Get more customers by “getting” your customer

Have these thoughts ever crossed your mind…?

“What can I do to get more customers? I have great merchandise, I offer excellent customer service; why aren’t more people coming in?”

If so, this exercise is for you.

As a boutique and business owner you know that the secret to attracting new customers or reconnecting with old customers is to connect with them on an emotional level. But how do you do that?

Want to know the secret formula?

Here it is…

You create your ideal customer avatar.

The idea is that you will create a realistic customer avatar that you want to attract. She should be a combination of your best customers. The goal is that you get to know her on a deeper level so that when you’re creating invitations for events, posting to social media, merchandising your store, or updating your website, you’ll be directly connecting with her.

Of course you want to attract more than just one customer – and you will. But you need to appeal to your “ideal” customer first and “speak” to her one-on-one. The rest of the customers will follow.

And do keep in mind that she does change – so if you haven’t done this exercise in a while, this is a perfect time to do it again.

Okay, grab a notebook – and lets do it!

WHAT’S HER NAME? AGE? MARITAL STATUS/ CHILDREN? WHAT DOES SHE DO FOR A LIVING? WHAT’S HER DISPOSABLE INCOME? WHAT DOES SHE LIKE TO WEAR? WHAT ARE HER FAVORITE BRANDS? WHAT DOES SHE LIKE TO DO IN HER SPARE TIME? DOES SHE TRAVEL? WHAT BOOKS DOES SHE READ? WHAT ARE HER FAVORITE TV SHOWS? MOVIES? MUSIC? FAVORITE BLOGS? WHAT ARE HER FAVORITE RESTAURANTS? HAIR SALON? NAIL SALON? SOCIAL MEDIA PREFERENCE?

Now, go deeper. What are her desires and her dreams? What are her fears and pain points and how can your business help her? Where can you find her, and what tone should you use when you speak to her?

All of this is going to give you more clarity and direction as to how you communicate with her and how to connect with her more emotionally. The more specific you are in this exercise the more personable, creative and persuasive you can be in your message.

One company that knows its ideal customer very well is Anthropologie. In a Fast Company article, Sophisticated Sell, the “Anthropologie girl” is described in detail and the company is quoted as being a “customer expert” – specializing in one customer and knowing exactly who she is. They don’t push trends or brand on her but what’s right for her. Everything from their merchandising, color stories, and events is presented in a way that fires her imagination. In other words, Anthropologie makes an emotional connection by seeing the world through the customer’s perspective.

Let’s say you’re hosting a “sip & shop” event. Prior to this exercise, your invitation might sound like this:

“Hey Ladies! If you’re in the area this Thursday night, come by our store for drinks and snacks- 10% discount if you shop.”

If I read this, I personally wouldn’t know who’s attending, whether or not I’d fit in and if I’d have any interest in shopping. This might end up being a “no-ladies” Thursday night.

Let’s look at another example – this time from your customers’ perspective.

“Are you ready to dress up and mingle over red wine and cheese? Grab a sitter for the kids and come by for an exclusive first look at our contemporary new arrivals. Because you deserve a break …and a new outfit!
If your ideal customer is a stay-at-home mom, she would be there! Her pain points would be: she misses dressing up, adult talk and needs a break after a long day. Can you see how this invitation speaks directly to her?

This avatar exercise has been a game changer for me. Before I write, design, or make a video, I always think of my audience and customer; who they are, what their pain points are and how I can help them. I finally learned the hard way: if you’re talking to everybody – you’re talking to nobody!

I hope you learned something from this article that will help you with your marketing.

I’d love to hear your “before” and “after” – please email me to share!

Xo,

Ada