It is common knowledge in the business world that if you want to create a product your customers like and market it in a way that gets your customers excited, you need to know your ideal customers. We’ve talked a little bit about how to identify your ideal customers. But how do you get to know them?
Social Media
Find an ideal customer or two on social media. The easiest way to do this is to pick one of your existing customers. Read their social media posts so you can understand them better. You want to learn:
- How they want others to see them
- What their issues are
- How they talk about their issues
- What they consider a “win”
- What gets them ranting
- What gets them raving
LinkedIn is a great place to research this information because you can see not only their posts but how they interact with other people on a professional platform. Look at how they talk about other businesses they work with. What do they compliment in their testimonials? If they talk about bad experiences they have had, what elements do they mention?
Other Products
Don’t just find the services and products they use; find the services and products they rave about. Why do they recommend these products, and what do they love about them? Create a bank of companies that they love for future reference. You can find common elements that link these products to create marketing theories you can test.
Forums
Find online forums where they talk. For some people, this may be their social media; for others, they may talk in forums.
Not everyone on these forums will be your ideal customer, so take the things you read with a grain of salt. But you can learn a lot about the problems people have and the solutions people recommend by reading forums. We recommend looking for things that come up regularly so you can identify patterns rather than trying to cater to the differing opinions.
Discovery Calls
Discovery calls are a great way to get to know your ideal clients a little better. They offer you a chance to converse with them and learn about them and their business.
A big part of the discovery call is talking about the goals of your prospective client. Find out what your client is trying to achieve and what would achieving their goal mean for them. If they have a goal for the service you provide, take the time to understand why they have chosen that goal. What would achieving that goal mean to them and for the wider company?
Clients will often focus on the monetary aspects of their goals, but there is usually more that goes into that goal. Stress and worry are often major factors. Are they worried about their compliance because it could mean their business gets shut down?
Another common factor in a business owner’s goal is time. Service-based business owners want more time to focus on the service they provide. If your product or service can save them time, they may be able to bring on new clients. Alternatively, they may want to get some leisure time back. They may be struggling with their work-life balance currently, and your services will provide them with more time with their family.