(Read Time 5 min)

Imagine you are walking down a very, very, very, crowded street in the busiest city in the world with 5 billion people.

Billions of people are walking around. Shoulder to shoulder. It's loud. You are trying to figure out why all these people are yelling. It's uncomfortable.

Now picture millions of businesses all aligned up the streets who are all competing to get your attention. They are trying to hopefully get you to come check out their store and products. If you have ever been to a market in a 3rd world country you can kind of understand this experience.

You haven't heard of nor seen 98% of these businesses before.

Now imagine 98% of the business owners standing outside of their store all yelling, "HEY! BUY MY STUFF! 20% OFF!"

Now picture the same type of stores - let say sports apparel - that are all next door to each other for miles. Thousands of them. They are all selling the exact same products and they all are screaming, "HEY! COME BUY MY STUFF! 20% OFF!"

You hear and see this over and over, and over, and over.

It's a bit overwhelming and quite honestly, annoying.

Then finally you walk past a store where the owner is yelling something different.

"HEY GYM RATS! Looking for some new gym clothes that feel comfortable, look fashionable, and can continuously take a beating through your workouts?

At Gym Rat Apparel, we believe is giving you the trifecta of gym clothes - comfortable, fashionable, and long lasting.

Come pick 3 outfits with our best selling workout shirts and shorts all for the price of 2. Heck, we will even throw in a pair of our gym favorite athletic socks as a free gift with your order. And if you don't like your outfits, ship them back. We will pay for the shipping and give you a full refund.

If you're looking to stock up on some brand new gym gear for the year, come check us out. We would love to play a part in helping you look great, feel great, and crush your gym goals this year!"

You are like, holy santa clause, this store knows who I am and what exactly what I am looking for. I don't even think I need new gym clothes. But they get you thinking- "Well, my clothes are falling a part a bit, it is the new year, I could use some new stuff and three new outfits for the price of two and I'll look good? Alright let me see what they got."

And you walk in.

Thats because Gym Rat Apparel knew exactly who they were talking to, they knew their customer inside and out. They knew what they wanted externally - gym clothes that fit, feel comfortable, last a long time, and make me look good. AND they knew what their customer wanted internally, crush their gym goals, continue to look and feel good.

Thats why knowing who you customer is on an intimate level, can help you serve them at the highest level and give them the experience they have always wanted to have but never thought they would get.

Who is your customer? Who do you serve?

Building A Storybrand

"You are not the hero of the story, the customer is. You are the guide."

"Building a Storybrand" is a concept and book by Donald Miller. It is a guide to creating effective marketing strategies for businesses to help you connect with whom you can serve and is a process we move through here at NewHeidts.

The book outlines a seven-step process for simplifying a brand message and making it more compelling to customers.

The process emphasizes the importance of clearly defining the customer's problem, highlighting the unique solution the your business's offers, and creating a hero's journey narrative that the customer can identify with.

Miller also stresses the importance of consistently communicating the brand message across all marketing channels.

You are a Brand, not a company that sells products - build a message or movement that your customers can align with. You are Yoda, The Customer is Luke Skywalker.

Move through this frameworks and craft your customer's (hero's) journey and their narrative.

Here is the framework below: you can also find this in the Vertex Blueprint

Customer Intimacy

Here is the thing about growing your brand - you can't serve everyone and everyone is not for you.

You must get clear on who you serve.

Nike has haters. Apple has haters. Amazon has haters.

Although those brands serve millions of people now, they still don't serve everyone. And they didn't start off trying to serve everyone.

Nike first served long distance runners.

Apple first served those who had access to computers (at the time not many).

Amazon first served readers.

They all know who they serve on an intimate level. They do their best to serve their customer at the highest level while giving them an incredible experience.

When trying to grow your brand, you must think of who your serving through this lens:

"I help a unique avatar solve a specific problem in a unique way that reverses their biggest objection."

The more clear you can get on who you serve, the more efficient you will be able to market yourself, your offers, and your products to them. While in the long run, experiencing massive growth, a tribe of raving fans, and a healthy business!

At NewHeidts, the best way we do this is by working through our Customer Avatar framework.

Here is what that looks like -

Profile:

Name:

Age:

Gender:

Location:

Martial Status:

Family Size:

Occupation:

Job Title:

Annual Income:

What are their Identities? Unique Identities?

What are their Goals/Aspirations?

What are their values?

What do their Beliefs about XYZ products?

Where are they gathered? (Social Media Platforms, Events, Etc)

Where do they spend money?

What are BUZZ WORDS the resonate with?

What BOLD CLAIMS would grab their attention?

What Messaging/Hooks can we use to attract their attention?

Get a clear picture in your head so you can find and see these customers. Just as if you wanted a certain specific car and your attention sees this car everywhere.

Imagine if you all of a sudden starting seeing your type of customer everywhere. Then being able to talk to them, inspire and connect with them on a deeper level, then offer them your products and services.

Knowing who you serve makes you stand out from the crowd of the thousands of businesses lined up all selling the same thing. This also allows you to connect with your type of people, your tribe.

We strive to do three things in our marketing strategies.

Inspire.

Educate.

Convert.

That's how NewHeidts helps our partners connect with their perfect customers. We can do this incredibly well if we know who we serve!

The next step in our Vertex Blueprint is getting clear on what kind of offer(s) we can make that are so good that customers would feel stupid if they said no.