Everyone knows 60 per cent of small businesses fail, most at the first major hurdle which is connecting with the people they want to sell to. Here at the top three reasons content and advertising do not hit the mark.
1. You don’t know who they are
If you haven’t taken the time to determine who your ideal customer is, reaching them is going to be an issue. Here is the easiest way to determine your business’s ideal customer or customers.
What problem is your business solving? i.e. We are helping people who need 24-hour pharmacies. Or we are allowing people to bring their dogs to work safely.
Who are the people you are solving this problem for? i.e. Parents who are looking for late-night children’s medicines or nappies in the first instance. And dog lovers returning to the office after the pandemic in the second.
How old are they? i.e. 30-40 year-old parents / 20-30 year-old dog lovers. What is their lifestyle? i.e. busy, sleep deprived / active. Where do they live or work? i.e. Suburbs / inner city.
2. You are not speaking their language
People want to buy from people who “get them”, people who sound like them, and think like them. So, when you are writing for your brand it has to be in a way they can relate to. How do I do that you ask?
First, make an ideal customer or avatar (Please note: You can have more than one ideal customer)
For example, if you have determined that your target audience is a 30-40-year-old parent with a busy lifestyle who lives in the suburbs, narrow that down to one person in that group. Say, a 35-year-old mother who has two young kids, works full time and lives in Point Cook, Melbourne. Let’s call our ideal customer Sarah. Make her as real as you can in your mind and write like you are talking to Sarah, including the kind of language she might use. The kind of things she might be interested in. i.e. pharmacy sales alerts. The kind of pop culture references she will understand. No point making Blockbuster jokes if she has never had to rewind a video.
3. They are not sure what you are offering
Once you have determined your target audience, you need to ensure that your business is clear on what it does. To do that you need a strong mission statement that includes the following:
- Why your company exists, i.e. to help people find pharmacies open 24 hours.
- Your vision for the future, i.e. to use the app to determine areas that need greater access to overnight pharmacy services.
- Your values, i.e. accountability, diversity, and inclusion.
Create clear products and service descriptions that tell your customer what they are buying and what is included. On top of this you can add the feeling or experience, but just saying you are buying freedom or happiness is not going to cut it.
Taking the time to get the foundations right means that you don’t waste time throwing spaghetti at the wall to see if it sticks. Follow the recipe and it will be al dente every time.
