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Many small businesses – literally – have no idea to whom they are marketing and advertising. Those who will become buyers are the ones they want to reach. Way too many business owners have a lack of understanding of who is going to become a buyer.
Knowing who your ideal – or at least your typical – customer is, allows you to target not only the placement of your ads, but also the ad copy, the offer and the landing page copy.
Targeting the right people when you market will mean that “the right people will get the message”, and that more of the people who visit your website or inquire will turn into customers or clients.
But what exactly is a Typical Customer Profile?
In short, it is a list of characteristics shared by the majority of people who purchase your product or service.
It could be people of a certain age group, a certain income bracket, a common interest, people with a common need or desire, or any combination of these.
But it goes deeper than that…
On the one hand you have the matter of need or want, and on the other hand you have the affordability factor. Almost every young man would love to own a Lamborghini – but very few can afford it. So, what’s the point of advertising to those who cannot afford it?
You may also be dealing with a specific state of mind. You have a potential client whose marriage is coming apart. For the same prospect, their mindset will determine whether they want a divorce lawyer or someone to help them save their marriage.
You may be dealing with people who have an aversion to something – you have vegans, people who want to avoid driving fossil fuel cars, people who want to avoid genetically modified foods, and people who want to avoid sugary foods.
Of course, depending on what you sell, you may have more than one typical client for the same product – but in cases like those, you are likely to find that they purchase the product for different reasons, even though they share some characteristics with the other “profiles”.
Let’s say, for instance, you sell a weight loss product. Some people will buy it to feel more attractive, some will buy it because they just don’t want to carry the extra weight any more, and some will buy it because they have medical reasons for wanting to lose weight.
When you narrow it down even more, the ones who want to feel attractive have different reasons as well: One person may want to look better to get a date. One may want to look better to keep their partner. Another might just not be happy with what they see in the mirror, and yet another may want to improve their self esteem.
And yes, it is the same product, but each one buys it from a different point of need or desire.
In order to market effectively, you have to bring the right message to your prospect. Offering a product that makes you look more attractive won’t gain you many diabetic customers, even though many of them may need your weight loss product.
For every typical customer profile you have identified, you can craft a specific marketing message and campaign.
How to craft your typical customer profile(s):
The final aim is this: If you could envision each profile as an actual person, sitting in front of you, what would that person be like, and what would they want, need, and expect? If you could have a one on one conversation with that person, what would you be able to learn?
Step 1: Find out where your prospects hang out.
Depending on what you are selling, your potential customers could be located in a variety of places. Ideally, you can start with questions you expect your typical customer to be asking – and type them into Google.
This will bring up – depending on the question – blog posts, forum posts, social media posts and groups, and Youtube videos or channels.
You could also come across reviews for your own product/service or competitor products/services, which can also tell you a lot about what matters to prospective customers or clients.
Step 2: LISTEN.
Take note of what is being said. When you observe enough conversations, you will find out what matters to people who need or want a product or service like yours. In addition to that, start looking at the user profiles of people who talk about the issues that matter.
What do they have in common? Is it just their opinions or needs, or do they share common interests, life stages. job types, income levels, etc.?
Find the patterns. While you may find you have more than one potential buyer profile, each one will have a distinct set of shared characteristics.
Step 3: Research.
Identify websites and blogs that focus on attracting an audience similar to the people you want to sell to. Then, plug the web addresses of those blogs and websites into a tool like Similarweb – which will give you some additional information which could be crucial, including demographics and more.
Step 4: Positioning.
Based on everything you know by now, including competitor research to see how your competitors present their messages…
How can you craft a seemingly different message that speaks TO the prospect, and not AT them, to make you stand out from your competitors?
Your message doesn’t have to BE different – but as long as it is perceived as different, people will take note. And if your message was crafted to address the needs, wants, expectations and concerns of your typical customer, it will cut through the noise.
At the end of the day, the perfect marketing message is one that comes across as a personal message from someone who knows you. Once you know who you are marketing to (even if you have more than one ideal customer profile), and know what matters to them, you can craft the perfect marketing message.