by Kirby Hasseman
Have you ever noticed that most organizations really struggle to market themselves effectively? They seem to throw random marketing ideas against the wall and hope something sticks! The interesting (and frustrating) thing is, for most companies, some of the marketing does work…but they are not sure which of their efforts is bringing the results. So they continue to try and little bit here and there in hopes that some day they will strike “marketing gold.” Most of the time they don’t…because they have not found their perfect customer.
Maybe this describes your company. We need to fix that.
If so, it’s time to dig in and find your perfect customer. This is the ideal customer for your product or service. This person loves what you have to offer, believes it is a great value and is happy to pay for it. This person even is an evangelist for your brand. Oh, and not coincidentally, you love dealing with them. By locating and marketing to your perfect customer, you can not only make your marketing more effective, you can make your business one that you enjoy working in more!
Stop Marketing To Everyone
You might be wondering if this “perfect customer” exists. Maybe. Maybe not. But one this is for sure, in order to find them, you have to stop trying to find every customer. As the old saying goes, “if everyone is your customer, no one is your customer.” It is not cost effective to try and get everyone…no one I know has the budget! So by narrowing your market down, you have a chance to tell your story directly to more people that will appreciate it.
10 Questions To Help Find Your Perfect Customer
In order to narrow your search down, it’s time to dig into some basic questions. You need to create a real picture of who this customer is. The more real this person is in your mind, the more specific you can be when creating messaging just for them. This person might be a customer that already exists for you, or it might (initially) be an avatar you create. But it’s important to ask some questions to find them…so you can market to them where they are. Here are a few questions that will get you started.
Where do they live?
Are they a man or a woman?
Are they married? Do they have children or are they single?
Where do they hang out or gather?
What associations do they belong to?
What are their favorite hobbies?
Why do they love your product or service?
Where do they use your product or service?
Where are they when they realize they need your product or service?
Why do they choose your product or service over the competition?
This list is a great start, but keep it going! Dig as deep as you can to outline the description of your perfect customer. When you have that, you have a much more clear idea on what to do next! If you want to take the next step, you can certainly take our FREE 5 Day Marketing Course here. This is designed to help you define the customer, and then create marketing that reaches them right where they are. And if you want to chat with us, just click “Let’s Talk” anywhere on the site…and we can help!
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s time for Episode 39 of the He Said She Said Podcast with Hasseman Marketing! This podcast is designed to give an inside look at being married and being entrepreneurs and the projects we are working on and the challenges we are facing! We talk about business, family, community and more. So listen in and let us know what you think!
On this episode we talk about…
Trending Topic
This week Kirby and Amy talk about the idea of ending the quarantine. While we are very excited to get back to “normal,” we discuss some things about the process that are making us nervous. Are we headed back for more?
Weekly Whirlwind
This week in the Weekly Whirlwind we get an opportunity to hear about big progress at the building on Main Street. Amy gives an update on flooring, painting, and using the time wisely during this shut down. You can even learn more and sign up for the waiting list here. Kirby talks about working hard on video projects…and a website redesign on the site. We would love to hear your thoughts on the new look! Here is the homepage for a shortcut!
Lesson In Life
This week in the “lesson in life” Kirby and Amy talk about thinking of others. This is something we should always do of course, but it might be more important than ever now. Are you considering how your actions affect others? Maybe we all should.
Shout Outs
Each week we want to give a shout out to an organization or an individual doing good work. This week we talk about how educators and administrators worked hard to make this year special for graduating seniors. We have all heard about the challenges, but there were some cool projects that made this year cool too.
So that’s a wrap! Thanks for listening to Episode 39 of the He Said She Said Podcast! Any feedback will be welcome as we try to provide you value! If you want to subscribe you can do that where you normally get podcasts…or you can head here to follow on Soundcloud.
Thanks so much for listening! If you have any topics you want Kirby and Amy to cover, please comment and let us know! Oh…and if you like this content, check out this page where you can find all of the content we create!
One final thing…we have created a 5 Day Marketing Course you can take for FREE. There is no catch. Learn more about it here.
by Kirby Hasseman
With some extra time on your hands during the pandemic, many people have decided to create content for their business and personal brand. I am excited to see the increase in activity in video, podcasts and blogs all over the business world. I think it’s a great use of time, and a great way to use this time to create long term business value. But as you start on your content journey (or if you are just considering it now), it’s important to not just “run and gun” your content. Here are a few questions to consider to make your content marketing pop.
Does This Answer a Question Or Concern of My Customers?
