If you want marketing that moves the needle in your business, here’s what you must do…
Attract the right people.
Leads turn into great prospects who become ideal customers.
And if you want to build the marketing momentum needed to grow your business, you must create crystal clear brand copy that describes exactly what you do and is a magnet for the type of people you want (need) to work with.
Common sense, right?
Well, many businesses don’t define and present their uniqueness in the clear, concise language needed to appeal to the right people (their ideal customer).
To attract the right people to your business, you need a website with brand clarity.
And this post, all about brand clarity through effective positioning, is part of an ongoing series on how to market your small business.
My first post focuses on creating a strategic vision for your business.
The second post details how you find your ideal customer.
Today’s topic is all about positioning your business for success.
Brand positioning answers three fundamental questions:
- Why are you in business? (Your uniqueness in a nutshell.)
- Who is your ideal customer? (People you need to be doing business with.)
- What, exactly, will you do for them? (In a competitive online world, you must spell this out.)
If you don’t clarify your brand positioning in the form of enticing copy on your website and other marketing channels, you’ll have a diluted message that doesn’t speak to the right people or show the core of your business and what separates you from the flock.
How will persuasive brand positioning help your business?…
- It becomes the bedrock of your business’s brand.
- Turns into the filter you sift all your content through, for clarity and consistency.
- And it will attract the right people to your website.
It’s how you build a brand that sells.
So how do I position my small business?
I’m so glad you asked 🙂
It starts by answering some pretty basic questions.
a. Who is your ideal customer? (Post #2 covers how to find your ideal customer in detail.)
b. What are their needs? The pain that needs fixin’? And how, exactly, are you going to help them?
c. What is special about your business? How will you stand out from your competitors? What is that singular thing your business does so well?
Write your answers in condensed form. Short and sweet is best, so you don’t overcomplicate things with a laundry list of benefits.
Be straightforward. Get to the point. And use plain language.
From your answers, craft a short 1-3 sentence paragraph.
While you’re doing this, it’s helpful to put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Think about how they will see and interpret your copy?
Interview your customers
I’ve been in the marketing business for years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s this—Interviewing your customers helps you position your business like nothing else, but many businesses don’t even consider it.
I begin most every project with customer interviews.
Why?
Because, when you start talking to your best customers amazing things will happen.
- You’ll be surprised at what you’ll learn about your own company.
- You might discover there’s something your customers want but you’re not providing.
- A little constructive criticism will help you improve your business.
- And during this process, you can set up a system to gather customer reviews.
People love to help, especially happy customers. So, take advantage of what they are usually more than willing to offer, and start talking with them.
Make a list of customers and ask them if they’re available for a short phone call. I love to use Skype and Ecamm Call Recorder together. This way I can record the conversation, listen to it again, and even transcribe it with a service like Rev.com.
Go back to post 2 in this series: How to Find Your Ideal Customer and Grow Your Business.
Read it and pay extra special attention to “Step #6: Interview people and start crafting your buyer personas.”
Your interviews will help you craft personas of our ideal customers.
And this information will prove invaluable when crafting your positioning statement.
Even after the work you’ve done interviewing these people, a followup email will help you even more.
After the interview, send them an email
You’ll find that most people are more than willing to help, so, while you have them on the phone, mention that you’ll be sending a follow-up email.
Make this email brief and to-the-point. This is their opportunity to add things they may have forgotten to mention. And it’s your opportunity to get a customer testimonial out of the deal.
Here’s how I usually write my email…
Hi Sarah,
Thanks again for taking the time to talk with me. I really enjoyed our conversation and just wanted to thank you again for providing valuable information that will help in so many ways.
As I mentioned during our call, I value customer testimonials, so I’m wondering if you would …
1. Consider writing a short testimonial based on your experience with us? If so, this would be your answer to #5 below.
2. Answer the questions below? (We covered some of this during our call, but any additional details will help.)
Question #1:
What was your biggest fear before hiring us? Did it come true, and if not, what happened instead?
Question #2:
What was your favorite part of working with us? Is this what sets us apart from the competition?
Questions #3:
What about our services? Would you highlight any one thing in particular? Is there anything about our service we need to improve?
Question #4:
What would be your top 1-3 questions before you would start another job with us?
Question #5 (testimonial):
If you were to recommend us to someone, what would you say exactly?
Thanks again!
Craig
The answers your customers provide will give you the best source material you’ll ever have.
Customer interviews are a goldmine for effective branding.
And, if you want to amplify your testimonials, use a service like Grade.us.
Now, finalize your positioning
To do so, you basically combine a, b, and c above, remember…
a. Define your ideal customer.
b. Clarify their needs and define how your product or service satisfies that need.
c. What is that extra special thing your business does so well?
Review all of your customer interviews. Transcribe them if you can. If you’ve talked with enough people, common themes will surface.
List the common themes that keep coming up.
Write this stuff out and keep whittling like an over-caffeinated beaver.
Craft a short 1-3 sentence paragraph.
Be clear. Brief. Direct.
Lather.
Rinse.
Repeat.
Here is your goal…
You want to craft a brand positioning statement that clearly defines your brand.
You then use that statement to filter a continuous delivery of content that clearly defines your business, what makes it unique, and is crafted to appeal to the right people.
Start with your website
Does your home page display this positioning?
For Ryan Therapy Services, we crafted content that speaks clearly and to the right people.
Vuetura, Environmental Partners, and Thought Partners Coaching each have a clear “above the fold” brand message.
And ZipperGeo’s “Reducing the risks our customers face underground” is unique enough to stand our from the Geoprofessional crowd.
These are just a few of the customers we’ve worked with. And with each, the primary website messaging was crafted from a positioning statement.
But don’t stop there…
Use your positioning on all your touchpoints
Social media.
Print.
Video.
Podcasting.
Email, and more.
Use your positioning as a base. Then write copy that tells your ideal customer what you do, why you’re the right choice, and how you will make their life better.
That is how you position your business for success.
Step 2 – Ideal Customer | Step 4 – Copy
Do you want to bring your brand to life? Taking a few minutes to complete our brand audit will help you think about your current marketing efforts and what might need to change. It will also help me suggest several ways to improve your branding and marketing now: Brand audit.
After you complete the form, we’ll contact you to schedule a time to go over the results and see how we can help.
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