Are you out to ‘compete’ or ‘dominate?’—if you are here to compete, please ignore this marketing piece—otherwise, let’s set new industry standards.
Ave Maria cosmetics was created in 2007 with zero clientele and zero funds to run a marketing campaign. Situated within the suburbs of Nigeria’s capital city, expectations were low.
‘Just try to sell something’ Rose {the store owner} would tell her employees daily.
‘I know expecting profitable bargains from most of the individuals walking through that door is a wild goose chase. Don’t beat yourself over it. We might not be able to make profit now, but we can get to know, understand and interact with consumers. I believe that the relationship we build will determine our profit in the long run.’
Ave Maria built its start-up customer database by interacting with consumers from a personal viewpoint. With every customer that walked into its store, it’s never business as usual, special preference, care, and in some cases, discounts were provided.
A convenience service was designed for consumers who didn’t like visiting the store. This gave Rose the opportunity to collect customer emails, addresses, and phone numbers. By the time Ave Maria created a sales website, they already had over 500 emails for an automated campaign.
Rose was right. Ave Maria didn’t make-up to $10,000 in profit in its first year. It made a little over $20,000 in its second year, but sales had tripled by the third year. Ave Maria built a substantial customer base without running a single marketing campaign.
Photo Credit SpellBrand
Being a Start-up is Quite Frustrating.
You work for over 50 hours a week, and nothing adds up. You are running out of funds, sales and prospects are far off, you are pushing, grinding and believing—still yet, no probable result.
Nobody will point the finger at you if you decide to quit, the same way no one would find you guilty if you keep pushing on. The beginning is always hard, so if you are determined to push on, keep an eye out for the valuable lessons being a start-up comes with.
A first customer is all you need. Grind till you get it. A second customer would become all you need—grind again till you get it. When you beat the odds by making at least ten customers believe that your product or service is worth their time and money, a burden is lifted.
You become familiar with your ideal clients. You know their needs and their wants. Your small client base becomes an attestation that, with the right marketing tactics, your product can bring fulfillment to billions of consumers worldwide.
Now, to the big question, how do you target clients that would be willing to pay you what your product/service is worth?
TABLE OF CONTENT
Customer Avatar—Marketing Strategically.
Relationship marketing is key to understanding consumers. Whether you have a million-dollar to your name or struggling to get by, in as far as you have made a few sales, you can enjoy its benefits.
Ave Maria grew its customer base without spending a dim on marketing campaigns in its first two years.
Optimizing Relationship Marketing in a Digitalised World
Digital marketing is quite different from the regular door to door marketing. Still, the optimization sequence is the same—you can’t become a renowned digital marketer or door to door sales expert without building an interactive relationship with your consumers.
Though the digitalized world is a bit more complex.
Every internet user is bombarded with over 2000 sales messages daily. Trying to dominate by bombarding consumers with random pitches, ads, or sales letter would keep you struggling with the competition—it wouldn’t make you the dominant brand you were designed to be.
To build a client base online via relationship marketing, a sustained ability to efficiently use a customer avatar in creating a marketing strategy is essential.
What is Customer Avatar?
A customer avatar is a graphical representation of your ideal client’s character–a sheet containing well-researched demographics, internal, external, and philosophical problems/features of an ideal client.
A customer avatar is the trusted guarantor you rely on when targeting a specific portion of the market.
You a gym instructor looking for individuals in need of your fitness service—build a customer avatar. You own a beauty store and would like to build a sustainable customer base—build a customer avatar. You are a digital marketer trying to drive traffic—build a customer avatar.
Customer avatars are used in profiling buyers. It helps you know your ideal client and how do you locate them.
“Your ideal customer avatar is a customer profile that is a best-case scenario for your business. Perhaps it’s someone who is a big spender, a regular who consistently returns, someone who speaks well of your business within their networks, or all three.”
Sampat
Building a Customer Avatar
You struggled through thick and thin to make a few sales; it’s time to make the information and expertise you acquired useful.
You have a sustained idea of what consumers want—a clear glimpse of their needs, wants, and desires. Get back to your desk; it’s time to research and obtain credible info on finding individuals with the same needs and pain points as your previous clients.
Suppose you deal in high-value consideration products, {providing professional services, or selling a high valued item}; we recommend you rely on the five rings of marketing to get detailed info on how you can build a sustainable customer avatar.
But if like Ave Maria stores, you sell low-value consideration products, build your customer avatar following this basic strategy.
1. Online Research
To know what your customers like and dislike, you have to be involved in their everyday life. You have to know what makes them thick, their pain points, objections, and challenges.
Since you are trying to dominate a digitalized market, your first point of contact should be groups and outlets populated by individuals similar to the few you sold to previously. Note that we are not telling you to stalk your customer’s social profile to find similar individuals—that’s no good and will only piss off potential clients.
During purchase, your customers provided you with basic information such as email, name, phone number, location, age, social media handle, etc. Using this information, find social platforms and online outlets with individuals fitting the same descriptions or interested in similar information.
