The Freedom of a Tight Brief
And I don’t mean briefs of the M&S variety. Goodness knows there’s no freedom when it comes to tight in that department.
When I first started working in an ad agency in London, the Account Director I was working with told me that there is ‘freedom in a tight brief’ and although I’ve forgotten far more insightful quotations over the years than I’ve ever managed to remember, this one has proved itself to be relevant and true on so many occasions that it’s stayed with me.
Today I find it particularly true in respect of those lovely clients of mine who are giving themselves sleepless nights about how to engage the entire universe with their business blog posts.
Let me put it to you plainly: If you sit down to create a new blog and your brief is ‘everyone needs to love this’, then I’m afraid you’ve already failed.
It’s much like the way you’ll notice your graphic designer, website creator, social media manager or any other business services provider’s little face droop, hear their heartbeat falter and their eye twitch reignite if you say your ideal customer is ‘everyone’.
And I get it. Especially for small business owners who have made their passion into their work. It can be very difficult to understand why anyone, why everyone might not be your potential customer.
But, don’t forget: There’s freedom in a tight brief.
If you set out to create a blog post (or a business) with ‘everyone’ as your target reader, how on earth are you going to make stylistic decisions in a rational way? How are you going to choose an image that appeals to everyone, or a tone of voice for your writing that everyone appreciates, or even select a subject matter for the post that everyone wants to read about?
Short answer? You’re not.
So, instead take the time to think strategically about exactly who your business is best serving. be specific about it - as specific as you can be - down to their postcode - and write a blog post for that person. That one person. Because that’s your next, best customer. And the rest of the world can go fish.
Step by Step Guide: Getting to Know your Ideal Customer (because she’s the one)
Jot down your answers to these key questions to create a customer avatar for your business and - once you know know exactly who you’re writing for and why - you can bask in the glory of your business blogger’s brilliance.
Question 1
Tell me all about the best customer you ever had - describe her / him / them in detail and, since it’s just between us, don’t be afraid to get personal and get specific.
Describe what made them such a magnificent specimen of a customer?
Question 2
Complete this sentence: When it comes to my business, my ideal customers main concern is that…
Question 3
What was the most important thing that your business delivered to this ideal customer?
And how did that make them feel?
Question 4
Complete this sentence: My business was the perfect match for this customer because…
Question 5
If this customer was going to ask for just one more thing from your business, what would it be?
Need more?
If you need a little more advice, check out this post on Should I Blog for my Business, or if you’ve got a post you need to publicise then read my post Spread the Word.
Need me?
If you’d like a little more tailored advice about your business blogging strategy - or your business website - then please do get in touch and let’s grab a coffee.