Know your audience

Last week, a business owner reached out to Sweet Orange and asked me to do a website audit. My core business is copywriting and content strategy, but I manage website builds and other marketing and research projects as well. It was a good fit.

He was thinking about getting a new website for the business he purchased last year, but before spending thousands on web development, he wanted to find out how his existing website could be changed to appeal to a more clearly defined market. He knows which type of clients he wants for the business, but wasn’t sure about how to reach them, or what they want from him.

Too often, I meet business owners who have no clarity at all on who they want to work with. A simple question like, “Who’s your ideal client?” completely throws them off. I work best with clients who know what they want, and business owners who understand that if you aim your marketing at everyone, you’re reaching no one.

This client said, “There’s something worse than having no customers. It’s having the wrong ones.” That’s so true! So before taking a deep dive into the look, feel, content and UX of the website, we had a good chat about his ideal customer. With that information and my research tools, I went to work and created an avatar, or buyer persona for his business (alongside the website audit).

Attract the right kind of attention

The more you know about your audience, and the people you want to do business with, the easier it is to market to them. That’s why buyer personas are such a powerful marketing tool. I wrote a blog post about this before, back in 2021, so instead of rehashing that story, here’s a link. 

Once you know who your ideal customers are, what they want and expect from you, your marketing will become sharper, more relevant, and far more effective. You’ll speak their language, address their needs directly, and attract the right kind of attention. That’s so much better than wasting time and resources on customers that just aren’t right for your business.

Before people decide to do business with you, they want to see tailored content with messaging, tone and voice that resonates. It builds trust and makes them understand that you’re the best match for them. You can get so much clarity on this when you create detailed buyer personas.

It all depends on the business you’re in and how niche it is, but I usually recommend starting with creating 2 to 4 avatars, which you can refine as you collect more insights, and as your business evolves.

If you have a team, involve them in the process. You can have a lot of fun with it, and you’ll end up with a much clearer idea on how to reach your ideal customers, through the right channels, and with the right message and content. Putting in the work to understand who your ideal clients are and what their day-to-day looks like can generate more quality leads, conversions and referrals.

Bonus: Read my blog post on how to show up as the best in business.

What about the ideal client for Sweet Orange?

Buyer personas need to be reviewed from time to time, as your business, people and marketplaces grow and change. Since the pandemic and the introduction of all these cool AI writing tools, I’ve seen a big shift in project requirements and the type of clients that reach out to Sweet Orange.

We’ve just celebrated 12 years in business. 5 to 10 years ago, I mostly worked with local businesses and start-ups, wrote for newspapers and magazines, and collaborated with web developers and creative agencies to get their projects over the line faster (which is something I still do). Face to face meetings were expected and apart from a few in the Central North Island, all my clients were based in the Bay of Plenty.

Today, I still work with local business owners and enjoy meeting with them in person, but I now have clients from all over New Zealand, and I also work for a growing number of creative agencies and larger business in Australia, Europe and the USA. Because of this shift, it was a good time to go back to the drawing board and create new buyer personas for Sweet Orange.

Creating my own ideal client avatar

I know who I want to work with, but I knew it would be helpful to clearly define who they are, what they like and dislike, and what they expect from their copywriter. With a little help from ChatGPT, which I mostly use for research, we created two semi-fictional characters called “Peter Harisson” and “Emma Fitzgerald”.

The robot got some things right, but a good edit is always needed when using AI, especially for something this important. Use it as a starting point then tweak and change it to make it personal and human. There are a lot of details in the finished avatar profiles, and most of those are for internal use, but here’s a summary of what we’ve come up with:

Peter, our first ideal client (above is a pic of what he could look like), is an account director at a well-established creative agency in Melbourne with 12 staff. Emma on the other hand is Head of Communications at a fast growing global fin-tech company with its HQ in Glasgow. They both have experience working with contractors. They value experience, clarity, and a fast and reliable delivery.

Peter and Emma are juggling complex, high-stakes projects which is why they needs a discreet, high-level copywriter who can deliver strategic, polished content without handholding. They are not looking for cheap or junior. They want someone that can make their jobs easier, and Sweet Orange is their go-to when the stakes are high and the tone matters.

What they want:

• High-end copywriting that elevates their brand voice
• Polished, persuasive, error-free content that nails the brief
• Find talent you can trust to deliver fast and without fuss
• Impress stakeholders with clarity, tone and insight
• Find a copywriter who gets it right the first time

Their frustrations:

• Past freelancers have underdelivered or required too much direction
• Struggle to find writers who get the tone and brief quickly
• Timelines are tight, and expectations are high

Why Sweet Orange:

• 25 years of high-level copywriting and journalism experience
• Strategic thinking and brand fluency
• Fast delivery, calm process
• Reliable and discreet (can white label easily)
• Professional, polished, always hits the mark

Key Values:

• Trust, speed, clarity, strategy
• No drama, just excellent work
• Strong communication and delivery

If you run a mid-to-large creative, branding, or digital agency, or if you’re the comms and strategy lead at an established (global) company and recognise your wants and needs in the list above, Sweet Orange could be a great creative partner and copywriting service for you.

I understand you expect excellence and can’t afford to micro-manage. When you hire me, or another senior copywriter with similar values and work ethic, you’ll get high quality copy, fast, and delivered without drama or delays.

If that resonates, or if you need help with creating a detailed ideal client avatar for your own business, we should talk. Call me for a chat on (+64) 021 492 040 or send me an email to find out how Sweet Orange can get you the results you want.

~ Martine Pierhagen, Senior Copywriter and founder of Sweet Orange Ltd