Compared to Rose, you have a better shot at winning.
During Ave Maria’s first year of operation, Rose created numerous offers to build relationship with her customers, but unlike you, Rose didn’t have the luxury of accessing a customer-centric client base.
You can rely on groups from Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social platforms, celebrity fan pages, magazines, blogs, and offline outlets filled with individuals similar, or more influential than the once you worked with previously.
Get into as many as possible. Try to learn and understand your customers’ pain points, needs, and challenges. Write them out and compare them with the possibilities your product is bringing to the market, then weigh the number your product is capable of solving.
2. Build a Psychographic Profile
A psychographic profile contains information about a person’s interests, values, attitude, hobbies, emotions, triggers, lifestyle choices, demographics, etc.
Through online research, we got to know your customers’ fears and wants. But since it’s impossible to build a customer avatar for every potential customer you came across, you have to study your audience and build a psychographic profile.
If your mailing list {customer database} is substantial, you can rely on its demographics to estimate the age range and location of most of your potential clients otherwise, you would have to spend more time {maybe days or weeks} studying the interest of individuals who regularly contribute to the communities and groups you joined and build a psychographic profile based on relevant data.
Endeavor to refer to your already existing customer base. It would enable you decipher some of the basic triggers that might make consumers respond or neglect your marketing message.
3. Give Your Customers a Seat at the Decision-Making Table
Hope you haven’t forgotten what a customer avatar means and why spending time to create it is necessary?
Customer avatars give consumers a seat at the decision-making table—it enables you to design marketing messages that resonate with their every need.
Let’s say you are selling a fitness drug for obese individuals. Everyone on social media is not obese, and without the right message, even those who are obese would gladly scroll past your ad.
You can’t run your email ads or social media campaigns the way you like and expect it to be effective. You have to design it focusing on consumer’s needs, wants, and desires—your message needs to be in line with problems consumers would gladly hand over a $100 bill to solve.
Your experience from online groups will help you understand how useful or useless your product is, or can be to the market {depending on your marketing strategy}.
With your psychographic profile and understanding of your customers’ needs from online research, create a graphical representation of your ideal customer using a customer avatar template.
Use your existing customers’ internal, external, and philosophical problems to checkmate your research analysis. If the pain points and desires you perceived from existing customers resonate with the once your research led you to, you can kickstart your marketing campaign knowing you are on the right track.
Note that many individuals rely on demographics and consumer information from similar businesses when creating their customer avatar. For most start-ups, such services are luxurious. If you can’t afford it, work with the client base you built over time.
In Conclusion
Winning consumers’ hearts is key to establishing brand identity and domination your market.
Just like you, your customers want to be happy. Take time to study their pain points, challenges, fears, and the triggers that can make such plights go away, and you would find them coming back for more of the same.
- Software Comparison: The Definitive Guide - 28/12/2023
- Factual Vs. Opinion-based Software Reviews: Which Converts Best? - 11/10/2023
- Is Writesonic Any Good for SaaS Content Writers? - 09/10/2023
EXPLORE
Factual Vs. Opinion-based Software Reviews: Which Converts Best?
If you want people to develop an interest in a SaaS tool, you must learn to write SOLID software reviews. By solid, I mean reviews optimized for conversion. Content that can: Pull in noteworthy traffic, Make people care, And increase sign up. There are two ways...
Is Writesonic Any Good for SaaS Content Writers?
What is Writesonic, Exactly? Writesonic is an AI tool you can use to turn simple prompts into amazing content. It bills itself as the best AI platform for people who want to transform their digital presence. In other words, it's NOT just a text-based tool. ...
8 Reasons Your B2B Blogs Are Not Converting
Ready to eliminate all the conversion blockers making readers not wholeheartedly engage with your B2B blogs? Awesome! This post contains eight actionable tips, tricks, and strategies you can use to create human-to-human blogs people love. Let’s get started. ...
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this topic to be actually something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get the hang of it!
Hi , I do believe this is an excellent blog. I stumbled upon it on Yahoo , i will come back once again. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and help other people.
What is a Sugar Defender? Sugar Shield could be an affront affectability enhancement product that effectively supports stable blood sugar levels.
I used to be suggested this website by way of my cousin. I am not certain whether or not this publish is written by him as no one else understand such specific approximately my difficulty. You’re incredible! Thank you!
Some times its a pain in the ass to read what people wrote but this web site is very user genial! .
I love studying and I believe this website got some genuinely utilitarian stuff on it! .
obviously like your website however you have to check the spelling on several of your posts. A number of them are rife with spelling issues and I in finding it very bothersome to tell the truth on the other hand I will certainly come back again.
Great wordpress blog here.. It’s hard to find quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! take care
Would you be excited by exchanging links?
The subsequent time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as a lot as this one. I imply, I do know it was my option to read, however I actually thought youd have something fascinating to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you possibly can repair for those who werent too busy searching for attention.
I view something really interesting about your web blog so I saved to my bookmarks.