When I speak to business leaders, marketers and entrepreneurs about creating content, one of their concerns is where to start. What topic should I cover? What should I write about? The easiest place to start is to make a list of questions that your customers and prospects ask all of the time about your product or service. You probably already have the answers, because you handle them all of the time. If you can write a blog or create a video that answers that question you probably have a good piece of content.
But I think it’s important that this is not just a sales video. It’s not an ad. So many people create videos that say they are answering a question, but it’s really a full blown marketing pitch that only sells their own product. The idea is that you create value by answering a real question and add value to the customer. Once you have created value in the customer’s mind, and built trust, that is a great time to offer your product or service as a potential solution to the customer’s problem.
Does This Have a Point of View?
The famous Sports Talk Radio Host Jim Rome has a mantra he says to his callers. “Have a take…and don’t suck.” That might be good advice if you are calling a radio show, but these are great words of wisdom if you are creating content. Have an opinion. The idea of content marketing, in many ways, is to establish you or your brand as the expert. We go to experts for their opinion on matters. These experts have earned the right. That’s you. You have put in the work to be the expert in your area. So if you are going to take my time with a piece of content, have a point of view. Have a take. And don’t suck.
Is This Created With My Customers in Mind?
Many marketers and entrepreneurs have a “Toby Keith” problem with their marketing. They “wanna talk about me” all of the time. When we focus all of our marketing or our content on our own company, we lose sight of what is important…meeting the needs of our customer. The best content is created wit the customer in mind. It answers a question they need. It educates them to help them do their job better or make their lives easier.
Donald Miller talks about this in his great book Building Your StoryBrand. Many companies make themselves the hero of their story. It’s a mistake. As Miller says, in your marketing (and your content) you should position the customer as the hero of the story and your company should be the guide. So your customer is Luke Skywalker and your company is Obi Wan.
These are just a few questions to consider when creating a piece of content…and you want to make it pop. I think questions can be very powerful to lead us the right direction (I talk about more good questions here). If you have more questions about Content Marketing, check out Joe Pulizzi’s great book Content Inc on the subject here.
Thanks for reading! We will keep the content coming for you! If you want to catch up, you can head to our blog page here.
by Kirby Hasseman
We have all been to the small business that has been burned too many times. They have a new handwritten sign, it seems, for each customer infraction. The signs range from “No shoes. No Shirt. No Service” to announcing to the world that they “no longer accept checks.” Some small businesses get a bit carried away until their wall is papered with things their customer is not allowed to do for fear of tasing! As an entrepreneur myself, I understand. You sometimes get tired of being taken advantage of, and you want to make sure people know it.
But it’s important to be conscious of the message we are truly sending.
Especially now, as companies, stores and restaurants get ready to open to the public again, it’s important to consider the question “What message are you sending?” As business owners, we have been anxious about getting back open again. We might be frightened what will happen if we can’t get back to business. But we must remember that part of our audience is scared too. They are wondering if it’s safe to go back out…and you need to consider what message you are sending to them!
Is It Safe To Come in?
If a customer decides to come back to your business, are you showing them that you are ready? Do you have information displayed that explains how you are going to keep them safe? Do you have signs on the wall or stickers on the floor that discuss the idea of staying 6 feet apart? You might be thinking “They already know that,” and you would be right. But subconsciously (at the very least) they might be asking if you know it. Have the correct protocols in place show them that you do. That is the reason I think masks matter. I talk about that here.
Do They Really Want Me In?
Now is also a great time to look at your entrances and behind the counter of your businesses. Is everything necessary? Does your signage look welcoming? Does it look like I really want business to come in the door? We all have seen our businesses so many times that we stop seeing what it looks like. Now is the perfect time to look at it with fresh eyes. This is a chance to treat customers as if they are coming for the first time. What do you want them to see?
I am excited to get “back to work” as a country. I am sure you are too.. Now we just need to ensure we are doing it right…so we can keep everyone safe and working! If you enjoyed this, please check out our blog page for more content. And now is a great time to brush up on your marketing skills. Sign up for our (FREE) 5 Day Marketing Course here.
by Kirby Hasseman
We are all struggling in some way during this pandemic. Some more than others. As my buddy Bill Petrie said in a great blog he wrote “We are all in the same storm. But we are not in the same boat.” Some of us are honestly sick. Many are working on the front lines, tired and stressed. But many more Americans are fine…and just bored.
And so, it’s been a little troubling to me that many of us have responded like we are teenagers who have been grounded. But not like teenagers who are REALLY being punished. We still have our phones, our television and our password to Netflix!
As far as I can tell, many Americans, (who have clearly never REALLY had to struggle) are reverting to their spoiled teenage years. You can tell by what they say. See if you can recognize a few things you are seeing on social media.
