When I tell my mentoring clients that their marketing should be focused on their ideal clients, what I really mean is that it should speak to their clients' "pain points."

That's what they care most about. So that's the best way to get their attention. 

So how do you identify your ideal clients' pain points?

Unless you've been in the industry a while you probably don't know what keeps them up at night. 

What to do? 

Well, you could guess. And that could work, because many problems are common across the board, no matter what industry. The only difference, sometimes, is the jargon that is used. 

Of course, I don't recommend guessing because there are better ways.

The best one is to be a business detective instead. Be like Columbo, one of my heroes! 

If you're trying to come up with content that is relevant to and speaks to the pain points of your ideal clients, whether for your web site's homepage or for your content marketing strategy, where do you look? 

I would start with an industry event or conference, where the speakers and topics address those issues (i.e. their pain points). 

Because in the same way that the list of attendees could be your prospecting list, a schedule of speakers and topics could also be your list of pain points. 

Here's a perfect example: it's a list of topics for a non profit event hosted by an association. Previous attendees have articulated what they want to learn about -- those are their pain points.

If your niche is "non profit," this is for you!

Read more about how to use this information in a pair of articles I wrote for HOW Design: 

• Part 1, Do You Know What Keeps Your Ideal Clients Up at Night? 
• Part 2: How to Find Your Ideal Clients' Pain Points

And if you need help figuring it out, take advantage of the free 30 minute mentoring session I offer and we'll do it together.