Getting to Know Your Target Audience – Online Client Acquisition Pt2

The concepts we shared about online client acquisition in a previous post are important steps in a successful marketing strategy. What we’re talking about today though is even more important – gathering product development information directly from the folks you hope will buy it from you.

Once you have the demographics of your target audience in place, thanks to your online surveys, it’s time to get serious about focusing your services on the client profile you’ve developed.

Target Audience Surveys

Here, we employ the advice of some real audience survey experts, the folks at SurveyMonkey.com. In an article titled, The best questions to ask for developing any product, they share ideas for, well... The best questions you can ask for developing any product – or service:

• How do my target consumers currently use my product?

If you don’t already have a product, answering this question may involve discovering what problems consumers have with what they’ve found on the market. Knowing these points of value can help you focus your business on the qualities that are most important. If your business wants to add complicated features or services, yet your customers prefer a simplified experience, that’s valuable time and money lost.

(In other words, learn to accept a “Yes, we like it” statement and stop pushing for more.)

• What do my customers dislike about my product/services?

While it’s useful to find out what your customers enjoy about your products or services, some of the most important information you can gather is what customers dislike. Sometimes the best questions to ask for developing products or services are the easiest to answer, too, as many customers aren’t shy about voicing their concerns.

(It may be hard to do but you often have to set your ego aside and take the feedback in the spirit intended, even when it’s negative.)

• What ideas do customers have for improvement?

Ordinary customers have plenty of great ideas to improve what you offer since they’re the ones using it the most. Surveying customers regarding improvements will not only provide valuable insight but also helps them feel engaged and more invested in you and your offerings.

(Offering them the opportunity to help you improve your product/services shows you are genuinely interested in their opinions, which can gain you huge loyalty points with them.)

• What problems can I solve that my competition cannot?

This question is your classic competitive advantage. It’s the secret sauce in your product recipe. In our scheduling software example [from the article], the software may be faster and easier to use than a paper schedule, as well as cheaper than hiring a secretary or assistant. A paper schedule can be fragile and requires continual hand-entry, and an assistant can be expensive.

(No product is perfect, especially when offered through an impersonal medium like the internet. Use this client input to refine your offerings and try to make them “more perfect” than your competition.)

And then there's this one, based on our experience...

• How can I do it better than my competitors?

This may be the most important question in your target audience surveys because the answer takes you directly to the heart of the matter. That is – exactly why your target customer is looking for an alternative to your competition. Is it their presentation style? Is there a personality conflict between the provider and the customer? Has a once-ripe offering aged beyond its “Best if used by” date?

(There could be any number of reasons a consumer has lost interest in a once-favored product or service. However, you simply cannot presume to know why that has happened. Instead, you need to know exactly what the issue is and find ways to make your offering better.)

The Hard Truth We All Must Accept

We mentioned this earlier but think it bears repeating. It’s a hard truth that ego is often the downfall of even the most sincerely committed, otherwise empathetic entrepreneur. After all, if you’ve devoted the time and invested cash to get training in your niche, you are entitled to some pride in your expertise. We get that, of course.

But, if you're struggling to sign up clients; if you're finding it hard to justify investing time, money, and energy in your business; if you're losing sleep trying to figure out what went wrong, it may be time to realize you don’t have all the answers. But, you can get them, through surveys of your target audience.

We sincerely hope the steps we’ve shared today will work for you to improve your online client acquisition efforts. If you need help, Ted remains available for business consulting to the trade. Simply… Contact TD Fall today.

Online Client Acquisition Pt1 – Getting to Know Your Target Audience

Online client acquisition should be easy in the 21st Century, yet… Not so much!

First, we’re not talking about simply putting up an uber-cool website and waiting for the clients to storm your virtual doors. That just doesn’t happen anymore (if it ever did). And, while a great website can make a huge difference in building your online reputation, you need content to fill it and products or services to offer.

And there’s the rub. What do people want/need that can’t already be found online these days – and that you have to offer?

