New Business Owners: Don’t Sell To Everyone - Here’s Why
When starting a new business…
Some people will like you,
Some people will hate you,
And some people really won’t care what you’re selling.
However…
How do you find that ONE gem,
That diamond in the rough that loves everything about your business…
That person that sings your company’s praises on social media at every chance they get…
That person that tells everyone they come across to, BUY BUY BUY what you’re selling.
Does this mythical unicorn exist?
Is there really a person that will go out of their way to ONLY buy your product or service?
Absolutely! This person is called your Ideal Customer. And all your advertising efforts should be focused on ONLY selling to this person.
In order to find your ideal customer, you need to have a Customer Persona.
In this post you’ll find out:
- What a Customer Persona (or Avatar) is and how to create one
- How to get into the heart and mind of your ideal customer…without a degree in psychology
- 14 questions every New Business Owner needs to ask…before writing any ad!
- Where your ideal customer is hiding
- One simple word to inject into any copy…to create an instant connection with your reader
- What 99% of readers do…and why it’s important to know this for your business
- How your family and friends can help you land your ideal customer…without paying them
And a special bonus template for your business… Absolutely FREE!
What Is A Customer Persona?
A customer persona (or avatar) is really a fictional character that represents your ideal customer’s hopes, dreams, pains, and desires.
We’ll go into more detail later, but for now, start thinking about a name for your customer persona, what this person looks like, sounds like even what they smell like.
You need to be 100% sure you know who your ideal customer is, before attempting to write any copy.
That’s why your customer persona is so important, it will help you craft “killer copy” that moves them to action…whether it’s buying your product or booking your service.
Can your ideal customer be everyone?
No, this is not possible. Even massive multinational companies know that not everyone drinks soda.
Yes, they might try to sway us with their sweet messaging, but they still stick to their target audience.
Just remember the old advertising adage: “If you’re trying to sell to everyone…then you’ll end up selling to no one.”
A customer persona will help you better understand your ideal customer’s hopes, dreams, fears, and challenges.
Basically, with a customer persona, you’ll be able to get into the heart and mind of your ideal customer.
The More You Know…The More You Grow
The more information you have about your ideal customer, the easier it is to sell your products and services to them.
Here are 14 key questions every New Business Owner needs to answer about their ideal customer:
What is the gender of your target audience?
What is their age?
What is their level of education?
What is their income?
Are they married/single?
Do they have children?
What are their interests?
What is their career path?
What are their personal goals?
What are their challenges and frustrations?
What benefits are important to them?
What social media platforms do they use?
How do they consume their information?
What objections are they likely to have about your business?
Of course, there are many more questions you could ask, but the point is, the more you understand your ideal customer, the easier it’ll be when crafting your sales copy.
Oh before I forget…Don’t worry about writing all these questions down.
We’ve made a nifty, easy-to-use, simplified template for you to download and…print out as many times as you like.
The link will be at the end of this post. Onward…
But, where do you find the answers to all these questions, surely it’s impossible, right?
It’s Detective Time!
Where does your ideal customer hang out?
What places can you go to, to find all the juicy info you need to catch (not literally) your next customer?
Here are a few places to start looking…
Social Media
People share all sorts of useful info on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.
These are great places to find what you’re looking for about your target audience.
Look at what they’re talking about, what they like and dislike about businesses similar to yours.
Look at various hashtags, group discussions, and forums to get into the heart and mind of your ideal customer and find out what they really want from you.
You can also check your site analytics or conduct a quick survey and ask them directly.
Reviews & Comments Section
Another treasure trove of good info, if you’re selling a product, are sites like Amazon. Check the reviews and comments section about products like yours.
Also, you may want to read through the comments on industry blog posts, YouTube videos, and articles.
It’ll help you to build your customer persona and, also address any objections that people reading your copy might have (more on this later).
Talk To People
Design a survey or questionnaire and simply send it to existing customers (if you have any).
Tell them you’re looking to improve their buying experience and would like to ask them a few questions. The information you’ll receive will be priceless.
Why? Firstly it takes the guesswork out of what your customers want…they’ll just tell you.
Secondly, you’ll save a ton on R&D costs. And lastly, your customers will have felt heard, appreciated, and understood…this will do wonders for your customer service reputation.
Talk to family, friends, and colleagues and ask them about their experience with products similar to yours.
Then see what questions come up, what patterns and themes seem to come up over and over again. Makes notes…this will come in handy when you’re writing your ad copy.
Use Their Language
As you’re doing your research, make notes of the type of words and phrases that customers use in your industry.
This will help your writing be more authentic and create a closer connection with your reader.
People don’t like marketing jargon, they want to feel like another human being has personally written to them.
What’s Your Copy’s Tone?
When writing any copy, whether it’s for websites, emails, social media, or blogs it’s important to have the right tone. For instance…
Writing an email to a potential client, let’s say a CEO of a big corporation, will sound very different from an email you send to your friend about plans for Friday, right?
That’s why, the more info you have about your customer persona, the better the tone of your copy will be.
99% Of Readers Do This
If your customer persona is well defined, this will allow you to imagine that you’re writing directly to that one person.
A common mistake to avoid is writing to a group of people…always, always, always write to one person.
Why is this important?
By writing to one person, it makes your message more personal.
The other practical reason is, that 99% of people first read something on their own.
Yes, they might share it with a group of people afterward, but they’re reading it quietly to themselves or in their heads…like now.
Another Tip: Inject lots of “YOU” into your copy, your reader will feel as though you're talking directly to them.
This creates an instant connection with your reader.
Why is it so important to know the challenges, pain points, goals, and desires of your ideal customer?
By knowing this, you’ll understand what motivates them or puts them off from your product or service.
Bonus Tip: Use A Real Picture
If you can’t get a picture of your ideal customer…then visit websites such as pexels.com and pixabay.com.
They offer great free stock images, for you to use in your customer persona. A real picture of your ideal customer will help to visualize who you’re writing to.
So in conclusion…
Focus on all the characteristics and qualities of your ideal customer.
The more you understand what motivates or “turns off” your ideal customer, the better your copy will be in addressing all their pain points and desires.
I’ll leave you with some food for thought, by one of the greatest copywriters and direct response marketers who ever lived,
and it goes something like this…
Gary Halbert was teaching a marketing and advertising course to some fresh new students at a university.
He gave them a scenario that he knew almost everyone (usually it's everyone) will fail at.
He told the students. “Imagine you owned a hamburger stand, and you needed to sell all your hamburgers by the end of the day. What advantage would you like to have? You can have as many as you want.”
Hands shot up immediately… “I want to have the best tasting hamburger meat.” said one. “I want to have the softest, crispest hamburger bun.” said another. “I want to have my hamburger stand on the busiest street corner.” said a student in the back.
The students eventually agreed that if they combined all their ideas, they’d sell their hamburgers by the end of the day.
Gary remained silent for a bit, then looked up and said “I will be able to beat all your ideas with only one advantage…Guaranteed!”
“The only advantage I need to outsell all of you is…a STARVING CROWD!” In other words…your ideal customer is your starving crowd!
And that’s why…You Don’t Have to Sell to Everyone.
Bye For Now
P.S. As promised, click here for your FREE Customer Persona Template
