Welcome to Part 2 of Megan’s Journey of Internet Marketing.
In our last episode, Megan learned how to identify her product or service https://www.tagwyo.com/post/definingyourproduct
After identifying this key first step it was time for step 2, Finding your Ideal Customer.
Megan was beginning to get the idea that marketing on the internet, or anywhere, is a process. After finding her Service, which was to make her customer feel good about their yard and to save them time and trouble, she needed to identify who it was that values that service the most and is therefore willing to pay for it.
“Now tell me about your best customers,” I asked. “Well I know it is not Jeff Anderson” she barked. He is always looking for a way to shave a buck off the bill, asking me to trim less, and only edge the lawn 3 times a year. He doesn't care what it looks like!” He drives me crazy and I barely make any money there.” Sometimes you have to start finding your ideal customer by deciding who you don't want.
Megan went on to tell me about her favorites and they all seem to have similar attributes. They care a lot about how their landscaping looks. They value her advice and understand the value of the service she provides. She got excited about the conversation at this point; telling stories about her favorite clients. She also told me that these people also provide the bulk of her profits
and her referrals.
After some time we focused down on Megan’s Ideal Customer. Focusing here can bring her the most profits and the least headaches. We drew up an Ideal Customer Profile, detailing more about who the person was, where they live, what social media apps they use, what publications they read, and where they hang out. Some of this was speculation as data here can be hard to find, but this can be adjusted over time as Megan learns more.
“But what about the rest of the people?” she asked. “Do I just ignore them? Won't I get a reputation?” "How happy is Jeff Anderson as a customer?" I asked. “Is he out singing your praises to his neighbors?” Serving a customer that is a bad match is not good for you or your customer.
“You don't have to say “no” to your non-ideal customer”, I explained, ”Just make sure that you price your product to them in a way that still makes it a good deal for you to have them.” Jeff Anderson takes a lot of time and does not value Megan’s work, and dealing with his complaints takes time away from her ideal customer. I explained how she can apply this “non-ideal customer premium to her quotes. They likely will not take the quote, allowing her to focus on getting Ideal Customers, or if they do, the pricing accounts for the extra costs they incur. Megan started thinking about “annual price increases” for a few targeted customers as well.
“OK, so we know what we are selling and who we want to sell it to. We are getting through the process” I said. “Yeah, you and your process” she smiled. What’s next?
Next, we need to spell out why folks should work with you rather than your competitors, your Value Proposition, or Step 3
I outlined the 5 steps of marketing any business.
Step 1. What do you sell? Define your product or service.
Step 2. Who do you want to sell it to? Your Ideal Customer
Step 3. Why should anyone buy from you? Your value proposition
Step 4. Where do they hang out? What is the best place to reach them online? Your Online Presence
Step 5. How do you help them? Your Pain Points and Benefits.
Once we have this process complete we can set a strategy based on what we know. Who knows, maybe we might even want to do SEO.
Watch this space for the rest of the story.
Comments