I have found that many entrepreneurs struggle because they never get clarity on the foundation of their business. They chase the next trend, second-guess every step they take and are often spinning their wheels trying every tip, trick, or tactic.
When you have clarity and connection, you’ll have a rock solid foundation to launch your business or take it to the next level. You’ll have a clearer focus based on the strategies that are naturally aligned. A core piece of this is understanding your dream clients!
When you focus on your people, the profits will naturally follow.
Following are case studies to help you to understand your dream clients and tailor your marketing to deeply resonate with them:
Case Study #1 - Anthropologie
Anthropologie approaches their marketing and customer experience very differently than most retail stores. Glen Senk, CEO, shared,
Most stores cater to a broad base of customers or specialize in a product category. We specialize in one customer. We offer her everything from clothing to bed linens to furniture to soap. We're customer experts. Our focus is on always doing what's right for a specific customer we know very well. Ask anyone at Anthropologie who that customer is and they can rattle off a demographic profile: 30 to 45 years old, college or post-graduate education, married with kids or in a committed relationship, professional or ex-professional, annual household income of $150,000 to $200,000. But those dry matters of fact don't suffice to flesh out the living, breathing woman most Anthropologists call "our friend.
Senk goes on to say,
I like to describe her in psychographic terms. She's well-read and well-traveled. She is very aware, she gets our references --whether it's to a town in Europe or to a book or a movie. She's urban minded. She loves cooking, gardening, and wine. She has a natural curiosity about the world. She's relatively fit.
Anthropologie has risen above traditional retail sales and marketing strategies. But by tuning into the desires of their dream client, they've been able to curate their products and create an incredible experience.
Case Study #2 - Lululemon Athletica
Ten years ago, Lululemonwas unknown in the athletic space. So how did they quickly rise to become the must-have athleisure brand over long time brands such as Nike? It all started with their muse - aka their dream client - named Ocean. Their former CEO, Chip Wilson, calls their ideal customers Ocean and Duke and describes them as follows:
A 32-year-old professional single woman named Ocean earns $100,000 a year. Ocean is also engaged, has her own townhouse, is traveling, fashionable, has an hour and a half to work out a day. Wilson explains that this woman is inspirational because if you’re 20 years old or you’re graduating from university, you can’t wait to be that woman. If you’re 42 years old with a couple children, you wish you had that time back.
Now that Lululemon has expanded into menswear, it also has a male muse named Duke. Duke is 35 and is an "athletic opportunist" who enjoys surfing in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. Duke is willing to pay handsomely for quality.
Like Anthropologie, Lululemon has a cult-like following because of the way they market to both Ocean and Duke. Lululemon started with a tight focus on the yoga market. Once they established the brand as THE yoga apparel brand, they branched out into products for other sports.
Case Study #3 - The Oprah Show
There is an entire generation that remembers tuning into the Oprah Show through the 1990s. Oprah's messages about inspiration, spirituality, and empowerment resonated with millions of loyal viewers. Oprah's viewers deeply connected to her messages. Surely you witnessed how she would barely mention a product and an entire brand was launched. The media coined this The Oprah Effect.
So how did Oprah become this powerhouse brand? It all began when she decided she was done with the tabloid-style show and began asking herself and her team "What would Susie, her dream client, like"? The entire creative team behind turning the Oprah show into THE SHOW for living your best life constantly asked:
- "What would Susie think?
- "How would this help Susie?"
Hopefully you see how having a dream client is a POWERFUL strategy to ensure your marketing deeply resonates with your dream clients. So before you write another blog post, email, course description, or program description--pause. Be sure to consider the needs, desires, and challenges of your dream client.
