WHO IS YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER?
YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER STARTS WITH YOUR STORY. SOLVE A PROBLEM FOR YOURSELF, AND YOU WILL SOLVE A PROBLEM FOR THEM.
An ideal customer profile has many names these days, albeit an avatar, audience, client, partner, payer, or buyer. But there’s one truth that’s universal despite its name. The truth is that you have to know who your target is. Who is the person you are speaking to? What do they do, like, and how do they live? What are their demographics, professions, and income levels? Are they single, partnered, or expecting? Do they have hobbies? If so, what are they? These questions can often seem trivial to an ambitious entrepreneur who would rather spend time building their product, service, or business model. But the reality is that it IS the most important piece of data you can base your business on in the beginning. It will be the starting point in which to confirm or deny your initial audience assessment. It is this “avatar” on which your research will be based and inform your brand’s messaging. It is vitally important that we narrow our scoop to reach this ideal client because, when we speak to everyone, we speak to no one. I’m sure you’ve seen ads that seem so general that they are far-reaching or that the message is surface without dept and feels flat. So to create deep meaning for those you want to connect with, we have to go deep. And to do that, we need to begin by writing a detailed description of your ideal audience member, perhaps describing all the way down to their shoe size. JK, that might be a tad too much unless you just so happen to make shoes for folks with specialty shoe needs; then, in that case, you are spot on! Anyway, I could continue, but I think you get where I’m going. We need to know that first person in which we hope to inspire, inform and entertain. We need them to hear our call and feel as though we are speaking to them. Connecting to our message in a deep and meaningful way. And often, connecting with them starts with our own story and the problems we look to solve in our lives. As you dive into this exercise, consider how your product or service will improve the quality of your avatar’s life. Think about how you would feel to have that problem solved in your life. What would be the benefits, and how would your life improve from using your product or service as a result?
Shoemaker Example:
If you are a shoemaker, you will want to make sure you connect to that individual’s pain points about finding that perfect fitting shoe and the special needs and lifestyle relevant to your ideal customer. Thinking about the problem you solve in their life rather than how you make it. Consider how your shoes would improve the quality of your life if you shared the same views and values as your unique avatar. And see if the process of manufacturing or designing shoes can play an important role in your avatar’s decision process in buying your product and what solutions your shoes would offer them. For example, what if your shoes were made from vegan materials, that could solve a problem for your avatar if they only shop for non-animal products? Going further, what impact will those shoes have on the individual and the environment? The deep dive here is all about knowing the lifestyle of your ideal customer. So for that vegan buyer, does this solve the pain point of buying cruelty-free clothing, and would that buyer be interested in sustainable practices? Would your shoes give them more opportunities to shop without compromising their values, such as shoes in this case that are not made from animals? As you can see, knowing your ideal buyer will inform many stages of your business, messaging, branding, and product/service offerings.
Our avatar(s) may evolve as we evolve our business. Additionally, you may have more than one avatar in which you are speaking too as you may be looking to attract paying customers and business partnerships. So it’s important to differentiate between the two. It’s important to know when and where to talk to each of your avatars. For example, you will likely be talking directly to your customer audience on social platforms like Instagram or Facebook. But you may want to attract “like” business partnerships on Linkedin or Twitter. In either event, knowing the messaging for these avatars and where to use them will help you determine where to spend your time and marketing budget on how to curate your content to attract the right audiences effectively. Furthermore, how well you know your unique client’s story will help you align with the right business partnerships.
Written by: Nia Dara | ndny studio