After goals, the second step in crafting an effective marketing strategy is identifying your ideal client.
Sounds good you say, but I can hear your question coming… “What does that really mean?”
In short, not everyone needs or is a perfect match for your services. In fact, at any given time, only a select group of prospects really need what you’re selling.
And this select group are your Ideal clients.
Who are these folks, and how do you connect with them?
You need to answer these questions to create an effective marketing strategy.
So, where do you start?
Demographics + Psychographics
Step one is nailing down your perspective clients’ demographics.
This includes:
- Age
- Location
- Marital and family status
- Income level
These factors are relevant because:
- Prospects have different goals depending on their age bracket.
- You’re likely targeting a specific location in your marketing efforts.
- Single people have different goals in mind than married people and people with families.
- And people at higher income levels expect different messaging than those at lower levels.
Up next, and probably more importantly, are your prospective clients’ psychographics.
These factors include:
- Needs
- Wants
- Concerns, some minor and others major, that keep them up at night, staring at their bedroom ceiling or pacing their kitchen floor.
Gathering this data enables you to create a composite profile, which leads to the next step in the process.
Ideal Client Profile
Purely for discussion purposes, here’s an example of an ideal client profile for a potential home buyer:
- 35 – 45 years of age
- Living in an up-and-coming neighborhood but looking to move to a more settled affluent neighborhood — The neighborhood status is important to them.
- Married with preteen children — They want good schools and a neighborhood with plenty of school-age kids.
- Upper middle class or holding a professional degree with rising income potential — They can afford to buy more than a starter home.
- Looking to buy in the next 3 to 6 months — They’re looking to act soon but not desperate.
- May have enough in the bank for a down payment, but their profession and income potential make them a reasonable risk for lenders, so a second mortgage isn’t a burden — Meaning securing financing isn’t an issue.
You can take your profile a step further and gather a set of photos for your fictitious family and even give them names.
These folks are your ideal clients. They represent the target you’re aiming to hit when crafting your marketing messaging and selecting your marketing tactics.
Understanding your ideal clients’ demographics and psychographics helps you craft messaging that not only speaks to their needs but also speaks their “language” and reaches them where they’re most likely to be.
Need help marketing your business?
Whether you’re still developing a marketing strategy or just trying to refine your tactics, I’m here for you!
Let’s discuss:
- Launching or updating your website
- Improving your website’s SEO with a business blog
- Starting an email marketing newsletter or other keep-in-touch campaigns
- Increasing your online presence with social media marketing campaigns
Sound like a plan?
Get in touch here: 310.466.7893 | ryan@ryananys.com
