One of the most often asked questions we hear from small business owners…
How do I find and attract my ideal customers?
There are so many coaches, consultants, and service providers out there. And some think that lowering the prices of their services might win customers over from the competition. And although that might work for a quick minute, offering discount services only hurts you and your clients in the long run.
For one thing, if you offer lower-priced services, you might not be willing to give your 100% because you know that deep down, your service is actually worth a lot more than what you’re being paid. And when your attitude changes, you end up short-changing yourself and your customers.
Even if you’re happy offering the lower-priced service, you can’t sustain that long term. Soon you’ll be burnt out from working around the clock trying to serve as many customers as possible when you could’ve been making more and working less if you charged a higher amount.
Some small business owners will pay thousands of dollars in marketing hoping to find new customers. And while, yes, you’ll get in front of more people, many of those people might not be your ideal customers and won’t end up investing in your services. Throwing money at the wall to see what sticks will lead to tons of wasted marketing dollars and nothing to show for it.
The right people will LOVE what you have to offer and will appreciate all the details that go into your service. And they’ll pay the right price!
So how do you find your dream clients?
To know how and where to find your ideal clients, you have to understand your target audience like the back of your hand.
Understanding your ideal clients is the number one piece of advice I give when it comes to your business and your brand. When you understand your ideal clients and how your service will help solve their problem, everything will fall into place.
We’ve created an interactive workbook, Discover Your Ideal Customers that dives deep into the details of who your dream clients are so that you not only know who they are, but you’ll know how to attract them to grow a massively successful business.
A lot of people want to skip this part of their business because it does take time and deep thinking, but once you do this, you’ll be able to connect the dots with your ideal customers, and learn how to make decisions regarding other aspects of your brand.
Do you already know who your ideal customers are? Great! Here are a few ways to find and attract your ideal customers to your business.
Get Referrals
Most of our client work has been through referrals. And we’re so grateful for our clients for passing along our info! Word of mouth has been one of the reasons why our business has been a success.
Referrals are one of the best ways to get new customers, but relying solely on referrals will have you doing business in a constant ebb and flow. When your business ebbs and flows, that means it’s not consistent…and that can be pretty stressful. Trust us!
If you want to try going the referral route, be sure to implement a system to follow up with past clients to see how they’re doing and if they know of anyone who would be a great fit for your business. When your past clients have a great working relationship with you, they’re always happy to support your business through referrals.
Build Connections
Build connections with the right people. Think about who your ideal client is and what they’re passionate about. Is their mission similar to yours? What kind of impact do they want to make? What do your ideal clients care about? If you have similar values and interests, building a genuine connection will happen naturally and the relationship you build will lead to new clients.
Team Up with Businesses
Partner up with businesses who share a similar target audience and strategize how you can utilize each other’s client base to help drive new business to each other. If you’re a business coach, you can partner up with a brand consultant to refer clients to and vice versa. Think through your client’s business journey and make notes of who can help them grow their business. Where do you fit in? Where would your potential partners fit in?
Optimize Your Website
Your website is one of the first interactions a potential client will have. Creating a website that’s easy to navigate, visually appealing, and one that connects with your audience will lead to new clients. There are a lot of web designers out there, but a website that actually generates new leads is built with strategy so be sure to work with someone that will guide you on the content and how to create a great experience for your target audience.
Write Guest Posts
Reach an existing audience by writing guest posts for another publication. While the compensation for writing that post might not be much (if any), being able to connect with thousands of new people can generate a lot of leads for your business.
Remember, it’s not about how many you write, it’s about writing guest posts that are the right opportunities. Think through your ideal clients and make notes of influencers and industry leaders they follow. The key is quality, not quantity.
Utilize Social Media
Thanks to social media, there are so many opportunities to reach thousands, and even millions, of people online. But again, it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality. So always focus on finding the right people to introduce your business to.
When you think about your ideal clients, which platforms do they use? What are they interested in learning? What type of content are they consuming?
If your ideal clients are in Facebook Groups, join some groups on your own and find people to connect. If they’re primarily on LinkedIn, join in on the conversations there and build those connections.
Create Valuable Content
The stats are in…
Creating genuine content that your ideal clients want to consume dominates the content creation game. 70% of people watch videos before they buy so if there’s a way to incorporate more video content into your business, you’ll be sure to generate more leads.
Let your target audience get to know you, help answer questions your ideal clients are struggling with, let people get a sneak peek into your business. These are just a few ways to get your target audience curious about you and your business. Once you build that trust with them, you’ll put them on a path to becoming a client.
Of course there are several ways you can generate new leads for your business. But to find and attract your ideal clients, the clients you absolutely love working with, you’ll need to figure out who they are first.
Finding your ideal clients starts with getting in front of the right people.
Finding your ideal clients starts with knowing what type of content to create for them.
Finding your ideal clients starts with creating a one-of-a-kind experience.
Finding your ideal clients starts with a website that resonates and converts them into new leads.
Take advantage of our interactive workbook, Discover Your Ideal Customers, and get to know who your ideal clients are so you’ll know how to attract them to your business.
Until next time,
Happy Branding!
