Who is the only person that matters in your business? Your customer or client, that’s who! But the real question is: How well do you really know them? And who is your ideal fan or follower?
I’m sure you’ve heard, time and time again, that defining your perfect customer is crucial to being successful in business. Many have even said that once they clearly defined their ideal client, the rest just fell into place.
If you know your fan so well that you can predict their needs and wants, not only will you be ahead of the game, but they will love you because you understand them.
You can download Your Ideal Fan Or Follower Worksheet here.
Target everyone = Sell to no one
Marketing guru Seth Godin once said, “Everyone is NOT your customer.” And he was right. By trying to target everybody, you’re essentially targeting nobody, which is a fatal blow to your social media presence, not to mention your overall business.
By understanding your target market – and therefore identifying your Ideal Fan or Follower – you will be able to create content that resonates, stay relevant to your audience and, ultimately, attract like-minded people to be advocates of your brand online.
Not-so-secret admirers
You want your Ideal Fan or Follower to do the following things:
- Like and share your content – but not just because they feel a loyalty to your brand but because they genuinely LIKE what you’ve got to say or show and believe that other people will, too
- Engage with you and your community because of an affinity that is shared between them and your brand. This includes conversing, collaborating, sharing ideas and communicating online and offline
- Spread the word about your ‘amazing’ product or ‘outstanding’ service to the like-minded people in their own circles and networks
Who are you? Who, who … who, who?
To get a really great snapshot of who your Ideal Fan or Follower would be on your social media platforms, it’s important to analyse exactly who you are targeting with your product or service.
Let’s break it down:
Demographics:
- How old are they?
- Mostly male or female?
- Did they finish high school or are they tertiary educated?
- What income bracket do they fall into?
- What’s their profession or job?
- Are they married? Single? Divorced?
- What is their life cycle stage, ie., new mums, retirees, school leavers?
Lifestyle:
- Consider their activities, ie. how do they spend their free time?
- What are their interests, ie. keeping fit or travelling the world?
- What are their opinions on key issues – such as politics, climate change or education?
Social and cultural factors:
- Are they upper, middle, lower class? White collar or blue collar?
- What is their cultural background? How would this impact potential purchasing decisions?
- Remember that groupings of different professions, income and education will have different buying habits and product preferences
Values or attitude factors:
- What are their aspirations or goals in life?
- What do they fear or are the biggest challenges they face?
- How does their self-image affect what they buy?
Now, that’s a pretty extensive list. But, hopefully, it’s something that you’ve considered already (before or soon after launching your business) so the answers should be top of mind.
Stand and deliver
It’s all well and good to know your target market inside and out but how do you turn them into your Ideal Fan or Follower?
Here’s some things to think about when getting inside the minds of customers or clients and brainstorming what exactly they want to see on your social media platforms and what incentives they need to evolve into raving fans:
- What is your unique selling point, your point of difference or the main drawcard to your brand? Capitalise on this by leveraging it throughout your social platforms and reminding people why they love you or your brand over the others.
- Who already loves your brand? Is there a bunch of people (or maybe just a couple) who have expressed their appreciation for your products or services on social media? Make a list of people who are passionate about your brand and ask them for a testimonial – either written or recorded – that you can share with your wider audience while giving them a plug at the same time.
- How can people (your Ideal Fans or Followers) connect with you? Make it easy for them. On which social platform can you build this community?
- What do you want your Ideal Fans or Followers to share? The more specific questions you ask, the better the responses and the more interaction you’ll promote.
- How can surprise and delight your fans? Think exclusive freebies, competitions, challenges or discounts that cater to social media fans only. Remember, it’s your job to continue adding value.
The Content Marketing Institute has some great examples of how big brands, including GoPro and Tourism Australia have turned customers into raving fans.
Keep the love affair going
Your Ideal Fan or Follower will evolve over time, just as your range of products or services and your overall brand or business. So it’s important to check in with them every now and then to gauge what they are loving, what they would like to see more of and perhaps what they could do without. The most qualified people to give you this info is the Ideal Fans or Followers you’ve already got in your corner.
A good rule of thumb to consider would be to ask your audience some questions each quarter as a general check-up and a thorough re-investigation addressing all the criteria we’ve outlined once every two years.
A simple reminder of who you’re talking to is always handy so fill out the Ideal Fan or Follower worksheet, fill it in and keep it close when brainstorming your social media content. It will be totally worthwhile!
You can download Your Ideal Fan Or Follower Worksheet here.
