How do you know who to listen to?
The other day, we received the following two emails (these were the subject lines):
Why quitting Pinterest was the best business decision we made in 2018
How to grow your business with Pinterest in 2019
Wait. What?!
We subscribe to A LOT of emails. We’re information junkies. And while it’s awesome to learn from what others in biz are doing, it can get a bit confusing.
When you’re getting emails that are giving completely contradictory advice, how do you know who to listen to?
Both those emails came from super successful businesses. From people who know what they’re talking about. One is a woman who grew her blog into a multimillion-dollar business using Pinterest, and the other is an agency who manage social media for clients all over the world.
They both have the authority to talk about this topic and be right about it. But we’re still confused. Are we deleting Pinterest or not?! Who on Earth should we be listening to? Who’s right?
*brain falls out*
Short answer: neither and both.
Wha?
Long answer: go back to your target market. Always. Who are they and where are they? Are they on Pinterest? Are they engaging and buying as a result of your Pinterest activity?
If the answer’s YES, don’t delete Pinterest!
Your ideal clients may be different from the target clients of the really successful person giving you advice.
Before you ever take any advice from anyone when it comes to marketing your business, always bring it back to your target clients.
What’s a target market?
Your target market – or your target clients or ideal clients – is a group within the wider market who you most want to work with, or who are most likely to buy what you’re selling. They’re the people who will be relieved or happy or even crazy excited that your business exists. Try to sell to everybody and you may end up selling to nobody.
Filter all marketing advice, suggestions or lessons (yes, even ours!) through these two questions:
If I do this, will I reach more or less of my target clients?
If I do this, will it help solve my clients’ problems?
No matter what your business is – whether you’re an interior decorator, a funeral director or a life coach – these two questions should be the forefront of your mind anytime you’re assessing whether new information applies to you and your business.
Let’s break them down.
If I do this, will I reach more or less of my target clients?
Have you ever seen an ad for Stihl tools in Vogue magazine? A Steggles chicken ad on a vegan blog? A Porsche stand at the local farmer’s market? Nope. That’s because these companies understand where they’re going to grab the attention of their target market – and they don’t bother going where their target clients aren’t.
Do what the big companies do. Don’t go where your target clients aren’t.
If someone tells you ‘LinkedIn is the next big thing’ or ‘You should totally have a YouTube channel’, your response should always be: ‘But will my target clients see me on LinkedIn? Is my target audience on YouTube?’
If you’re targeting new mums, should you really be spending your time on LinkedIn? If your ideal clients are management consultants, Pinterest probably isn’t the place to be.
When you’re starting your business, reaching your target market is the ONE BIG THING you need to worry about when it comes to marketing. Forget the fluff and focus on that.
So – if you know a lot of your potential clients are probably using Pinterest, and a marketing expert tells you that you should delete Pinterest – should you delete Pinterest? That’s a big fat no!
This is why knowing your target market is SO important.
Not sure who your ideal clients are? Need to get clearer so you can connect with your target audience and start working with paying clients? Our free 15-page workbook ‘5 Steps to Getting Actual Clients’ steps you through a simple process for getting to know your target clients. Plus 4 other key steps to getting those clients in the door. Get it here.
If I do this, will it help solve my clients’ problems?
There’s no point reaching your ideal clients if you aren’t helping to solve their problems (as they relate to your business), because that exposure probably won’t translate to leads or sales.
See, ‘problem solving’ isn’t just a lame thing you add to your resume in the ‘Key strengths’ section. It’s the heart and soul of your business.
Because people don’t buy a service – they buy a solution to a problem.
Part of the process of building and growing your business is getting to know your ideal clients and their problems inside out. You want to know what keeps them awake at night – and be able to clearly articulate how you solve those problems.
So when you’re reading advice or given a recommendation about marketing, ask yourself: Is this thing going to help my target clients solve their problems?
So! We hope this helps you make sense of some of the marketing chaos out there and bring a critical eye to everything you read or hear – always asking whether it applies to you and your target clients.
Remember:
If I do this, will I reach more or less of my target clients?
If I do this, will it help solve my clients’ problems?
And if it feels like we just said the words ‘target clients’ and ‘problems’ about a thousand times, well, we did. And so should you :)
Join us in the comments! Tell us – have you ever had a brain explosion because you’ve been told two (or more!) different things about what to do in your biz? We’d love to hear.
Need more help?
Not yet clear on exactly who your target clients are or what their top problems are and how you can show them you’ve got the answer? We cover this and much (so much) more in LaunchKit.
It steps you through everything – from building a rock-solid brand foundation to sharing your biz with the world. It also includes a simple marketing plan, a social media guide, website writing templates, real-world examples, handy templates and tools, and much more. Find out more.