Your superfan. This the person who has no doubt about buying your product or hiring you. They simply love what you do and know it's for them. There's a good chance you've already been asked or pondered the question, Who is my ideal customer or client? It might have even cost you the odd sleepless nights. When I first started pursuing my dreams to illustrate professionally, I ran headlong into this question, and it quickly became an unsolvable problem of gargantuan size.
For one, I had no existing clients or customers, so how could I possibly know who would want my stuff? When I was given the advice to just make one up? I couldn't help but feel I was playing make believe. I decided what many conclude, everyone is my ideal customer. If they have money in the bank, they're my type. Before long, I realized the mistake I was making by believing this to be the case.
To illustrate this fully of mine, I'd like to tell you the Story of pizza, the furniture maker, which I've adapted from a story in David Parrish. His excellent book, t shirts and suits. Pete is also a creative introvert and believes that he couldn't do marketing. He was becoming stressed because he needed more customers, but found that direct selling was extremely uncomfortable for him. He was not a natural salesman, and felt out of place at business networking events. He was embarrassed that his website was not as well designed as it might be, especially because friends kept telling him that that he needed a better one.
Other friends and associates told him that he should use social media more, especially Facebook and Twitter. Because these were popular and effective. Pete felt that marketing wasn't his strength and he needs to sell more of his creations. So he started to read books about it, take courses and basically tries to do all the things from redesigning his website to running ads on Facebook, using search engine optimization to appease a lot. Google, Pete found himself spending a lot of money and time on these things. He was exhausted much of the time and disappointed that all his effort wasn't generating the sales he needed.
He gradually became disillusioned with marketing and in despair about his business. In his mind, maxing meant the painful process of trying to sell to somebody who simply wasn't interested. maxing was bad news. It was the product of snake oil sellers. Pete was at his wits end when he finally started pondering his existing customers, and started to look at things from their points of view. He thought about the customers he had sold to so far, even though they weren't as there weren't as many of them as he would have liked, and how he'd found them.
He realized it was usually by word of mouth. Sales would happen almost randomly, through friends of friends and at unexpected events. These friends of his friends were interested in his work and very much appreciated. his creativity. They asked him about his inspiration, the materials he used his techniques and his workshop. Pete responded enthusiastically, telling them about every aspect of his creative endeavors.
He was in his element. He wasn't marketing. He wasn't trying to sell anything. He was merely talking about his passion to people who are on his wavelength, and he loved it. Pete may be an introvert, but he communicates brilliantly, authentically and enthusiastically when connected with the right customers. So much so that he doesn't feel he's selling at all.
Pete's problem was that he was trying to sell it to the wrong kind of customers showing up in the wrong places and with the wrong message. No marketing strategies will work if you're using them to try to sell to the wrong type of customer. Identifying the correct customer or your superfan is always the first step. With Pete The first step is identifying the correct market for his products, identifying the type of person who would be excited to buy His furniture when he identified two superfans, he could shape his strategy in a way that would get him in front of them and would allow him to be his most authentic self. Who is your superfan? Your superfan has the problem you're solving.
If your superfan doesn't have the problem you're solving, then they have no motivation to buy from you. There's also the danger of not being very clear on the problem you're solving and you aren't communicating what your superfan needs to them. In any case, solving a pressing problem your superfan has is a necessary requirement for anything you're offering. Your superfan has the same worldview as you when they see your product. Your superfan will experience the that's the one it was mainly just for me feeling. So not only does your product solve a problem that they are deeply concerned about, this also needs to be communicated in a way that your superfan understands.
If you're starting And tone is crisp and professional. Then your ideal customers will be crisp and professional. If on the other hand, your style is laid back and irreverent, so too will your superfan be. Your superfan has time and money to use what you sell. A true superfan won't complain about what you're offering is too expensive, nor they say they don't have any money right now. It received fans will recognize the value of your product or service and will agree with the price you ask for in exchange.
