One of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face when setting up their own business or even as they grow their business is that they try to sell to everybody and they assume everyone is a potential customer.

I see a lot of entrepreneurs describe their target customer with one blanket description : 25 – 45year old women with who live in……Geez that is like describing a quarter of the population.

Without getting clarity of who that  one customer is , you will struggle to attract the right customers or even attract any customers at all because your marketing message will be diluted  and generic. Your message will not resonate with them.

There are benefits to taking the time to define the profile of your ideal customer  one of which is your limited budget and attempting to reach the whole world all at once is a recipe for disaster so it is wiser and more profitable to define your ideal customer ,  target that as aggressively as possible to begin.

 

 

Why you should create an Avatar?  

• It helps to hone your marketing message so it appeals to a specific individual or group
• Increase your lead conversion rates
• Attract more of the right customer

 

What is a customer Avatar and How do I create a customer Avatar?

A customer avatar is a detailed fictitious representation of your ideal customer.

You need to dive into WHO your ideal client is and then determine WHERE they hang out. This is crucial to help you know where you need to be looking to find your ideal clients.

How you can find your Ideal Customer?:

Category 1: You already have an ideal client you’re working with now and you’d love 10 more of that person. You can create your ideal client based on that person.

Category 2: For a large percentage of us, we were our most ideal client before you started your business.

So, it’s a matter of dipping back into that time in our lives and remembering what it was like when we were getting started in our niche. If you kept a notes during this time, it’s even better. That journal is gold!

Category 3: If you’re not already working with clients and you didn’t start in business because of your own challenges with what you do now, then creating a hypothetical ideal client is the next best option. This is a matter of bringing together all information you know about your ideal client – who they are, what their challenges are, what they would like to achieve.

Let me give you an example. Let’s imagine you’re selling organic food for babies.

Now, our ideal client is obviously the mum – not the baby. So how do we target her?

Let’s use stay – at – home Mum Sarah as an example where can you find her, you need to:

visit forums for new mothers, where they discuss issues or ask questions key questions

take a look at your existing or potential customers and interview them to understand them more, Understanding this mum gives you a chance to be able to get your message in front of her.

So that you are able to present her with the solution she seeks and in a way that resonates with her

To identify what platform to target we look at her key activities in the day – She has an active day with her baby, and she has a limited time we can pinpoint 3-4 platforms you could be targeting for this particular mom – Facebook/ Pinterest, podcasts, blogs and emails.

If you can delve into a typical day of your ideal client, then you can create a detailed plan of when you need to be on the various social media platforms, come up with methods to deliver content to your ideal client.

Now it’s your turn…

 

NEXT STEPS

1. Download the Customer Avatar Template to capture all your identified information
2.  Identify WHO they are:  Understand who your ideal customer is . Define your customers with the following criteria:

• Background: Jobs, Education etc
• Demographics– their age, gender, income, etc.
• Psychographics – their personality type, preferences, etc.
• Interests – their similar likes and dislikes, sports, hobbies, etc.
•  

3. What challenges they face and what they want to achieve:  What drives the need for your products or services, what their goals are and what benefits it will be to them in using your products or service

• What are they researching?
• What is their challenge, Pain points or need?
• What are the benefits to them in finding a solution?

 

4. WHERE YOU CAN FIND THEM: Define your customer interests and where they are attracted to, whether a physical location or a cyber space where they gather.

• Where do they hang out?
• What do they read? Both online and offline?
• What do they search for online?

5. Build your Customer Avatar: Develop profiles that describe specific segments of your current customers, and ensure that these profiles are close to reality as possible so that you can truly understand this group of customers.

• Describe your client profiles
• Create a specific avatar for each identifiable client group and name them
• Include representative images of ideal clients
•  

6. Write out the Typical Day and Ideal day journal of your Ideal Customer – based on the information that you have collected. it helps you visualise your understanding of their pain-point before they met you and after you have provided a solution to their problem

 

Conclusion

Once you have completed these simple steps you will have a clear picture of the type of customers your business should target. you will find that every time you create a new product or service, write any content about your product and having your ideal customer in mind you marketing message will be more focused and consistent, you’ll be able to better reach the new customers you need to take your business to the next level. You will also be able to develop and understand the journey that your customer goes through end to end.

Let me know if you do this and if there are are any questions that come up as a result. 

All the best and keep winning.