What is a Customer Avatar?
If you haven’t already guessed, a customer avatar is your ideal customer - not your average customer - but the perfect customer who will want to purchase from you again and again.

Once you have discovered your customer avatar you can build a strong marketing strategy and improve your user experience.

Why you need a Customer Avatar

• Tailor your marketing - email marketing will be so much easier once you know ‘who’ you are writing to. No more generic, soulless chit chat - you will be able to adjust your tone and voice to engage with your customer and create campaigns that they can’t resist!
• Improve user experience - Whether that means a slick app for shopping at your store or choosing different social media platforms.
• Product development - Once you know what makes your Custom Avatar tick, you can develop products and services that they need.
• Write relevant content - Coming up with interesting content is always a challenge if you are blindly targeting the masses but once you’ve established your target customer you should be able to come up with plenty of insightful, helpful and engaging content.
• Paid Advertisements - Your customer avatar will help you decide where you should run paid adverts. You will also know which demographics you need to be targeting which will tell you what wording you need in order to get the best return of investment.

How to Create Your Customer Avatar

Do your research - If you are an established business then you have a great starting point as you can ask your customers for feedback:

• Set up polls
• Send out surveys or questionnaires
• Interviews
• Analyse data from third party analytics

Build Your Customer Avatar - Give your fictional customer a name and try to get a picture of them in your mind. Think about their demographics ie age, gender, income etc.

• Try to envision where they get their information - Online search? Word of mouth? Instore? Books?
• What are their goals? What are they trying to achieve?
• What are their values?
• What are their pain points?
• What challenges are they trying to overcome?
• Why do they buy from you?
• What might stop them from making a purchase?

It’s likely your business will have more than one ideal customer, depending on the services and products you offer. If this is the case you will need to repeat the steps and create an avatar for each one.

Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain!
If you are willing to put in the hard work now and create your customer avatar(s) you will have much higher success with your marketing and sales. You will be able to focus your marketing spend to the right areas, improve engagement and build a strong, loyal customer base.

Need help building your avatar? Contact Creative Remedy for more information.

​Building the right strategy now will help your business through the year. It’s particularly important to plan and allocate budgets to the right place- creating a marketing plan can help you to do this.

​The main points to consider when creating a marketing strategy are:

• SWOT - identify your business’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

• Decide what you want to achieve - your marketing plan should be linked to your business goals, both short and long term. Have your business objectives in mind when writing your marketing plan.

• Know your customers - to gain an insight into your business and where it stands try asking your customers their opinions.
  
• Research the competition - find out who your competitors are, look at their strengths and weaknesses. It’s always worth knowing what your competitors offer that you don’t.
• Strategies - determine how you can best reach your target customers covering all marketing channels to achieve your plan.

• Budget - it’s important to have a budget set aside for your marketing and you need to stick to it.
  
  
  

There are a number of marketing channels you can cover in your strategy including:

• Email Marketing - newsletters/e-bulletins
• Website Content - Home page design, landing pages, products & services
• Blogs - Case studies and blogs
• Social Media - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn etc
• Print Collateral - Stationery, folded leaflets, flyers
• Vehicle livery and exhibitions stands
  
  
  

If you’re pressed for time, a 12 month plan seems like too much to tackle, then you can try a 3 month plan. Here you would focus on short term goals and then branch out from this once you’ve completed it.

You could also consider hiring a marketing team- they will be able to advise you on the right strategy for your business and come up with creative solutions for your business marketing. Read our blog ‘Digital Marketing - Why you need a Marketing Team’ to find out more.

If you need any help or advice Creative Remedy are here to support you, so please get in touch if you have any questions.

We’ve avoided saying it for as long as we could, but it can’t be denied any longer - get ready, Christmas is coming!

