Who is your ideal customer?
No doubt when you were in the early stages of developing your business you spent a lot of time on your ideal customer profile. Who would benefit most from your product or services? What are their needs? Biggest pain points? What value would you provide them? Is your ideal customer a certain age, education level, or occupation? What is their financial situation? Are they in a specific geographical location? Where can you find them? How do you solve their problems?
We’ve talked before about the importance of taking time to identify your ideal customer. Remember, when you know your ideal customer, you can:
- Develop effective messaging that will appeal to them
- Demonstrate your unique value based on their needs
- Determine which marketing channels will reach them best
Sketching your ideal customer focuses and prioritizes every aspect of your business—from where you invest your time and money to how you market your product and services. It also helps you develop strategies, target the right audience, and personalize your message.
Hopefully, all the work you’ve done in the past to create an ideal customer has paid off.
But what about now?
Time to Revisit Your Ideal Customer
Over time you and your business change, and your ideal customer is going to change as well. So, here are 3 great reasons to revisit your ideal customer this year . . .
#1 As we grow, we change and our business matures, too. We may enjoy working with different people than we did at the start, offer new products or services, or have discovered additional gifts or preferences in ourselves. As our business grows, the profile of our ideal customer may shift, making it essential that we revisit our ideal customer.
#2 Just like we change and our business shifts, the people we want to serve and help change too. For example, think about emerging technology, which directs our audience to new platforms. We didn’t have TikTok in 2018, but now it’s a relevant social platform that we can’t ignore. Our potential clients may not be hanging out in the same space as they were before. Don’t throw your marketing and communication efforts at deaf ears, empty spaces, or no-longer-relevant platforms. So, we have to come back to the drawing board and redefine where our audience is hanging out.
#3 Finally, the more we work with a certain group of people, the more we learn about them. We begin to recognize the inner workings of their minds and hearts. We want to identify this new knowledge and then update our messaging.
Current Clients May Hold the Key
As you revisit your ideal customer with your present knowledge, experience, and goals, look at your current clients. They may be the best picture of your current ideal client.
Think of your clients in light of these questions:
- Who do you enjoy working with the most?
- What are the goals of your current clients?
- Their habits?
- What are their fears?
- Main pain points?
- What are their expectations for things like communication, delivery platform, etc.?
- Where do they hangout on social media?
- What do they read?
- Do they read reviews and give feedback? Where?
- Which communities are they involved with?
- What do they do for fun?
Now, use what you know about your current clients to update your ideal customer avatar.
Benefits to Updating Your Ideal Customer Profile
It’s impossible to be all things to all people, but you can determine what you offer that is special and unique and which segment needs it. Once you create an accurate profile of your ideal customer, many benefits will come!
First, you will extend client lifetime and ensure repeat customers because you will connect with them and meet their needs rather than constantly making missteps in your relationship.
Next, you will experience improved conversion rates. If you are marketing to your ideal customer, then they can see how you understand their fears, needs, and goals. New clients will be ready to purchase your product or enlist your services.
More satisfied clients naturally leads to increased referrals for your business. With your ideal customer profile in place, you are ready to see if you are a good fit for this potential client and visa-versa.
Finally, all of these will lead to a cut in your costs and an increase in profits and revenues. Yes, please!
SOWBO is Here to Help
Whether you are revisiting your ideal client avatar or identifying it for the first time, SOWBO has a great resource for you. Download our ideal customer workbook now! If you are a VIP member, this valuable resource is located in your digital resource library.
