How we attract our perfect clients, every time
Isn't this Summer proving to be completely gorgeous so far?!
This year has been mega for us. We've really stepped up our game and the business is storming in exactly the direction we all worked so hard to achieve.
One of the biggest changes this year are the people who are hiring us - each and every one of our clients have been a brilliant fit. It wasn't always this way, though. If you want to ditch the nightmare clients (impossible to please, quibble on price, refuse to pay), this one's for you.
I would LOVE to see you in the same delicious position as us. It's totally within your reach. Here's how...
1/ Know who your dream customers are
It's all too easy to fall into the trap of gratefully clinging on to anyone who glances your way, especially when you're starting out. But if they're not right for you, they'll be a drain - on your time, finances and energy. We decided to build a picture of the people we'd most like to work with. What are they like? How do they behave? What's important to them? The better we understood what makes our perfect customer tick, the more informed we became with our marketing decisions. It became less about booking that last minute advertising slot in a local magazine and more about carefully considering, 'what does Emma need to see on our website to make us the obvious choice to her?'.
2/ Know why they need you, and only you
The trick is to be as relevant as possible to the people you want to do business with. For ages I was a little bit ashamed that we're a small team, and a family one at that. What a massive mistake! That's precisely why our clients love us - they come to us because we're the absolute opposite of sales-driven, swishy and corporate branding agencies that completely lack any passion or substance. And guess what? As soon as we started wearing our family business title with pride, we started attracting a great many more family businesses who are just like us. We're the only creative team who can not only deliver a knock-out brand identity, but who understand the unique dynamics of working with those closest to you.
3/ Know where your customers hang out
Please, please don't waste your precious pennies on another marketing push until you've truly thought about where your people go when they're looking for what you do. Now that you know who your perfect customer is, ask yourself which blogs and magazines they read, which social media platforms they use and what sort of events they go to. When we discovered that our most powerful routes to being found were instagram and our website, we stopped spending on local advertising. We've never been busier.
4/ Tell a richer story
For whatever reason - naivety on my part, probably - we spent a long time attempting to sound a bit more posh and primped than we really are. The result was that nobody cared about us. Why would they? We gave them nothing to get excited about. As soon as you inject personality into your story, you ignite an interest. It takes guts, for sure - but you won't regret it. Our clients love us for our imperfections, and yours will do to.
5/ Be distinctive
Don't use the same worn-out lines or formulaic visual style that everyone in your industry uses. What's memorable or engaging about that? And above all, how does that help your customer to choose you? Take every opportunity you can to position your visual identity, tone of voice, language and so on to stand out. Even if your customer isn't ready to buy right now, you'll stick in their minds for when the time's right.
I hope this all strikes a chord with you? If you're ready to be bold and really stand out, give this all a go. And let me know what impact it has on your business!
