Part 1: Understanding your Client
In order to scale your business, you may have been considering hiring additional help from an external source, which could mean hiring anyone from a digital marketing freelancer to a full-service digital agency. Whoever you’re teaming up with, it is important to be clear on what they plan to deliver. Outsourcing work is great when the situation calls for it, but you also have to have an understanding of what your business is offering and the services you’re selling, and what kind of an impact this will have on your clients.
Here at Agency Stack, we’re here to help you recommend the appropriate selection of services to your customers with confidence, doing so in the knowledge that these services will deliver on your client’s expectations. Start by gaining a deeper understanding of your client. This means getting to grips with their business, their customers and what sets them apart from the competition.
1. Researching Your Client
This is one of the most important steps in this whole process. Research your client in order to establish what they are about. What would make customers choose them over their competitors? What do they promise and how do they deliver these promises? You’ll also need to consider industry trends applicable to your client and any obstacles they might have to overcome. The promises your client makes to their customers will inevitably form the basis for their brand positioning. With that in place, you can help your client get their message out there to the right people through the right channels.
2. Your Client’s Products and/or Services
What pain points do your client resolve for their customers, and what gives them the edge over their competition? What services/products do they offer that others perhaps don’t? Really work to understand what your client is offering to their audience, and work with them to assess what competing products and services are out there so that you and your client have a good understanding of the landscape.
3. Your Client’s Customers
Just as your client is key to your business, you need to understand the things that are most important to your client’s customer when it comes to making a decision. Help your client target key customer personas. When you know who your client’s customers are and what they are expecting from the client, you’ll be better placed to know what sort of content to recommend as well as what sort of channels they should pursue.
4. Your Client’s Competition
Once you have an understanding of your client’s customers, the next group you need to consider is your client’s competition. Who is on their level, who are they performing better than, and who do they aspire to be like? Take note of what sort of content their competitors are producing and what channels they are using. Also, take time to think about how your client can position themselves in the market and exist in the same space as their competitors whilst still being able to claim points of difference that sets them apart.
5. Your Client’s Business KPIs and Goals
Your client’s goals will always be the most important part of this process. They’ll be using this as a framework in which to measure how successful you are in the services, you’re providing them. If you’re able to work towards your client’s expectations and achieve good results within their budget, then there is no reason that they won’t be over the moon with the service you’re providing.
6. Roadmap for Success
As a final step, creating a business plan is a good way to pull all of your research together. Using a template means that you can repurpose the plan for other clients.
It’s important to recognise that all of this should be approached as a whole process. Hopefully through this, you’ll be able to gain a great understanding of your clients and how they are positioned in the market, as well as what their customers and competitors look like, and what services and/or products they offer.