Social media is a very good marketing tool – but if you’re going to make the most of it with your business, you need to remember the SOCIAL part, and think about who you’re actually talking to.
Part of any good social media strategy is working out who you are predominantly going to market to, and narrowing down your ideal customer so that you can focus all of your marketing efforts on that person. Getting this in place right at the start of your campaign will make everything else fall into place because once you know who you are ‘talking’ to, you can choose the right platforms, the correct media and even work out the most likely times they will be online to connect with you and see your messages.
How to define your ideal customer
Depending on the type of product or service you offer, you may have more than one ideal client, so if that’s the case, you’ll need to do this for every single one. The idea is to get a really vivid description of your client in your head so that by the time you’ve finished, you will feel as if you know them, their lifestyle, wants and needs inside out.
Think about one or two of your favourite clients. Really ask yourself what it is about them that makes them such a perfect fit for your business? What do they have in common?
- Start by deciding the basics – is your ideal client male or female, how old are they?
- Whose problems do you really understand?
- What do they need your help with – what problems do you solve for them?
- How can you make their life easier?
- Where do they live? Are they married? Do they have children?
- What job do they do, if any?
- How do they spend their leisure time?
- Do they have much disposable income?
- What do they like to spend their money on?
- Do they use a mobile, tablet, iPad or Laptop?
- What social media so they use most and when are they online?
This is just the start, you can add more detail, depending on who your ideal customer is, and what you think is relevant to you and your business.
Example…
If you’re a cake decorator, you might have an ideal customer in mind who is getting married, female, and in her late 20s. She is easy to work with because she is creative, open to new ideas and you know she loves looking at different cake decoration designs on Pinterest and Instagram.
You will enjoy helping her solve her ‘problem’ because she’s looking for something unusual that she won’t be able to find anywhere else, and that’s something you love to provide.
She has a well-paid job and a large budget for the wedding, so is looking for quality and original design, not a cheap imitation of something she’s seen online.
You know she’s busy with work and organising her wedding so you need to catch her online in the evenings when she’s browsing social media.
If you can drill down into even more detail using a previous client that’s even better. So you could have worked with a lovely bride to be in the past who really loved something specific about your design – what was it? Why did you enjoy working with her so much? Where can you find other people like her?
Once you know exactly who you’re talking to, you can tailor all of your social media marketing around appealing to that person.
This has two major benefits: you’ll find it so much easier to write your posts and decide what to share; and when you do, you’ll attract more of the people you enjoy working with and who are a perfect fit for your business.
Until next time, Sarah x
PS: If you would like help making this work for your business, please feel free to enter your details here. Not only will you get my FREE guide to making more sales using social media straight to your inbox, but if you follow the links through to request a personalised strategy session with me, I’ll be in touch to arrange a time to chat!