5 Steps To Build Your Ideal Client Avatar
In order to have a successful business, you need clients and customers right? But not just any ‘ol client – an ideal client. And with over 7 billion people on Earth, that’s a pretty big pool of potential ideal clients.
Your ideal client wants you because you provide a service or product that fulfills a need they have, solves a problem they’re struggling with or creates an outcome they want.
So how do you know exactly WHO you should be marketing to and connecting with to drive your business?
By building your client avatar!
This avatar (which is just fancy marketing speak for the profile of your ideal client) will help guide you in creating the content they need and to prove to them that you are their go-to problem solver.
And while it may seem easy to say, “My ideal clients are women who want to improve their public speaking skills” (and this is a good start!) you’re going to want a bit more insight.
What you really want to know is who she is, what she wants, why she needs it and how she wants to get it.
Let’s call her “Jackie”. And today, you are a public speaking coach.
The Ideal Client WHO
The “who” of this equation isn’t just gender, age, occupation – it’s marital status, education, family structure, location, income bracket, and much more.
Your avatar is more than just a nameless face, they should become a fully formed person in your mind. As you begin to answer the “who” question, start thinking in detail. For example:
- What’s their name?
- What would they talk about in conversation?
- Where would they go on a night out?
- How do they spend their downtime?
- What’s important to them in their day-to-day lives?
- Where are they spending their money?
The more detail you can give them, the clearer their needs, desires, and problems become and the more targeted your marketing will be.
While some of this avatar creation will be based on your past experiences with clients, you can also look to other areas to help build your avatar profile. Spend time online where this client is, pay attention to conversations they’re having with others, the content they are interacting with, questions they are asking.
If your current customer base is big enough, send out a survey or hold a focus group to really nail down some of those key avatar descriptors.
For example:
“Jackie is a woman in her mid 30’s with a bachelor’s degree. She has a husband and children and lives in a middle-income neighborhood outside of a bigger city. She is active in her community and has a job that requires her to speak in front of large groups. She’s a professional who is willing to invest in herself and her career.”
Based on that, you’ve got a pretty good idea of who “Jackie” is and how she’s going to behave as an ideal client.
The Ideal Client WHAT
This part of the process brings things back to you and your business. What service, product, the solution do you provide that meets the needs of your ideal client?
The big question: What problem do you solve and does your ideal client know you solve that problem or help them reach their goals?
You can produce tons of content around your business, you can make everything gorgeous and aesthetically pleasing, you can employ every fancy trick in the book, but if you’re not making it crystal clear what you will do to solve your client’s problems? Close the laptop, do not pass “go” and start back at the beginning.
For example:
“My business provides coaching and resources for women looking to improve their public speaking skills. I help them overcome fears, feel confidence and learn techniques to make any speaking event smooth and successful.”
Your ideal client is crystal clear on what you do and what you provide for them!
The Ideal Client WHY
A funny thing about ideal clients is that they may not know why they need you to solve their problem.
They have a need or a want or a problem to solve but why are they choosing you?
As you market your business, think about what your answer would be if your ideal client turned around and asked, “Why should I choose you to solve this problem?”
What would you say? What sets you apart from the rest to solve this particular problem for this particular client?
For example:
“As a former theater actor, director and producer, I have decades of public speaking experience behind me. Coupled with my love of teaching and the desire to see my clients succeed, my services provide the knowledge and support they need.”
You know your stuff and you can provide results for your client in a supportive, empowering way!
Your ideal client is like your best friend,
you should know them inside and out!
The Ideal Client HOW
Now is the time to refine your processes and offerings.
How will you go about solving that problem for that client? Webinar, workbook, 1:1 coaching, resources, reference materials? Whatever it is that you do to solve that problem, make sure it’s accessible in the best possible way for your ideal client.
For example:
“Jackie takes online courses, downloads workbooks and participates in 1:1 coaching sessions.”
Time to get some digital products going and refine your 1:1 offerings!
The Ideal Client WHERE
This last piece of the puzzle is something that applies to all areas of your ideal client avatar.
Where is your ideal client hanging out, where can you reach them?
Are they in Facebook groups? On LinkedIn? All over Instagram?
Do they read online newsletters? Subscribe to relevant mailing lists? Watch YouTube?
For example:
“Jackie is in several Facebook groups for professional women. She uses Instagram but only for fun and she subscribes to email newsletters for all her areas of interest.”
Looks like you need to be active in her Facebook world, be posting engaging content on Instagram and getting your weekly email to her!
Remember that this ideal client is who you’re doing alllll this hard work for. They should feel as close and familiar as your best friend…your pretend best friend 🙂
Take some time to get real clear on WHO it is you’re speaking to, creating content for and building your business around.
This is a lot to think about, I get it. So to provide a bit of pen-to-paper planning, I’ve broken it down in an easy-to-use workbook – Who Is My Ideal Client? 5 Steps To Build Your Client Avatar
[mailerlite_form form_id=6]Oh! And do you by chance need an absolutely stellar public speaking coach?
Look no further – Jackie Dack is all you’ll ever need!
Talk soon xo,
Katie
