In the last blog I talked about how to find your purpose to create a heart-led business. This time I’m going to look at identifying that ideal person you would like to buy your service or product.
Who are you trying to help?
If you are running a heart-led business, the chances are that you’re trying to solve a problem or provide a product or service to help someone in need. In order to show that person how you can help them, or how your business can solve their problem, you need to develop a good relationship with them and enable them to put their trust in you. This will only truly work if you know exactly who it is you’re talking to. You can figure this out if you work through the following ‘ideal client’ (also known as a ‘customer avatar’) sequence:
Step 1: Think of the perfect person who would benefit from what you have to offer. Give them a name. Picture them in your mind. Are they male or female? How old are they? Are they single, married, divorced? Do they have children? Write these features down, or even draw a picture or cut out a photo from a magazine that represents the person you’re thinking of.
Step 2: Now think about what this person does. Are they employed or do they run their own business, for example? Maybe they are based at home because they are retired or bringing up children. What are their hobbies and interests? Their likes and dislikes? What level of income do they have? What are their goals and aspirations for the future? Write it all down.
Step 3: Finally, think about the problems they have in their life or their work. What are the ‘pain points’ that they can get help with by using your product or service? What value can you bring to their life? Get really specific on this. What results will they get if they work with you? Again, get it all down on paper.
A concrete example
Probably the best way that I can show you how to do this is to show you the work that I’ve done on my customer avatar.
Meet Jenni.
Jenni is 48 years old. She is married and has two teenage daughters. She used to work in a large publishing corporation, but last year she decided to set up her own business so that she could work with other socially motivated entrepreneurs on the graphic design for their businesses. She also wants to write a blog and a book and a course to help other business women develop their own design skills.
Jenni’s pain points
Jenni is trying to grow her new business but is frustrated because she never seems to have enough hours to do everything she needs to in the business and still spend quality time with her family and her friends. She feels stuck and overwhelmed and isn’t sure how to move forward. One specific area Jenni finds painful is writing effectively for her business. The graphics are fantastic, but she struggles with finding the right words and tone of voice when writing her book, course and marketing materials. In particular, she hates to come over as ‘salesy’ or ‘pushy’ when addressing potential clients.
The value I can give Jenni
I can help Jenni in a number of ways:
- I can teach her time management and other business skills and coping strategies so that she can manage her energy, her business and her family life effectively without burning out.
- I can collaborate with her to produce her written materials for her from scratch, producing copy that is clear, fit for purpose and engaging to her own ideal client.
- I can take the text that she has already written and edit it to make it sparkle, or proofread it to eliminate any errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar so that it makes that all-important great first impression.
- As a result, Jenni will be able to focus on the areas that she’s best at, spend fewer hours working and still attract more clients and grow her business. She will have a happier, healthier life and a more successful work/life balance. She will have clear, error-free courses and books that establish her as an expert in her field. And she will have more of the impact that she wants to have in the world!
Now that you know your ideal client or customer avatar inside out, you need to make sure that they are front of mind every time you put pen to paper to write business copy that will attract them. The more you can picture them in your head, and know the problems they are facing, the more heart-felt your business copy will be and the easier it will be to talk directly to them and build a trusting relationship.
In the next blog, I will discuss specific ways in which you can write in order to foster this relationship. In the meantime, if you’d like ongoing tips, advice and support, why not join my free community over on Facebook?
Alternatively, if you need more focused support in writing your business copy – whether it be for your website, your social media posts, or that book or course you’re planning – you can work with me on a 1:1 basis. I can tailor what I do to exactly what you need in your business, from planning your content, giving your writing a quick proofread, or even helping you to write your content completely from scratch.
Why not book in a free discovery call with me so we can have a good chat about what you are up to in the world and how I might best be able to support you?