While we would never presume to tell you how to run your business, we do have some experience with helping designers and furnishing dealers market themselves online. One of the things we’ve discovered is that, while you can certainly try to “walk a mile in their shoes” in an effort to understand what others are going through, your own experiences color your perceptions. This makes it almost impossible to truly grasp the pain points of the people you most want to help.

But hey, don’t take it personally. It’s just human nature to perceive the world from your own perspective. But, you can overcome that naturally built-in bias with tools that are readily available and easy to access in the virtual world.

Develop New Services Using Audience Feedback

We’re not the only ones with some expertise in this area. The digital forms creation service Wufoo and the email marketing platform MailChimp have put together some pointers to help you develop new products. The most important of these are surveys of your audience. (Needless to say, they both offer their services to help you get it done, too.)

Why surveys? Well, think of it like this. If you're like most entrepreneurs, you began your business intending to help others in mind. You perceived a need and sought to fill it. Unfortunately, for most, that vision goes unrealized, and they struggle to survive in a highly competitive marketplace. Either your audience doesn’t see the same need you do, or you’ve somehow missed the mark with targeting and/or marketing your ideas.

In this case, what you need is more information. You need a deeper understanding of what your ideal client is looking for and broader knowledge of how to present it to them in a more compelling way.

The best way to get that information is to ask them for it. That is what a target audience survey does. It gathers information that is critical to the success of your business in a structured way that enables you to process it coherently and effectively. Then, you can take that valuable data and massage your offerings to meet their needs in ways they will find hard to resist.

The result? Cha Ching!

The concepts we’ve shared today are an important start in getting to know your target audience. in our next post, we’ll get into the actual steps you can take to improve your online client acquisition efforts. Stay tuned for our next post or, feel free to check with us… Contact TD Fall today.

Grow Your Interior Design Business – Analyzing Your Market

There are many ways to gather information that can help you start, build or grow your interior design business. While performing market research can be costly, it does not have to be – if you manage to keep your focus fairly narrow, targeting information that will specifically benefit you.Broad-based research, like that described here at Entreprenuer.com, may tell you a great deal about a wide range of potential clients but, it’s costly and may not offer the information you really need.Instead, you should focus on identifying the services that are in demand in the area you want to work. Doing so can help you shape your offerings, without trying to be “all things to all people”.Next, consider whether it would be best to specialize in one or two offerings, or offer a wider menu of design services, and investigate the major players already in that space.It’s important to remember that most interior design businesses are extremely localized. The national trends that are often identified in design publications may mean little in your local marketplace. New and small design firms need to stay close to home for their information, as well as for clients.With that in mind, here are some questions for which you will need answers as you work to grow your interior design business locally:

• What services are the busiest designers in your area offering?
• What services and categories are needed in your area?
• What services can you provide that are unique, superior, or at a more competitive price point?
• What will set you apart from the local competition?
• Are you able to offer something different or better?

Once you have answers to these general questions, you can begin to seek more specific information that will help you determine where you can best apply your talents, expertise, and energies.Specific Marketing QuestionsBefore starting or expanding a business, researching the market can show you which services are most in demand and give you an idea about the competition. Use this guide to research your area and see if there’s an unmet need you can fulfill to attract clients. (Houzz.com)

• What home renovation or design challenges do customers have in your area?
• How can you help homeowners solve those challenges?
• What services do you currently offer?
• Pull up the Houzz Directory, select your category, enter the location, and select your service radius. How many pros are listed as serving this area?
• Check out the profiles of some top professionals and look at their “Services Provided” section. What services are you commonly seeing?
• What services are you not frequently seeing?
• In what other categories could you perform work?
• How many competitors of your potential other categories are in your service area?
• Look at the average project cost from other pros. Is there a need for a pro who can take on small, medium, or large projects?
• Is there a need for a pro with a different pricing structure? (For example, are the majority of pros charging hourly or a flat fee?)

While these are admittedly basic steps, and a great deal more can be done to research and analyze your market, for emerging designers and those with a limited client base, these marketing tips should be highly valuable in helping you to grow your interior design business.Looking for more new design trends, marketing tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.