The end goal of marketing sounds straightforward enough: attract attention and build demand for what you’ve created. Many business owners are tempted to cast a wide net and market to as many people as possible. But in the long run, it’s more efficient and more profitable to understand precisely who your ideal client is, and spend your time and energy getting their attention. Here are a few simple ways to attract the attention of your ideal client and turn that attention into sales.
Attract the right attention
It’s tempting to believe that all exposure is good exposure, but that’s not necessarily the case. An appearance on national television or a viral video sound like strategies that would benefit any business, but effort and exposure are wasted if it doesn’t hit the correct audience. It’s most efficient to attract the attention of people who are qualified to purchase what you’ve created — your business’s probable purchaser.
Your ideal client is someone who is receptive to what you’re offering. To build on that receptivity, your marketing should be very clear about precisely who you’re talking to, when you’re talking to them, and what you’re talking to them about. Focus on getting the attention of the right people at the right time.
Don’t get too bogged down in demographics
Many business owners focus too keenly on the typical client demographic categories: age, sex, location, and so on. Rather than thinking in broad demographic terms, consider your probable purchasers on a more personalized level.
Think about the type of client that would value your product and be the most profitable for you to work with. What do those clients have in common? What do they tend to value? How do you offer more of the things they value, rather than trying to attract people who don’t value those things to begin with?
By spending your limited resources reaching out to the people who are already interested in the types of things you offer, you’ll maximize the effectiveness of your attention-grabbing strategies.
Build in remarkability
Consider what makes your product or offering remarkable. How does it stand out in the crowd?
An easy way to stand out is build something directly into the product that’s immediately noticeable. This way, you’re showing the client what’s unique and compelling about the product, rather than telling or trying to convince them.
A great example of a product with built-in remarkability is the Vibram Five Finger shoe, which has individual pockets for each toe. The product attracts attention simply by looking different. Once that attention is piqued, it’s easier to translate that curiosity into sales.
Consider preoccupation
If you want to attract a client’s attention, you have to first divert their attention from whatever they’re already doing — and that can be exactly as difficult as it sounds. The best way to break a client’s preoccupation is to provoke a feeling of curiosity, surprise, or concern. This is why the strongest marketing campaigns use evocative imagery, words, and sounds.
That doesn’t mean that marketing should be garish, loud, or over the top. But if you always assume that your client is preoccupied and create marketing strategies that will break through that preoccupation, you’ll have a better chance of getting and holding their attention.
Narrow your offering
I worked with a client who started out as a web designer building sites for anyone from small businesses to bloggers and beyond. As he designed, he realized he most enjoyed working with and designing for authors who needed websites to promote upcoming books. He decided to narrow his focus to work with that specific audience. His profits grew exponentially, and his marketing became incredibly efficient.
Business owners who are just starting out often feel compelled to diversify. They assume that getting the attention of as many people as possible will automatically translate to more sales, but this is a misconception. A narrowed-down business offering allows you to identify your probable customer more clearly and easily snare their attention.
Josh Kaufman is a business advisor, entrepreneur, and best-selling author of The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business and the highly anticipated The First 20 Hours: Mastering the Toughest Part of Learning Anything. If you want to learn more, Josh is teaching a free, live business course on creativeLIVE this August 8-9. You can stream if for free here.
- How to Attract the Right Attention to Your Business - August 7, 2013
