This is where we're gonna start really thinking about our customers. Now guys, I know. You have done ideal client profile exercises, client archetype exercises out the wazoo. I don't do those things. Because I don't think they're very effective at all. What I do do is something a little bit different. We, where I come from, like to talk about real people. And listening to real people. And really using what real people say, not profiles, not archetypes, to actually understand how we need to talk about the products and services that we sell. How we need to market them so that people do get it. So I don't want anybody to tune out. This is not about creating an ideal client profile. In fact, what we're gonna do over the course of this lesson is talk about seven different ways you can listen to the people that you want to have buy. So that you can use that information then to build campaigns that practically build themselves. And that's what we're gonna do in an upcoming lesson. So first of...

all this is Sean. And Sean's my partner. As you can see, he is a mountain man. Well I picked up this mountain man out in the coast of Oregon. And a couple of years ago I scooped him up and moved him back with me to the east coast. He is not an east coast boy. When I did that he left behind his job, he left behind all his friends, and he moved to an area where he knew nobody. And we decided that he would pursue his photography and pursue writing and all the creative things that he wanted to do instead of going back and getting a bar tender job like he'd been doing for years and years. I was used to working from home and being alone all day and all the things that come with that. But it was very new to him. And this man who had always billed himself as an introvert started getting a little twitchy with all the alone time he now had. And one day we were sitting in the living room, drinking coffee. I was getting started with work. He was reading the paper. And we heard the pitter patter of the mailman's feet up our porch delivering the mail. And Sean burst out of his chair and opened the door so that he could say hi to the mailman. (audience laughs) And when he closed the door and started walking back to his seat I just looked at him like "What was that?" And it was at that moment that we realized Sean is an extrovert. (audience laughs) No, seriously guys. We had been together for three years at that point. And we were both like "Yeah, introverts. "We are so cool. "Introverts are the coolest". And so this was a real identity crisis for him. Realizing that he actually needed human interaction. (audience laughs) He needed people to talk to. And more important, he needed people to listen to him. (audience laughs) And so we started coming up with a game plan. "How are you going to get your extroverting in "every single day". And the way he has done that to this point, and he problem would not love me sharing this, but is to go to our local pub. We have a fabulous pub in Lititz, Pennsylvania where we live. It's been rated the number one beer bar in Pennsylvania for the last few years. Which if you know me, you know is a very big deal. And so he goes down to this pub pretty much at 3:00 almost everyday to talk to whoever is there. And he's obviously, over the last couple of years, he's developed some friends and good relationships with some of the regulars there. But sometimes he just loves meeting new people. But what he's told me, and what he's realized over the last couple of years of figuring out what's it like to meet new people. What's it like to explore this side of himself is that there are some people he meets that just want to talk. They have no interest in listening to him. They have no interest in having a real conversation. They're just there to talk. And he can't stand that. He loves the back and forth of really good conversation. He loves when people are actually listening to each other. So that they can reach somewhere new with the conversation. They're not just rehashing the same old crap. They're actually learning new things as they're talking. And you know that has really gotten me thinking about the way a lot of marketers approach listening to their customers as well. There are a lot of marketers out there that listen to their customers but only ever to sell them on that next thing. Right? It's not to understand. It's not to better meet their needs. It's just to get the right sales message. Just to get that right phrase that's gonna get them converted into being a buyer. And Steven Covey knew this too. He said "Most people don't listen with the intent "to understand; they listen with the intent to reply". And so yes. Listening to your customers, better understanding the people that you actually want to have buying your products and services is incredibly important. But it's not just to understand what that magic phrase is that's going to get them to buy. It's actually to understand what their needs are. How they talk about those needs. How you could better meet those needs. How you can help them better reach their goals or fulfill their desires. And that's why listening is actually the most important skill of marketing. Yes marketing is about communication and it's about creating connections with people. But you can't communicate and you can't create connections until you're really listening to understand and not just listening to reply. And even more than that, you can't listen to customer profiles. You can only listen to real people. And so first, we need to decide who you're going to listen to. So right now, right this very moment, I want you to think of three people at least who you want to have buy your next product or service or offer that you're selling. Three people. Write down their real names. You don't have to write down anything more about them. Their first names are fine. This is just to jog your memory. But I want you to do it right now. You at home too. I want you to do it right now. Who are those three people that you want to have buy your next product or service? Because you can't listen until you know who you're listening to. Right, you got it? Three people? At least two. You got two? Alright. So like I said I'm going to give you seven different ways that you can actually listen to or research your target customer. So it's three people you just wrote down. Of course you're not just listening to those three people. You're gonna listen to more people than that. But that gives you an idea of where to go find them, what you need to learn from them, how you need to figure out better what they need. So we're gonna deep dive into each one of these. But just to give you an idea of where we're going. We're gonna talk about social listening, so using social media as a listening tool and not a broadcasting tool. We're gonna talk about front end surveys. In other words surveying people before they buy. We're gonna talk about back end surveys. Surveying people after they buy. We're gonna talk about market trends. Analytics. Trust me this is not going to go into a google analytics class. I'm just gonna talk to you a little bit about that. Don't panic. Prospect interviews. And then finally, live presentations.

