Anybody who creates content does it for a reason (you do, don’t you?). But unless you create a transformation statement first, it’s unlikely going to be heard over the 5,037 other messages your audience receives every day. Read on to discover how to rise above the din and get your message heard.
Chances are when you hear the phrase ‘understanding your ideal customer’ your eyes glass over. The idea of visiting that topic again feels like being forced to read the name of the street you live on every time you drive on it.
You’ve done it 1,000 times, why would you do it again?
But what if I told you there was something you could do today that only took ten minutes and would help you write better copy, make better connections, and build a better company? If you’re the smart go-getter I know you to be, you’ll explore this simple exercise.
Or maybe you’re on the other side of the issue. Maybe you’re relatively new to digital marketing and you don’t have an audience yet, so you don’t know what your ideal audience looks like. If you’re brand new to researching your ideal customer here are some great ideas to get started.
An Ongoing Process
If you can honestly say you have your ideal customer all figured out and you don’t need to spend time in your business on this issue right now, I’m here to open your eyes.
A good digital marketing professional will spend a substantial amount of time on this issue up front in their business. But a GREAT digital marketing professional knows this is a dynamic process, one that’s never truly done.
You don’t learn about your ideal customer once, write down some demographics and never think about it again.
That’s like saying, “I did marketing. I’m good to go.”
I’m sorry did? As in past tense? That’s not gonna cut it! Everyone knows marketing is an ongoing process and so is understanding your audience.
All you need is 10 minutes
The good news is, gathering information about your ideal customer doesn’t have to be a long and difficult process. In fact, there’s one simple but powerful exercise you can do today that will drastically improve how you relate to your audience.
The exercise is writing a Transformation Statement. This powerful little paragraph will catapult your business to the next level by helping you to write better copy, make better connections and build a stronger company.
Write Better Copy
Copywriting can leave some marketers stumped. But lucky for you, a Transformation Statement will almost immediately improve your copywriting skills without having to take a 12-week online course.
The best writer in the world won’t stand a chance on writing something as powerful as you if they don’t understand your audience. That’s where your power comes from, in understanding who you’re writing to.
That’s right. I firmly believe you can write better copy than the best copywriter in the world, as long as you truly understand the transformation you want your audience to go through.
It’s not just about understanding who they are, it’s about understanding who they want to become. They have a problem and you have the solution. But nothing will sell that solution if you don’t understand the transformation that needs to take place within them.
In his book, “How to Write Copy that Sells,” Ray Edwards describes the importance of building rapport with your audience. This concept perfectly aligns with the need to create a Transformation Statement. Here’s what he says,
“People like three kinds of people: one, those who are like themselves; two, those they would like to be; and three, those who like them back.”
He goes on to say, “Rapport demonstrates that you know the reader’s pain, that you understand his or her problems, and that you have some common experiences that you can share that proves you understand his or her pain.”
You can’t argue with that logic. And it’s a perfect example of why you need a Transformation Statement.
Writing better copy starts with understanding the journey your audience wants to go on, understanding the pains they are experiencing, and understanding how you’re going to help get them to where they want to go.
Make Better Connections
A salesman wants to push products.
A marketer wants to keep her business top of mind,
But a business owner who truly cares about his customers wants to make connections.
If you don’t connect with your audience the game is over. You will not sell products, you will not remain top of mind and you will not make a difference. At least not as much as you could.
Understanding the journey you want your audience to go through helps you build those connections.
For example, deeply understanding who Mary was when she first found you online, knowing her struggles, hearing her insecurities and then giving her a picture of how she could grow or what she could build is a powerful mindset shift.
Build a Better Company
Building a better company is not about size or scale or profits; it’s about impact.
It’s okay to make money, but you also want to inspire, educate, entertain, influence, and challenge people. That’s why you’ve created your products and services.
You owe it to yourself, your business goals, and the impact you want to have.
Most important, you owe it to your audience to understand them.
So, let’s write a Transformation Statement.
The Transformation Statement: What is it?
By this point, I’ve hopefully successfully convinced you about the importance of writing a Transformation Statement, and you’re itching for me to tell you exactly what it is and how to do it.
The Transformation Statement is a foundational piece of your ideal customer profile.
Essentially it’s a mission statement. But instead of focusing on the service your business provides, this statement focus on your audience and the journey they will go on with you. It’s a critical piece in making sure you’re framing your business properly online.
Full disclosure, this is a concept I learned from the one and only Darren Rowse over at ProBlogger (he calls it a blog purpose statement as he’s focusing primarily on blogs) so I’ve slightly adapted and added to the concept.
