In today’s business environment, everything needs to be customer-focused. If you have gaps in your prospect details, it holds back your success. It doesn’t matter whether you are dealing with B2B or B2C, you are dealing with a human who is making the buying decision.
You need to have a clear picture of who that human is regardless of whether you’re selling a supplement, coaching services, or writing a book.
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Ever seen one of those superhero shows like the Arrow? (Courtesy of DC Comics.) It’s their answer to the Marvel superheroes with all the different characters slipping in and out of the series instead of in separate shows.
The challenge is when someone new shows up, you really don’t know who they are. It’s very similar to having incomplete prospect details. You can say, “I deal with upscale clients who charge premium fees to coach people.”
Okay, that’s valuable but there is still a lot we don’t know. It’s like people with LinkedIn profiles with just the avatar silhouette instead of a picture and nothing filled out in their profile section.
We can’t tell if they might be a match for us to network with because we don’t know or can’t find out much about them.
I’ve seen this situation over and over with career students and professionals. It’s really prevalent in the beauty and spa industry. The thought is “My client is everyone.”
Well, probably not.
While they may deal with people from 18 to 80, there is a sweet spot in there they haven’t identified. It’s based on their personal strengths and interests. If they want to be a waxing diva, they should be narrowing the age group to those 18-38. Acne specialists, probably the same. Anti-aging specialists focus on slightly different demographics.
And there are a lot more demographics, professional and personal traits as well as goals and challenges that could enhance their marketing efforts.
Having an incomplete avatar or customer persona can cost businesses money. It’s like trying to throw darts blindfolded or typing with a pair of welder’s gloves on. The results are more hit or miss and the rate of reader engagement drops significantly.
A detailed persona allows you to segment marketing and to speak one-to-one with the reader. It allows you to build a bond of know, like, and trust with them. This keeps them coming back and increases your lifetime customer value.
It takes a little digging but completing your prospect persona is well worth the effort. Think about the difference in a conversation between someone you don’t know with a friend. The goal is to make your target audience feel like you are a friend. To do that we need to know everything about them we can.
These are the numbers and statistics that can help us market to the person. Age, gender, location, income, and education are all components. Political alignment, military service, I find that it really helps my clients when I use the persona techniques to create an avatar. It becomes someone they can picture in their head.
In some cases, the business owner had a challenge and created a solution that they want to share with others. In that scenario, they may be their own ideal customer. One of my clients falls into this category. Because of a horrible experience with an aging parent, he resolved to change the most dangerous room in the home. His specialty is products and consulting to age safely in your home. His story became the brand's story.
Unlike demographics which deal with statistical data, psychographics deal with mindset. It deeply impacts each stage of the buyer's journey.
Attitudes, values, beliefs, challenges, and aspirations are all important components. They guide us to where and how the person gathers information and makes decisions.
Psychographics determine what types of groups the person may affiliate with or events they may attend. They also indicate favored information sources.
Using psychographics can allow you to have content that really meshes with your prospect’s mindset and engage them.
In essence, both demographics and psychographic allow your marketing efforts to have significantly higher ROI analytics and sales. But for success, those prospect details must be combined with the shopper's intent.
In marketing your product or service, the shopper's intent is everything. We need to know where the viewer is in their decision-making journey. For each phase of intent in the buying journey, you need individually crafted content. You use the prospect details to hone in on what matters to them. The higher the item’s price, the longer the searcher will spend in each stage.
In this phase, the visitor is learning about the product or service. They are gathering information. They are looking for informational sites, but they also check out reviews.
When you start typing something you want to search for information about, Google Suggest will activate and try to anticipate your need or goal. Based on how previous searchers had responded, Google will present answers it best aligns with the words you used in your search.
The best way to create research content is to plug in words you suspect the searcher may use. The higher the number of responses equates to how popular a search term these words were.
Whenever possible, tap into your prospect in the research stage. Use the prospect details to engage and start building trust with them. You want to give them everything they need to make an informed decision. That’s quality content.
It’s great to link to additional resources on your website that may deal with information or friction solving. You can also add a link to a compare page, the next phase of intent.
Comparing can have some overlap with research. Reading reviews may give them research answers but it can also allow them to compare brands and see why yours is the best choice.
Creating pages that compare your brand to other well-known brands right on your website can be great. They help the searcher and build more trust.
With most visitors, tucked in their prospect details are the issues that frustrate them. It can be as simple as being an established customer but being treated as a prospect by customer service. It is important to address friction points if you want to maximize engagement.
As with research, providing additional information links is a good idea. It might be content on how to use the item. Then make it easy for them to make a purchase.
Keep it simple for the shopper to make their purchase. Share testimonials and reviews to make them feel positive about their buying decision.
Share links that may address FAQs in case there is residual resistance. Also, share tips for having maximum success with the product once purchased.
Many companies miss the value of offering content that enhances successful ownership. This can lead to frustration or even returns.
How-to guides of all sorts make ideal success content. A link to a Facebook user’s group is another option.
This segment is an ideal place to include content that deals with the concerns or issues the customer service department hear from buyers.
Use it as a stage that lets the buyer know you are there for them now and in the future. Bond them into loyal repeat customers with high lifetime value.
We start with evaluating their prospect's details. If there are details missing, addressing them first will allow the marketing to be more targeted, engaging, and have a higher return on investment. Need help with your avatar? Message me.
For more on understanding customers, check out this article "Let's Humanize Marketing."
Check out this to enhance your customer experience: Customer Experience Enhancers Increase $$$
Want to boost your marketing ROI? This article gives you tips.
Judith Culp Pearson receives three top honors
at the annual Society of Permanent Cosmetic Professionals in
Ft. Worth, Texas - October 7-9, 2023
