So, you don’t believe in ideal clients!
But wouldn’t it defeat the purpose of marketing if you didn’t know who you were speaking to or how to speak to them? However, if you insist that “you’re special,” I’m about to deflate your narcissism by telling you that your problem is not knowing how to recognize the difference between a target audience and an ideal client.
What your target audience cares about will vary while still being related to what you do. However, your ideal client will be the person in need of your services, financially able to afford you, credible enough in their field to justify acquiring your expertise, and possess the mental stamina to do the continued work it takes to reap the benefits after working with you.
This distinction transcends mere demographics or psychographics. The essence lies in the alignment of values between you and your clients, which is fundamental for successful marketing.
Is The Compatibility Firing On Both Cylinders Or Barely Giving A Spark?
Effective business and client relationships hinge on compatibility. For example, what a prospect and I will consider to ensure doing business together is a perfect fit. Conversely, when one person gets more out of it than the other, “the compatibility” becomes lopsided. For example, offering services without knowing what makes someone compatible with you often results in unfulfilling engagements, despite financial gains. This lopsided! This imbalance leaves you feeling like you can’t catch a break.
Local salespeople would have you believe failure to attract ideal clients is due to “the market changing”. But according to Steve Jobs when marketing is about values, change doesn’t matter.
On the other side of things, sometimes the reverse is experienced where the client benefits 100% from the service provided, but approximately 45% or more of the needs of the one providing the service are unmet. So an example here would be service providers who offer a lot of discounts to get clients.
Visualize it through ‘the circle in the square’ example shown by relationship therapist, Spirit.
When you haven’t worked with enough clients to understand who you should be working with, this can happen. The difference between someone lacking experience and someone financially benefiting off the ignorance of their clients is in the reversed position the one financially benefiting takes. Rather than the client being the circle, the business owner is the circle and the client ends up walking away feeling unfulfilled. It’s like purchasing food that looks tasty, only to realize that it isn’t. But, the business owner still got paid!
Neither of the aforementioned approaches is effective; they are both dysfunctional and avoidable with branding.
"OK, But Despite Lacking Focus, I’m Already Creating Valuable Content."
Socializing with people who share the same values as you (but might not be ready to work with you) and who can recommend you to someone ready to buy now is still valuable because it builds brand awareness and encourages referrals.
At the end of the day, it’s ideal clients who are the better referral sources, who generate financial growth, fuel your success rating, and by extension, the marketing efforts for your business. So, don’t get comfortable with “creating valuable content” alone. Reverse engineer now to figure out what’s making your message stick!
For example, the clients I’ve been able to acquire came through my writing, and I was able to reverse engineer what specifically they were getting out of my services that helped them be their very best online.
Real precision comes from understanding who a specific objective fits; not from creating content that’s one day telling someone how to build a website and the next, you’re giving them electrical installation advice. Unfortunately, this is where influencers start defending what they offer or talk about as “for everybody”.
The Brand Voice: What It Is & Why It Matters
When ‘the brand voice’ is mentioned locally, it’s typically rooted in a lot of generic or confusing information that either doesn’t do a good enough job of saying why ‘a brand’s voice’ matters or it doesn’t help someone interested in branding understand where ‘the voice’ comes from to fully appreciate its make up.
1. Why does a brand’s voice matter?
The voice is The Northstar to your ideal client’s problems. It tells your ideal clients that your services exist. It tells them why and points them to the solution you provide for whatever that reason is.
2. Where does the brand’s voice come from
The voice comes from the value of your services.
Now (considering you consider ideal clients a myth), testing their existence by creating a voice they’ll that personifies the value of your services is the best way to know for sure if they’re a myth or not.
Cru Nonpareil’s voice alone was able to earn the brand quite a bit of media attention (without paying for any of it). The trickle-down effect has been quite amazing to watch with local celebrities and public figures paying to work with him.
What do you have to lose?
👇Use the social links below to share my article if you liked it
Comments