How to work out your ideal client profile. It can be done!
In order for your marketing strategy to work and effectively grow your bottom line, you need to know who you’re talking to, what they want from you, and what you want from them. You need to understand your ideal client. And while this can take time and effort, it’s not an impossible task.
One of the best ways to understand your potential customers (the ones most likely to buy from you and stay loyal to your brand) is to create an ideal client profile. An ideal client profile describes the persona and characteristics of the client who is most likely to find the perfect solution to their needs in your business. They are also a loyal, frequent user who will easily recommend your business to their friends. This profile can be especially helpful in driving marketing strategy, focusing your marketing services, and creating targeted marketing campaigns, especially in the forever-growing online marketing space.
Four simple steps to building your ideal client profile
1. Demographics and psychographics
Spend some time describing your ideal client (the person you want to see buying your product / service or the person your product / service is aimed at). Look at repeat past clients and get a clear picture of who you’re truly speaking to. List demographics (age, gender, income, location) and psychographic (personality type, preferences, likes and dislikes), and remind yourself that your business cannot be all things to all people – it needs to focus on your ideal client and market to them for the greatest chance of success.
2. Dig into behaviour
How do your ideal clients spend their time? Where do they hang out? What online tools do they use? What are they reading or watching? Where do they go to solve their problems? Whether they’re to be found in a physical location or hanging out in cyberspace, knowing where and how your ideal customer spends their time will help you understand how best to talk to and connect with them.
3. Work out the buying process
How and why do your ideal clients buy your service or product? Different types of consumers buy differently and for different reasons – do they make impulse purchases, get involved in long research projects, or only buy on the recommendation of those they trust? Do they buy because they are filling a need or competing with others? And where do they prefer to buy – in person or online? Reviewing the needs of your ideal client will help you to give them what they want in the way they want it, making them more likely to buy from you.
4. Gather data from your existing client base
Have happy, loyal clients that fit the idea you have of who your ideal client should be? Talk to them – be it an informal chat or a detailed survey, it’s worth asking why they buy from you, what makes your business unique, and what they feel are your most defining features in terms of customer service and product delivery. Understanding what it is that attracts customers to your business will help you define the clients that will most benefit from it.
Once you’ve gathered all your data, it’s time to create a detailed client profile. Make it tangible, and be sure to use images and real life examples, so that you and your team can see this person clearly and work towards creating marketing initiatives that are focused on their needs. For example, once you know who you’re targeting, you can tailor your website (a key marketing tool) to speak to that person, increasing the likelihood of turning them into a loyal fan.
Remember, depending on the services your business offers, you could have more than one ideal client (and the profile to go with it).
Want to know who your ideal client is and how to speak to them? You need to speak to a marketing consultant in the know. Most business owners don’t have the time to engage in effective and detailed marketing management. Our advice? Hire the experts! At Switch, one of the first things we do for our clients is help them to understand who their ideal client is, how to engage with them, and how to drive a marketing strategy that aims to get their attention and secure the sale, without wasting unnecessary time and money.