In addition, they have the time to make use of what they buy from you. They understand that what you're selling can even save them time and money. Here are some of the questions that will help you identify your mysterious super fat one, what is your superfan really want? Far more useful than standard demographics? Is the emotional drives behind your superfans instinct to buy from you. Empathy is one of your introvert superpowers and it's going to give you the edge in defining yourself fund's challenges and frustrations.
By knowing what it's like to walk in their shoes, you'll be able to create great products and services that address their specific pain points and problems. Here are a few of the examples of challenges they might face. I suck at editing. I wish someone would just edit this video for me. I need to find an unforgettable gift for my sister's 30th birthday. I wish I could schedule my tweets.
Your superfans challenges and frustrations impacts you, regardless of what you're offering. If you offer services, the service you're offering has to cure a light enough pain point that your ideal customer will pay you to do it for them instead of doing it for themselves. If you make products, there's no difference. The products you make muscles, your ideal customers challenges or frustrations to be worth buying. And yes, art they'll solve problems. If you've ever tried to buy a birthday present, that person who has everything you know what a problem that is What does your superfan feel?
If you're still not sure about how your product or service is going to solve a problem for your superfan? Let's talk about the limbic system. The limbic system is the oldest part of the brain and is the part responsible for our emotions. Back in the 1940s, and 50s, surgeons would often perform a lobotomy on patients to cure them of anxiety disorder. The operation involves severing the connection between their logical neocortex and the emotional limbic system. While this may have cured their in xiety, it also left the patient totally passive and void, almost patient, not ideal.
Now, studies show that our purchasing decisions at the point of hitting buy now or handing over our credit card are made up to 95% in the subconscious mind, and mostly depend on emotional factors. When asked to explain why we made a purchase, as much as we might wish to, we actually can't answer this question truthfully, because we have no conscious awareness. how or why our limbic system chose to act the way it did. The best we can do is rationalize our reasons after the behavior as it has occurred. Looking at this mind map, it might very well trigger emotions both painful and pleasurable, that could give you hints about your superfan size to buy from you. It will help to really get yourself in the mindset of when you are making a purchasing decision.
What are you feeling before you buy that thing? How do you want to feel after you have it? How do you feel when you use the products you can have a think and feel about everything you decide from what hairdresser you go to, where you buy books, clothes and food, what sites you browse and what brands you purchase from over and over again. Different types of people will be more drawn to different things. For example, a person dominated by the stimulant system is less motivated by a discount, then buy something new, limited edition or rare. A person dominated by the balance system, on the other hand, needs to know that they are making the right choice.
This person is highly risk averse, and really wants to be assured that a lot of people approve of the product before they invest in it rather than a discount. Putting your best reviewed products forward to showcase social proof would be a better tactic. Where are your superfans? Where do they get their information? knowing where your superfans hang out, influences everything from where you advertise, such as Facebook groups, nice forums, physical locations, places you can go to listen and learn about your superfans. The best blogs for submitting guest posts and the best podcasts to be interviewed on.
How to think about the digital and physical spaces where your superfan hangs out. The more specific the better. hangs out on Facebook is to general hangs out in wine lovers of Atlanta Facebook group, more precise and easy to reach likes the outdoors to general likes going to the park every Saturday morning with their kids tells you their habits and what they value. reads blogs isn't targeted enough reads life hacker TechCrunch and Reddit tells you not only what they're interested in, but precisely where you can reach them. action step creates an in depth profile of your superfan. You might not have an existing customer or client to use as a starting point, which can make this exercise seem frustrating.
But note that you're actually at an advantage. You're in the position to carve out the person you want to help change and the light. This is an ongoing process. Your superfan will evolve with you. The important step right now is to get an idea of who this might be. Then test the hypothesis over the coming few weeks.
To add to the questions we went through in this class, there will be some additional questions that can help you describe your superfan in the resources