It never occurred to me to create an imaginary friend to propel visitors to my website back in the day.

I can honestly say I didn’t think much about it even when I learned about its importance when designing a course, a webinar, a product or even a funnel to promote a product. But is it the best way to grow an audience?

[tweet_box design=”default” float=”none”]Researching your potential audience does one simple, yet important thing – it gets you OUT of your head and into the behavior of others.[/tweet_box]

Here’s something to think about:

“88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience.” Justin Mifsud, founder, UsabilityGeek

That, my friend is not a great statistic! This goes for blogs too! If your blog is full of clutter, screaming Ads, useless content, and visitors can’t find what they want or need, then POOF! They ARE gone!

So let’s discuss how creating imaginary friends can attract, propel, visitors to your awesome website. Then we’ll discuss a more reality based method.

Now, you’ve heard this term before: Avatar, right?

And what’s the purpose of an Avatar.? It’s a method to peer into an imaginary customer’s behavior to pinpoint their needs, frustrations, shopping preferences, and desires.

The only problem with this is you’re assuming what your imaginary friend is thinking and feeling – not the real facts.

When you create an avatar it helps you to explore their fears and needs so you can provide solutions tailored just to them. It means speaking their language – when you do, it builds interest, trust, and connection.

And I know as a blogger you’ve heard this – write for the viewer, solve problems by offering solutions in your content, right?

So let’s explore how you create an avatar – or an “imaginary friend” (did you have one when you were a kid?). I’m going to call it an “imaginary friend” because it sounds warm and fuzzy – friendly, don’t you think? I bet you’re already picturing in your mind having a cup of coffee, in a café, with your imaginary friend and chatting like old buddies.

This can actually be fun because you can create what ever you want – the perfect friend, customer, visitor, or client, to promote your product or services to – but is it the best practice to discover what your potential audience needs?

Remember, this is an exercise to get OUT OF YOUR HEAD and into the world of someone else.

Because when we usually create a blog or a product WE THINK what other people will like, or be interested in from our own frame of reference. Then we wonder why no visitors or sales, right? Because we missed the mark getting real information from real people.

So is this the BEST way to attract our audience?

Let’s meet Mr. Jack Silly

Here’s where you would create an imaginary persona of a person including demographics, psycho-graphics, desires, frustrations, and pains.

We go on …

Then we would write a story about Mr. Silly, what his days are like, his job, hopes for the future, what annoys him and so on.

Out of all this fabricated information you’d then design Ad copy, promotional materials tailored to Mr. Silly and attracting him to your service and website. Marketing specialists use this method. But I think there’s a more realistic method where the information gained is reality based.

Here’s a Customer Avatar worksheet to download

There’s an old saying – if you want the honest truth, go to the “Horses Mouth”

In other words – go to the source.

What’s the source? Actual human beings – you’ll find them everywhere!

Using this method you’ll need to spend time researching. But before you do, get set up for awesome information you can really use.

First, decide what kind of method to use: Live interviews, and/or surveys.

Second, then create an excel or Google spreadsheet. Create sections where you’ll paste responses from your survey questions you’ll create and send to your list. Break the sections down to to discover problems and how you can solve them. Example 

• Pains
• Frustrations
• Desires
• Motivators
• Their “Why”
• What went wrong with “X” product
• What makes them say “No” to buying

Or sections based on the questions in your survey.

Copy and paste their exact response under the appropriate section.

What’s great about this method of research is you’ll see TRUE problems, not imaginary ones that you made up,  and complaints that you’ll be able to work with, get ideas for solving problems – and that’s what you want to do.

Where to look?

Social media groups, forums, blog comments, book reviews, response from your surveys.

So, I think learning to be a “Problem Detective” and responding to those problems with solutions will attract visitors to you as well as becoming potential customers.