It may seem counterintuitive to categorise your clients and imply that some are better than others, but it’s important to realise that not all prospective clients are equally valuable to your business.
When it comes to your website, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that the more traffic your website receives, the better. But if 10,000 people view your website, and only 5 convert into paying clients, the chances are, you’re not attracting the right sort of clients to your website in the first place.
It would be more beneficial if you only had 1,000 visitors to your website, but converted 20 into clients.
Sometimes, less really is more.
Traffic to your website is only worth measuring if you know that the people who end up on your site are actually interested in the services you offer.
How can you find out who the right clients are for your business?
With tracking tools like Google Analytics and the Facebook pixel, it’s easy enough to find out which of your viewers are converting into real clients. Combine these statistics with the profiles of your current clients, and you’ll have a good idea of the demographics of the people who are most likely to engage with your services.
Ideally, the information you gather will match your current understanding of your target market, but there is a chance that there will be some differences. If so, it’s worth noting the variations between those you expect to utilise your services, and those who actually do use your services.
Once you have a clear picture of your clients, you’ll be able to narrow down your target market even further, and specifically pinpoint the clients who are most valuable to your business.
For example, perhaps some clients worked with you on a one-off project, but you would rather work on building long term relationships and large scale projects. Maybe you could offer another client some of the services there were looking for, but not all.
The most valuable clients for your business will generally be those who gain the most from your services. These will be the clients who are looking for the services you offer, who understand your ethos, who you enjoy working with, and crucially, the type of clients you wish you had more of. Often, the clients you like to work with are also your most profitable, either because they appreciate your costs, or simply because they are easier to work alongside.
The more specific you can be about your ideal client the better.
Why is it important to narrow down your target market?
In the words of Seth Godin, ‘not everyone is your customer’.
Instead of wasting your time trying to appeal to everyone, focus on appealing to ‘someone’. A clearly defined customer profile will help give your website clarity. The more clear you are about who you’re trying to attract, the more likely you are to generate more leads, and increase your sales.
We live in a world where even our television adverts are tailored specifically to us, the viewer, so when we’re looking for services online, we expect to find nothing less than exactly what we’re looking for.
34% of us are more likely to pay for something if we receive personalised content.
When you focus on trying to appeal to one very specific client, you’re more likely to be successful because you can give them exactly what they want.
If you try to appeal to as many people as possible, you run the risk of offering a vague message that won’t appeal to anyone.
How can you ensure your website is aimed at the ‘right’ clients?
Now that you have a clear idea of who your ‘right’ clients are, you need to ensure that your website has been created with them in mind.
Decisions about your website should be made with the sole purpose of attracting the ‘right’ clients to your website. To do this, you need to take a step back from your business, and start to think like a prospective client.
Content
Most business websites give the same information. Usually, they’ll include an overview of the services the business offers, their USP, information about the people behind the business and some testimonials from satisfied customers.
There’s nothing wrong with including this information on your website, but only if it benefits the clients you are trying to attract. Instead of thinking about what you offer, think about why your clients need your services. How does your business process make their life easier? What search terms do they use to find your website, and are you giving them the answers they’re looking for?
Shift the focus away from what your business does, and hone in on why your clients need the services you offer. You need to help your customers be the hero, and you can only do that when you are clear about the ‘right’ clients for your business: clarity is key.
Tone and Language
If you know that the ‘right’ clients for your business are senior leaders in the technology sector, your content should include appropriate technical terminology. But if you’re a tech company offering services for small businesses in the beauty industry, your language needs to be accessible and jargon-free.
Set Up and Structure
If the ‘right’ clients for your business are looking for solutions that are easy to implement, don’t create a website that’s difficult to navigate. Make sure the structure of your site is simple, easy to navigate, and self explanatory.
Design
However you decide to communicate with your clients, you need to ensure the design of your website matches the content. In order to really encourage the ‘right’ customers to your website, every aspect of your website needs to work in harmony. A simple design for a simple message. Use the design of your site to backup the content, not to detract from it.
Ultimately, when you approach every decision about every element of your website from the same perspective (that of the ‘right’ clients for your business), you’ll find it a lot easier to create a cohesive message. Your content, tone and language, structure and design, should all work together to provide clarity to your prospective clients.
Through aiming your website at the ‘right’ clients, your site will be more effective and more efficient. Visitors to your site will be looking for the services you offer, and you’ll start to notice more of your visitors converting into clients.
If the idea of attracting more of the ‘right’ customers to your website sounds brilliant, but you don’t know where to start, here are three simple steps to give you a nudge in the right direction.
- Use data insights and current customer profiles to establish who the ‘right’ clients are for your business.
- Take time to understand these clients, and find out how they think.
- Put yourself in their shoes, and look at your website. Does it do everything you want it to?
If your answer is no, or you want to spend more time analysing the ‘right’ clients for your business, we can help you to understand how to get the most out of your website, and ensure you’re attracting the right visitors.
