We have all heard the saying before, “The customer is key”. As a business, it is crucial that you know who your ideal customer is to help you close the sales funnel. The more you know about who your business’s ideal customer is, the easier it will be for you to create content that speaks directly to them. You become captivating. When a potential customer feels like you understand them, your offer and your business become much more appealing. Identifying your ideal customer early on will help your business stand out.
Peter Drucker said that “the purpose of a business is to create a customer.” Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart put it even more insistently when he said, “There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” The value of a customer is indefinite and a major reason why identifying your ideal customer will lead to your company’s overall success or failure.
How can you identify and reach your ideal customer?
Evaluate Your Current Customer Base and Who You Like Doing Business With
You should take time and evaluate who the people are who you are currently doing business with. Simply taking a wild guess will not do. If there is a certain type of customer who you don’t enjoy working with, exclude them from your list. Take some time to look at their gender, age bracket, industry, location and income level. Ask them what drew them to working with you. This can quickly give you a good overview of “who is your who.”
You should do business with customers who you enjoy doing business with. It may seem obvious, but if you enjoy working with someone, the process is often much easier, and the results are often much better. You need to be enthusiastic about who you work with. If your customers don’t motivate you, it will make your business unsustainable. Identify who your ideal customer is in terms of who you enjoy working with.
Understand Your Customers’ Current Habits and Goals
Dig a little deeper and ask yourself what is it that your ideal customers need and how they fulfill that need. What do they search for on search engines? Where are they searching for this information; what search engines and tools are they specifically using? Are they more frequently on a mobile device or on a computer? What social media platforms are they using the most (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)? By knowing where your ideal customer is and what they are looking for, you can reach them more effortlessly.
Knowing what your ideal customer desires to accomplish can be crucial information when developing marketing content that will create results. If your ideal customer is newly engaged couples who are picking flowers for their wedding, knowing that and creating content around wedding flowers and wedding planning, will allow your business to instantly appeal to those customers and have them listening to what you have to say.
Determine How Your Ideal Customer Makes Their Purchasing Decisions and Pinpoint Their Fears
People do not purchase in the same way. Some people like to take the time to research, read reviews, research upcoming sales, and look at alternative options. Other people purchase impulsively and on the whim. It is valuable for you to know the purchasing habits of your ideal customer so you can ensure they have the resources they need to help them make the purchase. If your ideal customer purchases spontaneously, make sure they can do so on your website and can complete the transaction all in one instance. If there are additional steps for this type of customer, you will likely lose their interest and purchase. If your ideal customer needs research and reviews, provide them for them and make them readily available on your website and on search engines.
People often make a purchase for one of two reasons: They have a desire they would like to be fulfilled or they have a problem that they need to be solved. If you can identify a challenge your ideal customer currently faces and “bridge the gap” from their problem to a solution, it’s likely you will find yourself being sought after. For example, if you find your home out of milk for cereal in the morning, you would visit a grocery store to buy some. If lock yourself out of your home, you would call a locksmith.
To Wrap it Up
Identifying your ideal customer will help your business to succeed. Not everyone is going to be your biggest fan, and that’s okay, speak to the people you want to reach and make them fans. Learn to be the best brand possible for your ideal audience. You’re in business to grow your business and that means increasing your customer base.
At Water Bear Marketing we believe that in today’s world, there is no room for guessing with your advertising dollars. We help our customers get a return on their online advertising dollars and prove the results with our reporting. Your success is our success.
Contact us today for a free consultation to make sure that you are getting exactly what you want out of your advertising campaign.