Who Should You Be Marketing To
Customer Avatars. Dream Clients. Target Market.
It doesn't matter if you sell to consumers or to other businesses. Your ultimate goal is to sell your products and services to someone. A person.
So it makes sense, the first thing you have figure out is - who that person is so you can connect with them.
(P.S. That's all marketing is. Making connections. Doesn't that feel better? Doable?)
Connecting with the right people doesn't have to be overwhelming or complicated.
Today I'm giving you three simple + soulful questions to help you quickly figure out who you should be connecting with and writing content for on your blog.
1 // Who is currently buying from you?
If you are having trouble making money from your current lead list, chances are you may not have the right people on your list. I made this mistake with my first solo-business attempt.
I was (am) a life coach who wanted to help busy, overwhelmed moms get physically organized and calm their lives from the inside out; so I created content for them on and off my site (I was a guest writer on other blogs).
Within a few months my lead list grew to approximately 1000 subscribers. However, any time I pitched a product, class, or offered my coaching services it was like pulling teeth to make a sale.
My rookie mistake was - connecting with the wrong people. Busy stay-at-home moms (at least the ones gobbling up my content) preferred blog-surfing to find free DIY solutions, projects, and organizing tips. The vast majority of them were never going to justify purchasing anything from me. Period.
Take Away :
Look at the people who currently find value in what you offer and happily pay you for it. Get to know them. Interview them. Or better yet, send out a survey. Make it your goal to discover where they hang out online so you can go there and make connections with other people just like them. That's your low hanging fruit.
2 // Who else (besides your current customers) should be buying from you...and why?
One of my clients - who offers design and printing services - currently sells to a lot of non-technical people who would rather use the Yellow Pages than Google. But she wants to expand her client base to include more technically inclined people so she can streamline some of her business processes (because doing things the old fashioned way can take for...ev...er).
When we chatted I asked her who she envisions her new clients to be. Next, I asked her why they should be interested in what she offers. By explaining all the reasons those people should care, it helped her clarify her value. It also gave her some great ideas for content on her site.
Take Away:
Almost as important as who is why. If you think you have found a new type of client to begin connecting with, ask yourself why. Why should they care? Why will they benefit from working with you? Why will they happily pay you to solve their problem? Many useful insights will bubble to the surface as you keep asking why.
3 // What kind of people do you enjoy?
I'll be the first to admit, I'm not for everyone. And I'm glad. I am very intentional about the kind of people I work with.
This is my business. This is my life. The two are very integrated and I like it that way. The people I work with usually become my friends. I deeply care about them. I'll work on a Saturday if they are launching on Monday. I'll enter content until 3am on a Friday night if they're heading to a trade show in the morning. I do this because I love them. And they love me right back.
If I took clients I didn't jive with, my work wouldn't feel fun and exciting. It would drain me. And I would end up hating it. Make no mistake, the stress of that discontent would spill into the rest of my life. And nobody needs that.
Take Away:
Connect with people you enjoy. People who speak your language. People who share your sense of humor and sense of wonder. People you find interesting and can't wait to meet.