“I don’t care what you say. I do what I want!”
When leaders in the government came out and alerted the public that this virus was a real threat, the message was pretty clear (at least from states). This virus can be deadly. In order to slow the spread, we need to stay at least 6 feet apart from one another. We also needed to stay at home so we could “flatten the curve.”
Everyone was frustrated by this. I know I was. It affected our social lives, our plans and even the economy. So naturally, a percentage of people gathered in a large group, closely together, in a public place (with rifles). Awesome.
When you understand how the spread of any virus works, most reasonable people can agree this is not the best strategy. But as spoiled teenagers would do, we snuck out our bedroom window to do it anyway. Well done.
“I don’t believe what my teachers and parents…no matter what they say!”
I remember this clearly in high school. No matter what the Vice Principal said, it was dumb. My parents did not know what they were talking about. And because I was SO unique, no adults seemed to understand me! I see this clearly on social media right now. Every day, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine comes out to address the public with new updates and mandates. DeWine has widely been regarded as a leader in handling the crisis, and is respected nationwide. But that does not stop armchair quarterbacks from questioning his every move.
In addition to this lack of faith in leadership, we seem to want to argue with everything. (Do you have a natural reaction to say “No we don’t?”)
A friend of mine recently posted an article where he said that it “changed his thinking on masks.” I know he was reticent about sharing it for fear it would cause an argument, but he thought it would be informative for those willing to read it. But one commenter said “I did not read the article, but I don’t agree.” Oh, for crying out loud! That leads nicely to…
“I don’t want to do my homework!”
In the interest of self-disclosure, I struggled with this as a student. I did not always want to do the work. A lot of teenagers were like that. But I hope that I have evolved as an adult. That does not seem to be the case with many Americans. We freely share and post memes and vides that we have done nothing to verify.
Then we get all bent out of shape when they are removed. I see people all over social media complaining that their posts have been taken down and claiming that Facebook, or the Government (or the Man) is violating Free Speech. Jeesh.
First, if you have ever posted something and it has been taken down because it has been determined as “completely false,” please take a moment and pause. This is not “the man” bringing you down. If anything, they are doing you a favor. You not only look silly, but you are, quite literally, spreading lies. Simple as that.
You do have the right to Free Speech in this country. But as you may recall, you do not have the right to yell “Fire!” in a crowded movie theater. That is a crime. You might remember that from your civics lesson. Or maybe you don’t…if you did not do your homework.
You know what I heard?
This is closely related to the gossip and conspiracy theories that we are seeing all over social media. Like needy teenagers that want the approval of their peers, we are very willing to share any crazy theory that comes our way. Back to the last point, it would be great if we would all push “pause” and do some research.
But if you don’t have time to research every theory (and you don’t) then just refrain from sharing! I think Facebook should have one more step that you need to complete when you hit the share button that says “Really? Are you sure you want to leverage your reputation on this?”
If you don’t have time to research, or like me, you are just not an expert in the area of healthcare, viruses, pandemics, and the like, you could say “I don’t know.” You could rely on the expertise of those that have dedicated their lives to studying these things.
Admitting that you don’t know is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength and maturity.
So, before you spread gossip, you might consider asking an expert in the field. But that might be a challenge if you struggle with Number 2.
I don’t really care about anyone else.
Sorry to offend any teenagers reading this, but most of us were more selfish back in our teens. I know I was. But I would like to think that I have grown a bit since then. I have more life experience and understand better that my actions have consequences outside of my own life. So, it troubles me that I see what appears to be a real lack of consideration for anyone else from a percentage of the population. Have we really gone this far backwards?
I am not a scientist or a doctor. But science suggests that wearing a mask can help you from spreading your germs to others. This article says that though masks might not help you protect yourself as much, doing so would help others.
It begs the question, if you can do something that is a minor annoyance to you but can help the rest of the country, would you do it?
Please understand that I say this with love. Just like a proud parent, I see our potential. During this pandemic, I have struggled with most of these as well…that is probably why I see them.
One final note of clarification: I know I said we need to listen to our leaders. I believe we do. But that does not mean blind following of orders. We still do need to maintain critical thinking. I have never agreed with everything from any leader. If you agree with EVERYTHING a leader says, you might not have a leader. You might be in a cult. But despite that healthy skepticism, I often understand that they have more information than me at the time.
Regardless of your stance on masks, or leadership, or health experts, I would love to see us all get back to the basics. Let’s work to help one another. Let’s make others safety a priority. And let’s fight off the urge to be angry all of the time…and be kind.
Thanks for reading this! If you want to stay up on all of our content, please check out our blog page here.
