Wherever you are in your business journey, whether you’re sitting on an idea, starting out, stepping up or scaling your business there’s ONE thing you need to be super clear on – your customer avatar.
It’s not enough to say that everyone is your ideal client. If you speak to everyone you speak to no-one. You have to have a certain client or customer in mind so that when you communicate, they know that you’re specifically talking to them
If you’re in the stepping up or scaling phase then you’ve probably got this down pat (or you know how to transition between different client and customer avatars)
However, if you’re sitting on a business idea (or a side hustle) or have just started your business, then you may be wondering why this is so important.
Let me tell you…..
If you target everyone, how do you know:
❓ where your customer avatar hangs out online and offline
❓what language they use and respond to
❓ what they read, watch and listen to
❓ who and what they’re influenced by
This info is vital for the success and longevity of your business. Not just for a PR campaign but for everything that you do:
💻 your website
💻 your social media posts
💻 your written content and video content
💻 your newsletters and email marketing campaigns
💻 your printed materials
💻 even the images that you use!
WHO. WHAT. WHERE. HOW. WHY?
If you’ve only just created an idea, or only recently launched then ask yourself these questions:
WHO have you created your product/service for? Is it men, women, teenagers or children? Is it women within a certain age bracket? Is it men at a certain stage in their life?
WHAT is the problem that you’re solving? Are you offering women a solution to dealing with the menopause? Are you helping men who have been made redundant? Have you created a cool new educational toy for tots?
WHERE are these ideal clients going to look for a solution to their problems? Are they searching Google, joining forums or Facebook Groups, or looking online for educational content?
HOW are you solving their problem? Have you created an online programme that they can join? Have you written a book to share your knowledge and expertise?
WHY have you chosen to create this product or service? Was it to share your own personal story? Is it because it doesn’t currently exist? Is it simply because there was a demand that wasn’t being met?
WHY would they choose your product or service over a competitor?
If you’re an established business then you should be able to look at your data insights statistics see who your core customer is. You can see who is buying your stuff, where they live and how old they are.
This information plays a hugely impactful role in how you market your business and what platforms to invest money into.
NOW WHAT?
Now that you know WHO your customer avatar is (or who you want them to be) the next step is to figure out where you can find them. This is where the fun begins! 😝
If your product or service is aimed at women who need support while going through the menopause, it’s probably safe to assume that they’ll be 45+.
You need to know where women aged 45+ look for knowledge and advice. When it comes to media outlets, it could be:
- Women’s weekly magazines, such as Woman, That’s Life and Take a Break
- Women’s monthly magazines such a Prima, Red and Psychologies
- TV programmes such as This Morning and Loose Women
- Radio Shows
- Blogs
- Newspapers such as The Daily Mail and The Daily Express
- Video content on YouTube or TikTok
WHAT NEXT?
In order to reach your customer avatar on a wider level then my next piece of advice would be to pitch your idea to the publications you’ve identified as being consumed by your customer avatar.
If you’re new to PR, don’t freak out! Contacting journalists and building relationships with them is way easier and less uncomfortable than you think (I have a free guide that will help you get started. Click here to download it)
ONE THING TO BE MINDFUL OF…
Your mind monkeys / inner critic is going to be going WILD AF – be warned! But also, don’t listen to it. Honestly, the voices in your head will say anything they can to keep you safe and stop you from moving forward.
(Without sounding batshit crazy, talk to your monkeys/inner critic – reassure them, let them know that you’ve got this and they’ll soon turn the volume back down)
REMEMBER:
✅ You know WHO your ideal client is
✅ You know WHAT problem you’re solving.
✅ You know HOW you’re solving it
✅ You know WHY you created it and why they should choose your brand
That’s half the battle won! 🏆
Once you know WHAT your client avatar reads / watches / listens and responds to, knowing WHICH media outlets to pitch to becomes crystal clear
Then it’s simply a case of pitching ideas to those media outlets and securing media coverage
If that feels way too far out of your comfort zone then I’ve created a handful of affirmations that you can access in my book ‘How To Get PR’