It comes around so fast every year, I won’t even tell you how many shopping days you have left. But don’t panic, you still have plenty of time to get your business ready for the festivities, but you need to act now! Christmas is a great time to make meaningful connections with your customers and clients as well as a fantastic opportunity to show off your amazing brand with some top-notch Christmas inspired marketing.

We’ve done some of the hard work for you (we can’t help with the Christmas shopping, sadly) and put together a festive filled guide to get your business in the Christmas spirit!
 
Christmas 2023 Marketing Strategy
If you haven't already reviewed your marketing strategy for Christmas then you need to act now:

• Think about how your customers have changed the way they do business with you. If you’re finding they are more likely to interact with your business online then focus your marketing on those online platforms. However, if you’re finding your customers are embracing being able to do more face-face business then you should turn your attention to printed festive marketing materials that will entice your customers.
• Don’t forget to set a budget when you’re devising your plan. It’s so easy to get carried away but be realistic and stick to your budget.
• Market Research - what are your competitors doing? What do your customers expect and how do you plan to meet those needs?
• If you sell products, do you want to provide a wrapping service? Will you need branded/promotional wrapping paper?

Dec the Halls...
If your business has a physical premises where customers visit then you need to be thinking about festive marketing materials such as boards, banners, posters and decals for the windows. Don’t forget twinkly lights, Christmas tree and, if appropriate, music inside.
 
…and the Virtual Halls
Don’t forget the online window dressing:

• If you have a website with an online shop, then make sure you have a Christmas themed online shop front. You could temporarily change your colour scheme to more festive colours, add a Christmas banner to your landing page or some festive decorations to your brand logo.
• Give your newsletter/email marketing campaign a festive flourish. Include lots of details of any Christmas offers/sales you have planned, consider a Christmas countdown and make sure you include links to your social media channels.
• Run a series of Christmas themed social media posts (don’t forget the appropriate Christmas hashtags!)
• Change your profile pictures/backgrounds to a Christmas themed image.
• Create Christmas inspired content.

 
Get Personal
To say thank you to your customers and to wish them well for the new year, why not send a branded calendar, stationary or Christmas card? Handwritten for that extra personal touch.
 
As always Creative Remedy are on hand to help with any of your branded printing materials including calendars and cards as well as your Christmas digital marketing. Don’t forget the more notice the better, we can’t change print lead times unfortunately!

Creating a brand identity takes a lot of hard work and perseverance. Designing a great logo and website are important first steps but how do you establish your brand to make it recognisable, trusted and credible?

There are a number of steps you need to take when building your brand from researching your competitors to communicating your story, message and values to your target audience and then applying these to your marketing strategy.

Be Seen - Grow Your Sales - Build Your Brand
Business directories make your business easier to find online with a direct link to your unique search engine optimised business profile. Your business profile featured on online directories allows you to target your audience and build brand awareness. It is an affordable alternative to improve your online presence and digital footprint. Quite often Google Ads campaign or other paid for ads are unattainable to small businesses. Just think your brand is being promoted on all social platforms, on a regular basis and it is something you don’t have to directly manage yourself.

Local Online Business Directories
Our heart is with two local online business directories that have a support local ethos. If you understand back links and the impact of linking to credible websites to your own website, then you will appreciate the value of driving traffic to your website to again more enquiries, more leads and in turn more sales.

A great way to find prospective customers is to sign up to a local online directory, such as The Local View and Peterborough Business Directory. Our online directories give you access to potential new suppliers, advertise your business across a number of social media channels and allow you to promote your products, services, courses and events to a wider audience through, online articles, banner advertising, our own email marketing and paid for ads.

Here are just some of the benefits;

• Search engine optimised business profile.
• Business description, opening times, contact form, photos of your products, services, courses or events.
• Your profile is shared on all of our socials.
• Links to your website, email and social media platforms.
• One minute video* created for you, posted bi-monthly on all our social media channels.
• Get quarterly stats on our online performance and social awareness/reach.
• Support for you and your growing business.
• Digital and print services as and when you need them.
• Opportunities to promote your products, services, workshops or events through all our marketing channels.
• Publish your news, articles, achievements, events and press releases on our directory for FREE.
  