Class Materials

Bonus Materials

Tara Gentile - 12 Month Marketing Calendar

Tara Gentile - Implementation Month

Bonus Materials with Purchase

Tara Gentile - Campaign Building Blocks

Tara Gentile - Create a Marketing Plan Workbook

Tara Gentile - E-mail Marketing Templates

Tara Gentile - Sales Page Templates

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Tara McMullin

Tara McMullin is the founder of CoCommercial, a digital small business community for entrepreneurs serious about making money, impacting their communities, and transforming the

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topics covered in this class

Business Basics Sales Entrepreneurship Marketing

Ratings and Reviews

Sharon

Tara, the information you delivered in this class is invaluable. I am in the launching stage of my business, and I know I need to market my business and services and I know I need to write a plan, but I didn't know how to do it. Instagram, content upgrades, Facebook, email marketing, webinars, blogging, etc. etc., I know it all. But I just couldn't get my head around how to truly use marketing campaigns for my business, and especially for my services, to reach my ideal client, help my ideal client and to reach my ideal income. You explained the why behind marketing campaigns and you showed us how to create a marketing campaign from A to Z. The whole sha-bang! You gave me the knowledge and inspiration in how to market my services, how many people I ideally want to reach and above all, a framework I can use time and time again to create a marketing campaign. I purchased the class right after seeing the live broadcast so I can use this class for planning all my next marketing campaigns. You clarified a lot and I am much more confident (and so much more less stressed haha) in creating a marketing campaign plan that works for my business and services. I learned a lot! Thank you! P.S. Love the hot seats.

Lisa Murray

Once again Tara has delivered a brilliant class. It was perfect timing for me as I am about to relaunch an existing program. I saw clearly what I missed during the first launch and I'm curious to see how the new approach based on Tara's strategies will convert. Highly practical and hugely insightful if you want to stop chasing bright shiny objects and spinning your wheels. I especially loved the launch model using where the customer is in their knowledge of your offer - brilliant!

MaryAnn

This class is well worth the time! Tara does an excellent job of not only providing a step by step system for creating a marketing campaign, but she provides clear context and insights along the way. This is important so that you're not just going through the motions and crossing your fingers that your marketing will work. She helps you understand the strategy behind the scenes so you can get the most out of the work you put in. I highly recommend this course to anyone considering doing their own marketing, or people who are already doing their own marketing and want to feel more empowered and get better results.

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Identify & Research Your Target Customers

Identify & Research Your Target Customers

Lesson Info

8. Identify & Research Your Target Customers

Lessons

Class Introduction

Create Your 12-Month Marketing Calendar

Real Life Marketing Calendar Example

Identify Your Marketing Campaigns

Examples of Identifying Audiences

Example of Actual Marketing Campaign

Analyze Your Past Marketing Disappointments to Discover Opportunities