Small Business Blog

All marketing activities, including free tactics, come at a cost.

This cost may be measured in terms of money, time or even missed opportunities. That’s why it’s so important that you understand who your most profitable customers are, and focus your energy on finding and keeping them.

To do this, you’ll first need to define your ideal customer profile. This will help you focus your efforts like a laser, enabling you to get the best ROI for your lead generation efforts.

Take a look at your existing clients.

You may not realize it yet, but your ideal target client is sitting right there in front of you.

In business, there’s an “80/20 rule” which states that 20 percent of your clients will generate 80 percent your income. You need to analyze your current client list in order to isolate the top 20% of your customers, and make careful notes about all the characteristics that they have in common.

Once you’ve determined who your best clients are, invite these customers out for lunch and ask them why they decided to do business with you. You might be surprised by their answers.

Determine which problems you can solve

Now that you know who your ideal customers are, you need to figure out how you fit into their world.

• What problems can you help them solve?
• What causes do they care about, which you can help support?
• What communities do they participate in?

This will help you decide where to focus your energies for future campaigns.

A perfect example:

When Kimberley-Clark first introduced Kleenex disposable tissues in 1924, they were marketed to women as a means of removing makeup.

But, as you might have guessed, their best customers found an alternative (and less pleasant) use for these tissues. Although the company initially objected to having their brand portrayed in such a negative manner, they did their market research and decided to follow the money… even if it was less glamorous.

After the re-branding, the product became so successful that Kleenex is now a part of our everyday vocabulary.

Remember, your brand reputation is determined primarily by your customers. (Not your company) Talk to your most profitable clients today and find out more about how you can help them interact with your brand more effectively.

About Storagepipe:

Storagepipe is a leading provider of online backup services, and they also offer a partner program that assists partners and resellers in creating & selling their own backup software products.