I’m a small business owner like you. I offer web design and related services.
As a business owner, you want your business to thrive. Here are 5 ways to make your business more profitable by focusing on your ideal customer.
Tip #1 Understand Your Ideal Customer (or Client)
It is up to you to decide who you want to attract as a customer or client. And this comes down to your core values as a business.
For me, I like helping the little guy (and I use the word guy to mean person). This doesn’t mean I won’t take larger clients. But I focus my marketing and my services on the small end of town – small businesses, not-for-profits, kids sporting clubs and alike.
You need to choose who your ideal customer would be. Let’s call her Sarah.
Then place yourselves into Sarah’s shoes.
- What is her day-to-day life like?
- What problems does encounter?
- What does she aspire to?
All three question helps you to genuinely empathise with Sarah. But questions 2 & 3 help you to identify what Sarah would be willing to buy and why she would be willing to buy it?
When it comes to why, it is important to identify underlying emotions as well as rational reasons. Keep this insight tucked away, as you will use it during many of the following strategies.
You use this insight to genuinely position your product or service as a way of:
- Solving Sarah’s problem
- Helping Sarah achieve an aspiration
- Improve here day-to-day life
Tip #2 Put Yourself in Front of Your Ideal Customer
Now that you have defined and delved into the needs of your ideal customer, it is time to put your product or service in front of them. This is the realm of marketing, advertising, and SEO.
If you don’t have a bricks-and-mortar office or shop, then your website will be the face of your business. Choose a web designer who can help make your website work for you – not just look pretty.
My advice is to invest in SEO early, but it can take 6 months or more to work. Even then, there are no guarantees. But SEO should be baked into your initial web design and nurtured over a 6-month period.
In the short term, use advertising and boosted posts on social media.
You need to spend money to make money. But keep track of what works and what doesn’t, then adjust your spending accordingly.
Another good option for local businesses is to set up a Google Business Profile, along with Bing Business Places and Apple Maps. These listings are free.
Tip #3 Reign In & Focus Your Expenses on Your Ideal Customer
Budgeting is critical to the success of any business. The reverse is also true. In fact, the University of Technology Sydney found that financial mismanagement was the most common reason Australian small businesses fail.
While increasing revenue is always good, there is a saying that it is easier to save a dollar than make a dollar.
Look at your expenses. You should be spending money on things that bring you business. And that means things that attract your ideal customer to your website.
So, your prioritised spending should be on advertising and SEO. But don’t spend money on advertising or SEO blindly. If a particular form of advertising isn’t bringing you business – cancel it. And, if SEO doesn’t work after 6 months, it isn’t going to work for you.
Tip #4 Delight Your Ideal Customer
Your goal should never be just to land new clients and customers. Rather, you need to aim to delight them.
This starts by attracting your ideal customer to your product or service that genuinely meets their needs. Attract the wrong people and they’ll be unhappy. Attract the right people but offer a poorly matched product/service and they will be unhappy.
But delighting customers goes beyond this by offering exceptional service, great communication and a wonderful experience.
Think of when this happened to you and put that insight to good use.
Tip #5 Keep in Touch with Your Ideal Customer
According to Forbes Magazine, attracting new customers is 5 times more expensive than gaining repeat business.
And according to research done by Bain & Company, a 5% increase in customer retention can profits from between 25-95%.
But how do you deliberately nurture repeat business? The answer is email marketing, but with a twist.
Use an opt-in process to build up an email list of existing clients. Then, offer them:
- Useful information that is relevant to their needs
- Updates about products and services
- Exclusive offers and discounts.
The 5 Ways to Make Your Business Profitable in a Nutshell
- Understand your ideal client or customer
- Put yourself in front of your ideal customer
- Reign in and focus your expenses on your ideal customer
- Delight your ideal customers
- Keep in touch with your ideal customer
If you would like help with website design, SEO or email marketing drop me an email.