location, community and company size, annual revenue, etc., for that company – and then think about who works there. Who would you be aiming to reach in that company with your marketing? What is their background?
Businesses are made up of people.
And you can use that to your marketing advantage!
Now that we have taken a look at your target customer’s demographics, it’s time to focus on what makes him or her a unique individual!
Add in the Juicy Details
External life circumstances don’t describe a whole person. Neither do internal circumstances.
“Both, And” is the best approach here!
We are more than the sum of our parts.
Therefore, it is essential to ask yourself questions that aim to understand your target customer as a whole person when making your customer profile!
Beyond the demographics, what makes your target customer who they are?
Think broadly first, and then get more specific with your questions and answers. Be creative!
Think of your imaginary target client as a real person. You are calling real people to you, after all.
EXAMPLE QUESTIONS
To get you started, we have compiled a list of questions for you to ask yourself when creating your client profile. Feel free to be as detailed as you like in this process – and add or subtract questions you find relevant!
What are his or her interests or hobbies?
What do they care about? What motivates them?
What sort of things are they looking to accomplish right now?
What are his or her challenges? What struggles does he or she have? How can you help them?
What are his or her personal goals? How can you help them achieve their goals?
Do they have any specific political, social, or spiritual values? What lifestyle does he or she strive to live?
How do they view their relationships? Are they married or single? Does he or she have a best friend?
Are they introverted or extroverted? Does he or she prefer to be contacted via phone, email, or text message?
How do they prefer to receive their information? Where and how can you best reach them? (Do they spend a lot of time on social media or watching television? Listening to the radio? Reading the paper?)
What does your target customer look like?
What is his or her name?
What is their favorite color?
What do they eat for breakfast?
Okay, okay – maybe that doesn’t seem necessary – but if you can imagine what your target customer eats for breakfast, you can imagine how they go about their day and how they might see your advertisements.
There are countless options for getting your name out there.
How would your target customer most easily find you?
Now, don’t panic! You don’t have to figure everything out on your own.
You aren’t expected to know every detail of how to market to your customers just yet – that’s what research is for!
But you needed to know your target customer first!
Good work. Now, let’s figure out how to leverage your client profile information.
Research Your Target Client
You’ve figured out who your target client is. The next step is to research how to best reach them with your marketing.
If you’re trying to sell your products to young teenage girls, you’ll want to make use of marketing strategies that are quite a bit different than those you would employ for selling to burly lumberjacks of Idaho.
Think Duluth Trading Company vs. Forever 21 here.
Similarly – being that BTS is a Korean boy band popular among teenage girls – the marketing for BTS’s US tour is not going to be aimed at your 50-year-old friend Phil.
Anything could happen, right?
And open minds lead to broadened horizons…
But getting Phil to go to a BTS concert? Likely a losing battle, man.
The key here?
Know your clients and build your marketing campaigns around them – just like clothing stores and bands on tour do!
Dissecting and researching aspects of your target customer can be very helpful for building successful marketing campaigns.
The internet is a big place, and leveraging information from tools like Google Analytics and the Google search bar can help you tailor your ads to reach your customers!
As you type keywords and phrases into Google’s search bar, for example, the automatically generated searches you see before you press enter will point to what other people have asked using those keywords.
Try it!
Conclusion
Business is all about building relationships.
Always.
Good relationships with your customers will lead to more work – period!
Word-of-mouth is still fantastic advertising.
Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box with your marketing.
You don’t have to do the “in” thing just because everyone else does.
If you find unique advertising methods, you’ll have the edge over other competitors in your market.
But you have to know who your target audience is for your marketing campaigns to work.
Good thing you do!
If you have questions about marketing or creating a client profile, feel free to reach out to us – Freedom Consulting, LLC is here to help you and your business succeed!
Stay tuned for more marketing and business-building tips soon.
Until next time,
Happy researching!
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