How to Write a Transformation Statement
a Transformation Statement encourages you to get into the mentality of your ideal customers the first time they interact with you or your website.
Imagine what they’re thinking.
Hear the words they’re muttering to themselves as they read the words on your website.
Understand the reason they landed on your site to begin with; what are they struggling with?
Why have they turned to you for help?
What emotions are they experiencing?
Now think about the mentality you want them to have once they’ve left your website or walked away from an interaction with you.
Their attitude, outlook, and demeanor are hopefully different. It doesn’t have to be a drastic difference. Maybe they came to your website bored and they left with tears of laughter rolling down their cheeks. Maybe they came feeling insecure and they left feeling confident because of the knowledge you’ve given them. Maybe they came feeling helpless and after reading your content they now have hope.
Every website, every brand, wants to take people on a journey and a Transformation Statement is all about documenting that journey in plain and simple language.
To draft the statement, start by answering these questions:
- Who is your audience?
- How will you help them?
- What do they need?
- What emotions were they experiencing before they met you?
- What emotions are they experiencing after having met you?
- In other words, how will they change as a result of connecting with you?
Finally, take the responses to these questions and form a short paragraph that outlines these answers. Briefly describe your audience and what they’re experiencing, how you will help them get what they need and what they will experience after they’ve received it.
Target Audience Examples: Transformation Statements
If you’re like me, reading how to draft a statement like this isn’t as effective as giving some examples. This is where the beauty of the concept really comes to life.
Let’s look at two examples to get the ideas flowing.
Leesa
First, there’s Leesa. Leesa runs a health blog over at www.leesayoung.com. When she went through the exercise of drafting a Transformation Statement this is what she came up with:
“My objective is to empower my readers with the information and resources to take control/ownership of their health. I want to shift women from feeling disconnected from their bodies and their symptoms, feeling fearful about their potential health issues to feeling knowledgeable and empowered to advocate for themselves. Through reading my blog, I hope to enable women to choose to engage with health and wellness practices that work for THEM, rather than just following what everyone else is doing. They’ll understand that they’re not alone, and learn how to listen to their bodies and understand why they feel the way they do- and simple things they can do to start to feel better.”
The words in bold are perfect examples of the changes her audience will experience. Women come to her website feeling disconnected and fearful and they leave feeling knowledgeable and empowered.
That is copywriting gold!
Now, every time Leesa writes a blog post or an email campaign she knows the path she wants her audience to take. She’s not writing only about health, she’s writing to empower. And if you read through her website, you can see she has a deep understanding of the purpose of her copywriting.
Dorothy
Second, let’s look at Dorothy’s statement. Dorothy is a career coach with an incredibly personal touch. You can find her and her work at www.transformingperspectives.co When you read her Transformation Statement you can start to understand why people want to work with her.
“The goal of this blog is to unlock the reader’s path to job and career success. Sometimes we find ourselves stuck in this area, and because this is where we spend most of our life — — these feelings of being stuck are really personal and can lead to feelings of self-sabotaging and derail us. I want to help people find the next path to success in ways that are empowering, inspiring and taps into their true value. When readers discover their true value, their career and life will completely transform.”
People come to her website feeling stuck in their careers, so much so they’re starting to self-sabotage their own success. But after interacting with Dorothy and the services she offers they leave feeling inspired and valued. How powerful is that?
Now Dorothy knows she’s not just writing content about progressing a career, she’s writing content about the value each person has in the workplace. And that’s the key to understanding your audience.
Conclusion
Not only is a Transformation Statement important for helping you clarify your marketing message, but it can also help you identify what kinds of products and services to offer your ideal target audience. You can read more about understanding the mindset your customers have about their problem in this article.
Drafting a Transformation Statement is a crucial part of forming your ideal customer avatar.
After all, you’re not in business simply to make a dollar or sell a product, you do it because you want to impact lives, solve problems and be valuable. The best way to do that is to build a Transformation Statement and spend time (continuously) learning more about your audience.
Never stop learning more. It will make you a better business owner and a more effective marketer.
So, let’s try it.
Spend ten minutes answering the questions above and drafting your Transformation Statement. Leave the final version in the comments below and read what others have written in for inspiration.
An exercise this simple that will help you write better copy, make better connections and build a better business cannot be overlooked.
If you’re interested in seeing how the idea of “transformation” can add rocket fuel to your company’s marketing efforts, click the button below and fill out the relevant questionnaire.
