In order to attract your ideal client, you need to know who they are and what kind of help they’re going to want from you in the first place. If you have been struggling to attract the right type of clients, maybe you’re wondering what your client avatar really looks like and if you’re missing the mark… Let’s take a step back and evaluate how to identify your ideal client.
Your first step is to create your ideal client avatar, also known as an avatar marketing profile or ideal customer profile (ICP).
This will give you a basic outline of the type of person that identifies as your best possible target so you can attract them with your outbound marketing programs. Research twice… market once!
Detailing your Ideal Client with an Avatar
Think of it like this… a client avatar is the well described representation of your ideal client. By creating this detailed persona, you’ll be able to start understanding what your target wants and how best to connect in a meaningful way. The more specific you are, both in description and demographic, the easier it will be to find that perfect match.
You can use all sorts of characteristics when building your avatar: job title, location, age, income level and industry are just a few factors you might consider. What matters most is that your avatar feels real — it’s not some holy grail client character that will never happen but someone you can actively find on LinkedIn with a tool like Sales Navigator.
No different than every record/album ever produced. Bands have an audience. Rock, Pop, Country, etc.. all having their own style and aesthetic which is used to identify and entertain their own audience.
Why Is The Client Avatar Important?
Let’s keep it real here for a moment.. It’s absolutely crucial that you know who your ideal client is. Taking the time to build your avatar will enable you to understand what motivates them, who their peers are, and what their pain points are. It’s the difference between a sniper scope and a trolling net off the back of a boat. We want laser focus.
Once you’re able to pin down the client avatar specifically you will have an easier time trying to attract these individuals and start the communication.
You can also create a visual representation of your ideal client avatar that you can use on your website, social media platforms, and other professional marketing materials so they become instantly recognizable to potential customers. It’s all about connecting these little dots to make someone more comfortable, helping build trust. When you know your audience, that’s so much easier.
In addition to improving how your business generally perceived, having a well-developed ideal client avatar will help increase sales conversions while strengthening long-term relationships with past clients.
You’re thinning the herd / disqualifying people as early as possible and man oh man.. that’s a good thing!
What Details Make A Great Ideal Client Avatar?
Start off by making a detailed list of everything you need to know about your future prospects that line up with your current ideal clients aka the ones you would like more of in the future.
For example, if you’re a copywriter, you might want to ask yourself:
- What kinds of businesses do people needing copywriting typically own?
- Which industries do you excel in and help people the most?
- Is there a specific issue or need that your skillset can solve better than others?
Once you crack the code knowing how you can help your target audience it exponentially helps you in understanding what will be needed to attract them and build trust in the first place.3
How Can Your Client Avatar Help You?
By taking the time to build out your client avatar, you give yourself the ability to attract the clients that you feel are a good fit. That’s the entire reason why you are going through this exercise of self discovery for you and your business… right?
It also helps you massively in optimizing your outbound marketing efforts, social media content, and website articles… now you get to tell an amazing story, and curate it for that exact person you want to attract. We can’t be generalists, we need that niche focus and once that client avatar is established that becomes so much easier.
End game, it will help you establish how and with whom you want as clients, spending your days putting out maximum value to the people you work with.
NO MORE BAD CLIENTS!! You can stop taking on these bad clients where you see a monetary value above a quality of work value. We all want to do our best possible work for the best possible outcomes every day. Being focused on the target helps improve that. Massively!
Bringing value to those who appreciate it the most. Where your talents can shine, and you can make the most change with your work. That’s how you build a legacy.