  

Design, Print & Distribution
So you have got a website, what else can you do to promote your business and get your brand out there? Did you know The Local View provides design and printing services? We can design and print marketing materials such as brochures, compliment slips, banners (great for local expos), business cards and more. We also offer a leaflet design, print and distribution service- perfect for your next marketing campaign!

Articles & Spotlight Articles
If you have some exciting news or developments to share, a spotlight article includes Search Engine Optimisation, chosen key phrases, an advert and video to promote your product, service, course or event.

Articles are a great way to spread the word about what’s happening in your business, create a buzz and engage with your audience.

Do you have a story to tell?

• A local community project or initiative
• A local business event or conference
• Innovation of a new product or service
• Maybe you have recently had some PR and want to maximise your online exposure
• Are you a winner of a business award?

Please request a copy of our article submission guide. Contact us >

Being part of a local online business directory is more than advertising, it’s also about supporting local and your local business community. The Local View and Peterborough Business Directory fully support the shop local ethos with a focus on small independent businesses and focused business owners like you. We understand the challenges SME’s face out there but within our local directories you become more visible, supported and learn about what is happening locally in terms of grants, funding, business support courses, local news and events, share knowledge and network with other like minded businesses. All of this will help strengthen your brand and improve your online presence.

​If you don’t currently have a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) you are missing out on a fantastic, free tool that gives your customers access to vital information such as your business operating hours, contact details, location and much more besides.
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Google is a huge deal when it comes to search engines - it has 92.66% of the search engine market share (Search Engine Market Share Worldwide - June 2023) indeed its name has become synonymous for searching online for something.

Why You Need a Google Business Profile
If your business has contact with customers, including those with a physical location such as a hairdressers, or you provide services requiring meeting with customers at other locations such as a plumber or electrician then you are eligible to set up a Google Business Profile. Google Business Profile gives you the opportunity to list your business location on Google Maps and Google local search results - your target audience will have instant access to your exact location and any other important information they may need:

• Your business location
• Contact details
• Opening times / closing times
• Payment options
• Contact details
• Link to your website
  
  

One of the best things about this tool is that it doesn’t cost you anything! You are able to advertise your business, its location and even post updates with pictures and other information all for free. You’ll even get access to insights on how your profile is performing, including the number of views on your posts and how many users viewed your profile.

Getting seen online is not always easy, competition is tough and it’s hard to know if anyone will see your business. A Google Business Profile puts your business on Google maps and Google search making it much easier for customers to find you online and makes your physical business location easier to find too.

• Improve your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Showcase your products and services
• Get more reviews
• Be better than your competition
• Get more sales and enquiries

A Google Business Profile Can Help Your Business Grow
Your business profile will be among the first Google search results after the sponsored ads. Being near the top of the search results has many obvious advantages including increasing traffic to your website. Not only that, your profile will appear higher in local search results - helping you target your audience.

Another great advantage of your Google Business Profile is the customer reviews - reviews are essential in order build trust and credibility.

Increase Visibility, Increase Awareness, Increase Sales
There really are no reasons not to set up your Google Business Profile - if you need help setting yours up we can help guide you through the process, including showing you how to update your business details and add posts to your profile.

Recent Update To Google Privacy Policy
Google recently updated the inactivity period for a Google Account for two years (across all of their accounts and services). The change is now active and applies to any Google Account that hasn’t been used or signed into within a two year timeframe. The earliest date that inactive accounts (and any content) will be eligible for deletion would be December 2023.

You will receive reminder emails if your account is inactive before any action is taken so you’ll have plenty of time to sign-in and prevent your accounts from being deleted if you still wish to keep them.

Find out more about Google’s inactivity policy here.

Need more help? Contact us for more information.