Podcast 59: Researching Your Ideal Clients to Find More Like Them
Apr 01, 2021
When was the last time you really listened to your favourite clients and the language they use? Have you ever done any client research for your holistic business?
If not, you could be missing out on a wealth of information that will help your marketing to stand out.
Researching your best clients will help you to provide them with a better service. It’ll also help you to connect with others, just like them.
The value is in understanding the language they use, and how they feel.
The power of language
Knowing the specific words and phrases your clients’ use, will help your marketing connect directly with your audience. Knowing their dreams, their hopes, their struggles, their fears, will help you connect with them on an emotional level. You will be able to tailor your messages, to demonstrate exactly how you can help them, in a way they will get.
Language is incredibly powerful and will make or break your marketing efforts. It’s the architecture of how we think, express ourselves and communicate. By tapping into the specific words and phrases your clients use, you’ll communicate with them on a personal level.
If you help people with performance anxiety, would someone who feels sick when they’re about to give a presentation realise you can help them? Instead, if you ask: “do you feel sick with nerves when you stand up to give a presentation?” They absolutely know you understand how they feel.
Not everyone will use exactly the same phrases, but you will see common threads if you speak with enough people who are your ideal client. You can then start weaving these phrases into your marketing.
Knowing how your best clients describe where they feel stuck and what help they need is priceless. It will allow you to use their words to attract more clients, just like them. Imagine how great your practice will be when it’s full of your favourite people!
I make a habit of chatting to clients (and potential clients) regularly to find out what their biggest problems are. Even if I can’t help, I can often point them in the right direction.
How to research your clients
I’ve found you get far better quality information by having actual conversations with real people, rather than relying on surveys. There are lots of different ways you can find out information such as social media, online surveys, polls, email surveys etc. These are a great way to reinforce your findings and find ideas but shouldn’t replace the conversations.
When you have conversations, you can ask extra questions about a topic to get to the core of the problem. The discussions are natural and not considered in the same way an electronic survey would be. They provide you with your clients choice of language.
The process of researching your clients
Start by asking at least ten people who are, or could be your ideal client if they would be willing to spare a few minutes on a Zoom or phone call.
This call is about listening, understanding their issues, and discovering the language they use, not about coaching or trying to fix them.
Either ask permission to record the call or create a simple template and fill it in as you go. If you are recording the session, have a structure to help you focus on getting the information you need.
Note down the words and phrases your clients use – these are what you’re looking for to repeat in your marketing.
Your template would include:
A warm welcome and set the scene for the call – let them know what to expect, how long it will be, for example:
We have 15-minutes and I have a few questions to ask you. I’m working on some new ideas and want to understand how best I can help you. Please share your thoughts and feelings about the topic.
Then go on to ask your questions, for example:
- What are your biggest challenges with (your topic)?
- If you could fix these (challenges from the first question), how different would your life be?
- What have you already tried to fix them?
- What format would your ideal solution be delivered in? (in-person, online, 1:1, small groups, phone, self-study, posted monthly?)
And finish with a big “Thank you!” – if they aren’t already clients, this could be an opportunity for you to ask if they would like to find out more about how you can help them.
Identifying your clients’ language
Go through the answers and highlight phrases that are repeated over and over. These are the exact words and phrases you want to incorporate into your marketing and help potential clients understand exactly how you can help them.
You may also find among the answers, ideas for you to develop new products and services from.
If you need help with researching your clients, book a discovery call with me and find out how I can help you.
Podcast 59 show notes:
- (02:07) The power of language
- (05:32) How to research your clients
- (07:05) The process of researching your clients
- (11:16) Identifying your clients’ language