I wish to convey my respect for your kindness giving support to those people who must have assistance with this one topic. Your real commitment to getting the solution along became quite functional and has usually empowered many people like me to achieve their goals. Your interesting advice entails much a person like me and far more to my colleagues. Many thanks; from all of us.
Would love to forever get updated great weblog! .
Great tremendous things here. I am very glad to look your article. Thank you a lot and i am having a look ahead to touch you. Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
Absolutely written subject material, Really enjoyed reading through.
When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
hey there and thank you for your info – I’ve definitely picked up anything new from right here. I did however expertise some technical issues using this website, as I experienced to reload the site many times previous to I could get it to load properly. I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will sometimes affect your placement in google and could damage your high-quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords. Anyway I am adding this RSS to my e-mail and could look out for much more of your respective exciting content. Ensure that you update this again soon..
Hi! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I truly enjoy reading through your articles. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that go over the same subjects? Many thanks!
Thanks a lot for giving everyone a very splendid possiblity to check tips from this web site. It is usually so lovely plus stuffed with amusement for me personally and my office colleagues to search the blog minimum 3 times weekly to read the fresh guides you have. And definitely, I am at all times pleased with the superb thoughts served by you. Certain two areas in this posting are rather the best I’ve had.
Prodentim: What is it? Some of the finest and highest quality ingredients are used to produce Prodentim, an oral health supplement
What’s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It absolutely helpful and it has helped me out loads. I am hoping to contribute & assist different customers like its aided me. Good job.
Nice blog here! Also your web site loads up very fast! What web host are you using? Can I get your affiliate link to your host? I wish my web site loaded up as quickly as yours lol
I like the valuable info you supply in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and check again right here regularly. I am somewhat sure I’ll be told many new stuff right right here! Good luck for the following!
About GlucoTrust. GlucoTrust is a natural supplement that promotes normal blood sugar levels.
Very interesting points you have noted, appreciate it for putting up. “You bluffed me I don’t like it when people bluff me. It makes me question my perception of reality.” by Andrew Schneider.
Hey There. I discovered your weblog the use of msn. This is a very smartly written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I will definitely return.
Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your web site is so cool. I am impressed by the details that you have on this web site. It reveals how nicely you perceive this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found simply the info I already searched all over the place and simply couldn’t come across. What an ideal web-site.
Simply a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw outstanding design and style. “He profits most who serves best.” by Arthur F. Sheldon.
One such software that has been generating buzz these days is the Lottery Defeater
Dead written articles, Really enjoyed studying.
Simply a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding design and style.
Would you be excited by exchanging links?
Hi there! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website? I’m getting sick and tired of WordPress because I’ve had problems with hackers and I’m looking at alternatives for another platform. I would be fantastic if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
Hi my friend! I want to say that this article is awesome, nice written and include approximately all significant infos. I would like to see more posts like this.
What does the Lottery Defeater Software offer? The Lottery Defeater Software is a unique predictive tool crafted to empower individuals seeking to boost their chances of winning the lottery.
naturally like your website however you have to check the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very troublesome to tell the truth on the other hand I will surely come again again.
Along with everything that appears to be building throughout this particular subject matter, many of your viewpoints are fairly exciting. Nonetheless, I appologize, because I do not subscribe to your entire plan, all be it radical none the less. It would seem to us that your opinions are actually not totally validated and in actuality you are your self not even wholly confident of your argument. In any event I did take pleasure in reading through it.
I like this website very much, Its a really nice post to read and receive info .
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say wonderful blog!
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..more wait .. …
I’m not sure exactly why but this website is loading extremely slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a issue on my end? I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.
Hey very cool site!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…I am happy to find a lot of useful information here in the post, we need work out more strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
I conceive this web site contains very great pent articles blog posts.
Hello there, I found your blog via Google while looking for a related topic, your site came up, it looks great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
I like this blog so much, bookmarked.
What i don’t understood is if truth be told how you are now not really much more smartly-liked than you may be right now. You are very intelligent. You know therefore significantly on the subject of this topic, made me personally believe it from a lot of varied angles. Its like women and men are not fascinated until it is one thing to accomplish with Lady gaga! Your own stuffs great. Always take care of it up!
I really enjoy examining on this site, it contains fantastic blog posts. “You should pray for a sound mind in a sound body.” by Juvenal.
You got a very wonderful website, Gladiolus I found it through yahoo.
obviously like your website however you have to check the spelling on several of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I in finding it very troublesome to tell the reality however I’ll surely come again again.
Keep up the excellent piece of work, I read few content on this web site and I believe that your website is rattling interesting and holds sets of excellent information.
I do agree with all the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They’re very convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for novices. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.
YAeXDyNOfBEM
Together with every little thing that appears to be developing throughout this particular subject matter, many of your opinions tend to be relatively refreshing. Having said that, I beg your pardon, because I can not give credence to your whole strategy, all be it exhilarating none the less. It looks to everybody that your remarks are actually not totally validated and in fact you are generally your self not even totally confident of your argument. In any event I did appreciate reading through it.