Launch: How to Quickly Propel Your Business Beyond the Competition

Developing Profiles for Your Ideal Reader Base

You can likely describe the primary buyer of your products and services without batting an eye. Now I'd like you to take it a bit further. Don't think about people as targets for the sale. The question isn't who can you land, it's who can you help?

Rather than focus on people who are buying your products and services, shift your attention to people you want to help—regardless of whether they purchase or not. Your objective should be to focus on who you want reading your blog, subscribing to your content, and becoming fans of your social media sites.

Why? The power of people goes way beyond the sale. Among your base, some people will purchase your wares, others will evangelize your content, and still others will contribute to your community. If you're only focused on the sale, you're missing a mega opportunity.

Who Should You Target?

Let's say your company makes software products that help coders. You've got a decent-size customer base of techie folks who love your products.

However, every time you try to sell to new prospects, you must convince the coder's boss that investing in your expensive solution is a smart move for the company. Who should you focus on for your ideal base: the coder or the coder's boss?

If your reader base is full of coder bosses and you continually provide highly valuable content to those bosses, you'll have access directly to the very people you've been struggling to convince.

If these bosses are already familiar ...