Have you ever wondered why you can’t find more “ideal” property management clients?
As a business owner, you probably have at least one or two clients that you love to work with. If you had it your way, you’d only work with clients just like them.
Unfortunately, it can feel like these clients are few and far between.
But what if I told you that there were dozens — maybe even hundreds — of property management clients out there that fit your “ideal” image? You just have to know where to find them.
The internet makes it easier than ever for you to find and attract your target audience to your business. When you’re not stuck working with clients in your community, you’re able to attract high-quality clients from all over — improving the overall quality of your customer base.
But the internet isn’t opening new doors only for your business. Companies all over the world are taking advantage of online marketing to attract new audience members, meaning you have much more competition than you would if you were only competing with businesses in your area.
If you want to attract your target audience online, you need to start out. You need to create the right content, promote it the right way, and show that you’re capable of solving their problems or pain points.
In other words, you need to create a marketing strategy just right for them.
Creating an online property management marketing campaign tailored directly to your target audience isn’t as difficult as you think. Let’s take a look at the four-step process you can follow to better connect with your target audience online.
1. Identify Your BEST Customers
Too many small business owners make the mistake of trying to be everything to everyone. I should know — I was one of them! When I first started out, I thought the more people I could connect with, the more sales I would have.
While the business was growing, we were taking on many different clients with different goals, needs, and values. This meant our team was extremely stressed, always trying to figure out what a client was looking for. To top it all off, we weren’t making much of a profit.
After many sleepless nights, chaotic mornings, and struggle to find the right team of employees, I realized we were making a mistake. Trying to reach everyone meant that we weren’t being picky enough about the clients we were taking on. We had low-quality clients because we didn’t know who our “best” customer was.
In business, you can’t be everything to everyone — and you don’t want to be. When you don’t have a refined message, it comes off flat, generic, and uninspired. This means you’ll only attract clients who aren’t sure who they are, what they’re looking for, or what they need. In other words, clients you don’t want.
When you focus on attracting your ideal clients, both you and your clients will be happier with the work that your team is doing. They’ll pay you what you worth and will be a pleasure to work with. You’ll be less stressed, more efficient, and your business will grow.
2. Create a BEST Customer Profile
At this point, you probably have a few clients in mind that fall into your “ideal” category. In order to start attracting more clients just like them, you need to figure out what it is about them that you enjoy working with. What qualities or characteristics about these clients are you looking for in future customers?
Creating a customer profile of your ideal client ensures you and your team are on the same page about what kinds of clients you’d like to work with. Your customer profile is an in-depth look at exactly the kind of people who make up your target audience.
To begin creating your customer profile, start with the basics. Think about what age, gender, or race your target audience is. What are their interests? Where are they located? These are all ways to start establishing who your ideal customer is.
Once you know who your audience is, you need to understand the problems that they face. What pain does your target audience deal with each day? What problem are they trying to solve purchasing a new product or service.
Finally, identify what their “dream solution” is. How would they like to solve their problem? How can you — and only you — provide that dream solution to them?
To help get you started with your customer profile, click here to download an example of a customer profile we’ve created.
3. Know Facts — Don’t Make Assumptions
In order to best attract your target audience, you need to know as much about them as possible. While you may think you know how they’re searching online, what social media platforms they use, or what solutions they’re looking for, making assumptions can hurt your business. If you want to attract their attention the right way, you need to know the facts.
Once you’ve connected with a few members of your target audience, ask them if they’d be willing to answer a few questions for you. Here are some question ideas to help get your started:
- What made you choose to purchase from us over a competitor?
- What was the biggest problem you faced before you made a purchase?
- How did our product or service help you solve or reduce that problem?
- Are there any other benefits, features, or products we could add to make your experience better?
Continuously ask your target audience questions about themselves, what they’re looking for, and what they expect out of you and your business. The more you learn about them, the better your sales will be.
If you’re looking for additional questions to ask your target audience, you can download them here.
4. Use Your Best Customer Profile to Find More
Once you’ve identified who your ideal customer is and gathered the necessary research about them, you’re ready to start looking for them online. In order to attract as many members of your target audience as possible, you’ll want to tackle this topic in a few different ways.
Because many social media platforms allow you to target users based on their demographics and interests, you can use your Twitter and Facebook accounts to get ads in front of the right audience. Check out this example of how you can find exactly the right audience on Facebook.
You can also use your ideal client’s pain or dream solution to do keyword research. Understanding what kinds of problems they’re trying to solve or what kinds of solutions they’re looking for can give you a better understanding of how they’re searching online. You can use this information to develop a stronger SEO strategy.
Finally, use your audience’s interests to discover what websites they visit, what magazines or blogs they read, and what influencers they may follow. When you understand where your audience naturally “hangs out,” you can ensure your advertisements are getting noticed by the right crowd.
Finding your audience online comes from truly understanding who you’re trying to reach. When you know who your ideal client is, where they spend their time, and what they’re looking for online, you can create a marketing strategy that fits right into their needs and desires.
Don’t waste your time trying to be everything for everyone. Instead, refine your message, target your ideal customer, and grow the property management business you’ve always wanted to have.
