Lianne-carla Savage – Since the fabulous telesummit with Jenifer Bourn I’ve been browsing the ‘Bourn Creative’ blog and have come across some excellent articles. Here’s one I wanted to share with you today
While getting started on brand strategy and design and website strategy with my clients, one of the first things I want to know is who the ideal client is. Who is the person the brand and website must resonate with and speak to. Who does it need to attract to my client?
How do you know who your ideal client is? Your Ideal Client is some one who:
- Has problems and challenges you can easily fix and solve with your eyes closed
- Sees you as a valuable necessity they treasure, instead of a necessary evil
- Likes you, appreciates your hard work, and will tell their friends, peers, and contacts about you
- Will pay you what you’re worth and will be happy to do so because they know you’re worth it
But how do you find out exactly who they are?
Grade Them.Look at all of your clients for a set time period and give each one a grade — A, B, C, D, F. Don’t think about it too much. Just go with your gut instinct and be honest — Don’t worry! No one will see this but you.
Your Grade D and F clients are ones you should fire and transition elsewhere right away!
Your Grade C Clients are on the fence. If they can become Grade A or B clients with better training, keep them. If they really should have been Grade D or F clients but you were being nice, think about a staggered exit plan for these clients too.
Not look closely at your Grade A and B clients. These are your best clients — The clients you want a lot more of. All of your best clients have at least one thing in common (if not more) and you need to find out what it is: Are they all men? Are they all the same age? Are they all moms? Do they all have the same problem? Are they in the same industry? Do they attend the same events?
If you’re not sure what your Grade A and B clients have in common, ask them! Ask them what events they attend, who they look to for mentoring, what websites/blogs they frequent, what challenges they have, what they dream about, etc.
Once you have a clear picture of who your ideal client is, create a Client Persona for reference.
A Client Persona is a profile of a person who would be the perfect client for you. Start by giving them a name and find a stock photo online to represent them and make them real to you. Then describe in detail everything you now know about them (the more specific the better):
- List what they are passionate about, what is important to them, and what they cherish
- List their hobbies, likes, dislikes, and pet peeves
- List their demographic information
- List their challenges, needs, and struggles
- List the events they go to, the people they follow, the media they consume, etc.
When you have completed your Client Persona, put it somewhere that is easy to see and reference.
Every time you work on marketing your business, writing blog posts, editing your website, filming a video, etc. do it with your Client Persona in mind. Tailor the content to speak directly to them and to address things that are important to them. If you can do this, your ideal clients will “click” with your content, resonate with your message, and feel compelled to read more, contact you, or click that buy link.
About the Authors: Jennifer and Brian Bourn owners of Bourn Creative, a Sacramento web design company, help established businesses build beautiful, feature-rich, custom WordPress websites and blogs, design powerful, personal brands, and help their clients learn to leverage their website and blog to attract more clients than they ever thought possible.
