To understand what motivates your ideal client, create an Ideal Client Persona.
What is an Ideal Client Persona? It is a detailed analysis of the characteristics, demographics, aspirations, interests, goals, problems and challenges of a typical client you believe you can help with your product or service.
How does an Ideal Client Persona help you? Traditional marketing is a thing of the past. Your ideal clients, like the rest of us, have complete control over what information they spend their time reading or listening to. They will only give their attention to information that is valuable to them to solve a problem or achieve a goal they have today. The better you understand your Ideal Client, the easier it will be to reach them with content that will capture their attention and motivate them to buy from you or hire you.
How do you create an Ideal Client Persona? Here are three steps you can use.
Identify one typical client. Even if you have more than one type of typical client, I suggest you begin by creating one Ideal Client Persona. Which type of clients do you have the most experience working for, which ones are best suited for the product or service you are offering? You can add others later, but I would start with one for now.
Gather information about this ideal client. You will probably be surprised how much you already know. However, dig deeper. Ask your existing clients to share their challenges and goals. Do research online. Remember, you are trying to put yourself in their shoes. The better you understand your ideal client, the better your will understand what information they need from you.
Create a mind map for your Ideal Client Persona. Take the information you’ve already gathered and organize it in a way that lets you pull out the emotion at the core of their desire for change (remove challenge or achieve goal). It looks like this:
Who are they? Gather the basic demographic facts you’ve identified for your persona – age, gender, married or single, children, education, job, position, etc.
What are their External Pressures? What external pressures do they have? What goals they have been tasked with achieving? What are the challenges they face to get those tasks done?
What are their Aspirations and Challenges? What do they want to achieve personally? What are the problems and challenges they face to do that? Personal goals are much more motivating than targets externally set. This is usually what drives people.
Know and Feel Factors. What will feel like a big personal win to them? What can your business do to help them get that win? Key into the emotions that drive your Ideal Client and use that motivation to frame your content. If your content resonates with things they truly care about, it will increase the power and impact of your message.
Content marketing is about connecting with your ideal client personas and sharing information they will find valuable through your blog, your email campaigns, on your Facebook or LinkedIn pages, anywhere you share information. By creating an Ideal Client Persona you will understand what drives them or motivates them. This will make it easier to create content they will find valuable.
Are you ready to use content marketing for your business? You can do it and in less time than you think. The 5 Steps to Attract More Qualified Leads will have you connecting with your ideal client persona is as little as 5 hours a week. Ask me how.