Are you the sort of person who finds it difficult to talk to strangers? Many of us don’t enjoy talking to people we don’t know — so how do you find common ground to talk about or even start a conversation when they’re a stranger?
It is always so much easier when you are chatting to someone if you actually know them isn’t it. It’s like this when you are talking to your customers, whether you are selling face to face, asking for feedback, communicating through newsletters and emails or even blogging. Knowing who you are chatting to will make it not only easier for you in the first place, but also create more connection and trust between you if you have an understanding of who they are and what makes them tick.
As a business owner you’ll have some idea of who your ideal customer is, but have you thought about them beyond the obvious? Take a few minutes out to ask yourself these 10 questions below, by the end you’ll have a much better understanding of who you are targeting with your communications, on-line, in print or in person.
Not just their age and demographic but where do they live?
Think about their social economic status. Family, career, house, income.
What are their hobbies and interests?
What do they like and dislike?
What other brands and products do they buy?
What do your customers actually buy from you?
Why do they buy from you and not a competitor?
What do they want from your product or service?
What factors will they consider before they buy from you?
Where do they get their information from before buying from you?
Use these questions to build up a profile of your ideal customer, it’s not crazy to give them a name. You might find that you have several different types of profiles, naming them helps to identify them individually.
So next time you are communicating with a potential customer, either speaking directly or sending out a newsletter, email or blogging through your website remember your profiles. Talk to them in a voice they’ll connect with about subjects they’ll relate too. Engage with your customers, build trust and empathy. By understanding who you are talking to you will create a stronger brand and a healthy business with more loyal customers.
Fiona Johnson, runs Fiona Johnson PR and is based in Hampshire, UK. She specialises in supporting business owners to build themselves powerful reputations through PR-led communications. Fiona has worked with some amazing businesses gaining wide ranging media attention to create visibility and credibility enabling them to stand out from the competition. So if you are looking for someone to help you get started with Public Relations, from on line media to help boost your SEO strategy, to national or regional print coverage or to learn how to approach the media yourself through one of her training workshops - Fiona is the person to speak to. If you would like to discover more about Fiona and how Public Relations can work for you, please click here to visit the website.