One Surprising Way to Attract Your Target Customers

This might seem like a blog post about using the right words to attract your target customers, but it's not.

Here's the story: A little while back, we were working through a revamp of our own website. As part of that process, we decided on something really important: Going forward, we only wanted to work with clients we adored — and who were just as crazy about us. We knew we did our best work for this kind of a client, and we knew that saying yes to clients who weren't exactly the right fit didn't serve us or them well.

It's always liberating to know who you are and to own it — and it turns out that your target customers will also respond to it.

This meant we had to think about our target customers — and ourselves — in a very different way. We realized that the best clients for us didn't necessarily have to be in certain fields. But they did have to be serious, passionate and professional — and understand the long-term business value of a customized, memorable brand.

We also realized that the right clients for us want more than our high-quality tangible deliverables, like websites. They also value our experience, business savvy, attentiveness and lasting enthusiasm for their company.

So we put all of this on our website. It was a lot of work to get the words just right. But seeing them on the finished site felt pretty incredible.

Fast-forward to today — six-plus months after our website relaunch. We're very happily busy with a roster of passionate businesses and entrepreneurs who beautifully fit our target customer profile.

Is this because of the new copy on our website? Maybe that's part of it. But we also think going through this process changed the energy we were putting out into the world. It's always liberating to know who you are and to own it — and it turns out that your target customers will also respond to it.

You get back what you put out there. So what are you putting out there? A few questions to think about:

• Are you clear about your expertise so that you can attract the target customers who are willing to pay for the value you provide?
• Are you realistic about who is actually the right fit for you to work with? It’s important not to try to be all things to all people.
• Do your website, social media channels and other branding materials convey the polish that will attract clients who share your professionalism?
• Are you owning your uniqueness – the things that make you stand out from the other businesses your customers could work with or buy from? Or do you sound and look just like your competitors?

Whether you intend to put the answers on your website or not, answer the three questions we answered for ourselves:

1.     What qualities do your target customers share?
2.     What do your target customers value about you?
3.    Why type of work or tasks do you really want to be doing?

We're here to talk through the answers and what they mean for your business and brand. After all, if you've read this, it's a great sign that you're the kind of curious and committed client we love to work with.