// brand foundations
WEEK 2
This week we are finding clarity in your business; working out what your services, products, ranges or packages should be and getting to know your customer or clients inside out. We are starting to look at brand seasons and think about which might be right for your business.
Let’s start by getting super clear on the different terms we will be using going forward.
target market, niche & ideal client
what do these terms mean to you and your business?
These terms are often confused, so let me help you out and explain them in the simplest way I can. Imagine the the circle opposite represents the customers or clients in your business. As we move further into the centre of the circles we get clearer and more specific on exactly who we should be working with, or selling to.
The aim of this work is to understand your customers and clients so intimately, that by the end you know exactly what motivates them to pick you or your business and can ensure that you double down on the parts of your business that will ensure they do!
target market/audience.
Your target market is much more broad than your niche, and ideal client. It’s people who might want your products or services. People your business may appeal to, and you could feasibly do business with. People in the market for what you sell.
For example if you are an interior designer your target audience could be people who are interested in renovating houses, people who have recently moved or are looking to improve their homes.
If you are a website designer it could be people who are looking for a new website. So simply, it’s a specific group of people most likely to respond positively to your promotions, products, and services.
niche.
A NICHE is defined as ‘denoting products, services, or interests that appeal to a small, specialised section of the population’. The key here is small and specialised. It’s a narrowed sub-section of the target market. It’s the area of the market, specifically, that your business is geared towards.
People often worry that by being ‘too niche’ they will lose clients, but this isn’t the case. You may lose the clients that are a bad fit for your business, and that’s OK.
You simply cannot be all things to all people, you will end up being nothing to nobody!
You will always attract people around this small specialised radius, and these people will fall into your ‘target market’.
So, if you sell interior design services for example, have you narrowed it down to a submarket within the larger market?
So not just interior design services, but interior design services for people who are renovating period residential family homes. And not just any old residential family homes, but residential family homes in the leafy suburbs and parents of young children. And not just that, but families who want a home that is functional (with plenty of clever storage solutions) that doesn’t compromise on style.
You may narrow it further by geography, if you only work fairly locally for example. Or you could narrow it down so it’s people with children who are under 10 years old for example. Or perhaps they are families that have recently moved out of London to get more space for their growing family..?
Do you see how by being really specific we start to narrow the market right down, and if these are the types of clients we want to work with then we can tailor our marketing, websites and all comms to them specifically.
It should feel like we are talking directly to them and our design services would be the only logical choice. It would feel like your business is perfect for them.
If I am a parent who has just bought an old house in Surrey that needs work, and I’m tearing my hair out because of a lack of storage but am really busy and I come across this Interior designer and love their style I’m going to feel that she/he is the the exact right fit for me.
ideal clients.
IDEAL CLIENTS is even more specific. These are the types of customers and clients that you love to work with, who love your work and are happy to spend on your products or services. They are the clients you want more of - your dream clients.
They don’t micro manage or undermine you, they trust you and love what you do. They are happy to buy from you. They are happy to recommend you.
You may have heard the terms ‘avatar’ or ‘muse’ or ‘customer archetypes’ they are all the same thing as your ideal client.
It’s likely that your business may have several types of ideal clients which need to be outlined.
Once you know who, specifically, you want to do business with - to the point where we give them a name and choose a photo to represent them - you can start talking to them directly through everything you do in your business, online and off.
This is powerful stuff.
Once you know EXACTLY who you want to work with you can ensure that everything aligns with appealing to this person. You can tailor everything and always ask yourself the question ‘would Amelia like this?’.
The reason you may need several is because it’s likely you have different ideal clients for your different products or services. I usually create 3 per business to start with. Don’t worry we are going to cover this part together.
Who do you want to work with, specifically?
Homework
Firstly download the ideal client worksheet, the workbook and the ‘this or that’ worksheet for this week.
The ideal client worksheet is a jumping off point, it’s by no means exhaustive. Ideally you want to type this up as you go, so you can share your ideas with me, I will be helping with writing the ideal client profiles but need something to work with. We will discuss this in more detail in the next session.
This or That
Please download and print the ‘This or That’ sheet and cut along the horizontal lines, so you end up with two words on a strip.
Next lay out all the strips on the floor and start to fold them in half, so the word that you feel fits best with your brand is facing up.
You will end up with a bunch of words facing you and half hidden. Next go through and ruthlessly cull until you end up with around 8 -10 words that you feel are really right for your brand.
Remember this in’t just about personal taste!
Please take a photo of the final words - ideally 10 - 12 and share the photos with me via email.
Brand seasons
Your brand will likely fall into one season more comfortably that the others, but we need to be sure that the way your brand makes your clients feel, is compelling.
Have a read of the brand season info in the link below and start to consider which feels right. These brand seasons are of course the extreme of each season, the actual seasons are more subtle that this, but it gives a good basis to start to make some decisions. Don’t be put off by the photography if it’s not right for your brand, and remember that each colour occurs in each season (with the exception of black - which is Winter only).
The document was created with an ice cream brand in mind. Make a cuppa and enjoy immersing yourself in the world of brand seasons!
Vision
Please have a listen to the podcast, you can do this whilst you are on a walk if you like, we need to start to get clear on your vision, and this is the first step. Try to consider the questions, pause the podcast if needed and make some notes. See what you come up with, try to think BIG and don’t let the HOW get in the way. It’s likely that (unless you are Steve Jobs and are going to invent the iPhone) people have trodden the same path before you. The HOW can always be worked out. It’s having the vision in the first place that is the hardest part (or most fun depending on how you look at it!)
Once you know precisely who you want to be working with, you can build your business to align with that choice.
This is about getting super clear and intentional, creating a business that plays to your strengths and allows you to say no to things that don’t align.
It allows you to elevate.
— Liz Carrington