In last month’s blog I talked about the importance and value of focussing ALL your marketing on one person - your ‘ideal’ customer – your Avatar. This move often doesn’t seem to make sense to many business owners because they feel they are ignoring a whole range of people. It can be a painful and difficult decision to make, but it is absolutely necessary! It is easier to market and sell to a particular type of person than a diverse range of people. Imagine selling the same mobile phone to an elderly person and someone in their 20s. You would naturally focus on different aspects of the phone depending on who you were talking to at the time. Your marketing would be focussed on that particular niche. Now, that is not to say that you shouldn’t target both groups, and businesses often have different Avatars for different products or services.
So, who do you choose to be your Avatar?
It should be someone:
- you know, or know of – not a fictitious character!
- you want to help
- you like and respect
- you would stand up for and would be an advocate for
- willing to build a relationship with you
- actively seeking to pay for what you have to offer (this is very important!)
So you have chosen your Avatar, what next?
Get to know and more importantly ‘understand your Avatar’
One of the guaranteed keys to your success will be how well you can accurately identify with your Avatar and how well you craft a message to them so that it makes them feel you are talking directly to them and know exactly who they are. If your Avatar was an iceberg, it is the bit of them below the water level that you need to really understand. Tell me about them…
- Describe them. How old are they? What are they wearing?
- What is their marital status? Do they have children? If so, how old are they and what are they doing now?
- What do they do for a living and what is their income?
- Where do they live? What sort of house and area do they live in?
- What do they spend their money on?
- What do they enjoy doing in their spare time?
- What are their likes and dislikes?
- What do they want? What are their hopes and dreams?
- What are their really big hopes and dreams?
- What are their top fears and frustrations? What keeps them awake at night?
- What is the pain they have that you can solve with your offering?
- What do they really want in relation to what you have to offer?
Marketing will seem easier
Once you fully understand your Avatar you will be amazed how much easier it is to write marketing messages that hit the spot and get your customers 
attention quickly and simply. You will start to build relationships with your customers because they know that you understand them. It will make selling your products or services easier. You and your customers will know you are selling them the things that they need and want in a way that appeals and speaks directly to them. If you have thoughts or opinions on what I have said, leave a comment here, I’d love to hear from you. In my next blog I am going to delve into SEO (search engine optimisation) – do you know where your website ranks in Google or how to increase its ranking?