Written by: Kate Greunk, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Are you tired of trying different marketing ideas just to “find what works,” only to find that none of them work? You and everyone else, my friend! To most business owners, marketing feels overly complex and expensive. This is largely due to the fact that we think we need a heavy social media presence, digital ads, and a ridiculously long email sequence.
What if I told you that marketing didn’t have to be this way? It’s time to strip away the marketing strategies that don’t align with your ideal client and focus on the key tactics that have decades of proven success behind them.
If you aren’t sure how to find your ideal client or create a sales funnel that speaks to them and generates income, you are reading the right article. Let’s dive in.
How to Find Your Ideal Client
Before you market your business, you have to know your clientele. Need a quick way to determine who your ideal client is? Try one of these tactics:
Tactic No.1 Your Past Clients
If you've already worked with someone whom you would consider to be your dream client, list why you liked them and their project. Take note of their specific life situations (married, retired, etc.) and actual problems they faced (building a second vacation home, organizing their many collectibles, and so on).
Ask yourself: If you focused solely on serving this particular type of client, would you enjoy running your business? Would you be able to create streamlined systems, processes, and internal templates that would help you serve that type of client seamlessly and consistently?
Yes, yes, and yes. That person is your ideal client.
Tactic No.2 Your Favorite Service
If you are a new business owner and haven’t worked with any clients yet, you can still find a way to niche your brand. Simply determine which type of service you enjoy the most and are skilled at providing. Become a specialist in that service and dedicate 100% of your marketing to discussing everything you know about it.
Tactic No.3 Look in the Mirror
Are you in business to serve people just like you? Let's say you were (or are) a busy mom who loves a well-organized or well-designed home. Let's say that you know how difficult either of those things is when you've got a crazy schedule and a litter of little people running around your ankles. If you've gotten a handle on that chaos (most days ‒ ha!) and want to offer services that help other moms with that same set of issues, congrats! You are your own ideal client.
The Basic Elements of Good Marketing
The basic elements of a good marketing strategy are simple. You’ll need the following:
A client persona who has a particular need
A service offering that meets the need
An ongoing message that talks to the client, illustrating their problem and showing how your service will fix it
Messaging and marketing are synonymous. As a business owner, your messaging should speak directly to your ideal client or ideal service.
Your website should be hyper-focused on illustrating the problem you solve and your copywriting should talk far more about your ideal client/service than about your business itself. If your website opens with the statement, “We offer…” you just need to replace “we” words with “you the client” words. That simple trick will transform your copywriting and make it more effective.
Your blog posts should break down how to solve micro problems within the bigger problems that you solve; don’t be afraid to provide “too much” information. This detailed blogging will help your SEO and your credibility.
Your free download (that attracts people to your mailing list) should offer a helpful pdf, video, or quiz that serves as the natural first step for anyone who wants to work with you but needs a little preview first.
Your email newsletter should offer additional tips and value every 2-4 weeks. Your mailing list can contain past clients, friends, family, and anyone who signs up for your free download.
Your Marketing Calendar
Once you’ve established your ideal client, service offerings, and branding, you’re ready to begin marketing. Here’s a summary of what you’ll need to do:
If you don’t already have a website, make that your top priority. I recommend Squarespace for its ease of use and ability to grow with your business.
Create your free download and add it to your website home page; require anyone who wants it to enter their email address first.
Create a monthly blog post: 500 words and one image minimum; make sure your headlines are SEO-friendly with this free tool; end each blog post with a link to sign up for your free download
Pick a monthly networking event to attend; in-person is more effective but a joint webinar or other virtual event can work, too.
Create a monthly newsletter, around 250 words. This will serve everyone who comes to your business by way of your networking, blogging, or freebie. Stick to one topic per newsletter and don’t make it a journal entry or a summary of everything you’ve been doing lately. Make it helpful! End the newsletter with a specific call-to-action, such as “book a call now.” Avoid sending people back to one of your blog posts, as that is literally sending them backwards in the sales funnel.
Remember: Email marketing is the end of your sales funnel and that is where you’ll see leads start converting into clients. The goal of email marketing is to start a conversation with each person and get them to book a call with you, reply to your email, sign up for a service, or buy a product.
Consistency Creates Marketing Success
If you keep your marketing plan sustainable, you’ll have an easier time staying consistent month after month. This is precisely why the clients who come to my agency are always advised to keep things simple: one monthly blog post, one monthly newsletter, one monthly networking event, and one free download have been the key to successful marketing for many businesses that we’ve worked with and there is no reason why yours should be the exception to the rule.
For more detailed help on blogging, email marketing, and beyond, follow The Kate Show Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Kate Greunke, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kate Greunke founded Socialite in 2014 as a virtual agency of professional marketing specialists exclusively for the home industry. Kate hosts a marketing podcast, The Kate Show, which is ranked in the top 1.5% of all podcasts globally and available on all podcasting apps. In 2021, Kate was named 20 Under 40 by Window Fashion Vision Magazine. She currently resides in Wisconsin with her husband and two children while managing an international team and extensive client roster.
