Digging Deeper Into Your Ideal Client Profile
March 28, 2016
Do you know your target audience?
It’s a question we’ve been asked dozens, if not hundreds of times. Many of us nod along because we know the basics, but how well do we really know our ideal client?
You’ve probably been told your ideal client profile should hit on the following:
- Gender
- Age range
- Location
- Income
- Likes/Dislikes
While following these general practices, I quickly determined years ago that my ideal client was a 20-35-year-old female from the US who makes $50-75k/year. The description felt broad, but I could catch more people that way, right? Not quite.
So why take a deeper dive into your ideal client profile?
You can start working with dreamier clients
You may be attracting the wrong kind of clients right now and don’t even know it. Instead of casting a wide net, focus on casting a deep net. A wide net brings in all types of clients, a few who are dreamy but many who aren’t so dreamy, while a deep net attracts only those who connect with your specific values and focus.
You’ll gain clarity on other parts of your business
Once you have a clear picture of the ‘who’ of your business, it’s easier to reconnect with your ‘why’ and have a better understanding of the ‘what’ and ‘how’. If you’ve been struggling with finding your brand’s niche, this could be the missing puzzle piece.
Writing copy will become easier and more fulfilling
It’s much easier to write when you know who you’re writing to. When you picture your ideal client profile as an actual person, it helps the process. Give him or her a name for an extra personal touch. Your clients don’t need to fit your profile to an absolute T, but I’ve found that all of my dreamiest clients so far have fit 80-90% of my description.
Here is my own ideal client profile. Her name is Autumn, by the way. (Yes, my 500 Days of Summer obsession is getting out of control. No, I won’t tame it.)
“Autumn is a twenty-something visual creative with a knack for real and bold storytelling. She deeply cares about connection, but is unsure of how to build a self-sustaining community and sell her skills and work in a non-icky way.
Her strengths are transparency, compassion, and self-awareness. Her weaknesses are over-analyzing situations and impatience. She connects with words like ‘ease’ and ‘grow’. She runs away from words like ‘traditional’ and ‘supposed to’.
She didn’t start a business to wear the title of ‘entrepreneur’ but rather to make a living doing something that she loves (where she can call the shots, of course!) Autumn craves freedom and flexibility in all things. Her mantra is “done is better than perfect.”
Autumn likes to DIY and takes pride in having her hands on all of her brand’s projects. She thinks in a linear way but isn’t afraid to throw her own rulebook out. She values white space, both in design and her daily life.
Her perfect day looks like waking up to the sun as she reaches for a journal or a book, depending on the morning. Then she’ll spring out of bed, make a quick breakfast, and get to work in her studio, even if it’s just in her living room for now. She likes grabbing coffee with a friend as much as happy hour, anything that allows her to connect one-on-one. Before bed, she’ll craft a quick to-do list for the next day to set her intentions, even if her direction changes tomorrow. ”
The interesting thing about crafting your ideal client profile is that you’ll find pieces of yourself inside. Some details will be different, naturally, but I guarantee you’ll have more of an emotional connection with your target audience after writing your own.
Now let’s put this exercise into action for you. Get ready for some major enlightenment. Here are some questions to help guide your ideal client profile beyond the demographics:
- What are their strengths? What are their weaknesses?
- What does their ideal day look like?
- How do they want to feel? How do they not want to feel?
- What are their core values?
- What are their quirks?
- What are some of their contradictive traits?
- What energizes them? What drains their energy?
- What does their dreamy vision look like?
- What stage are they at now? What stage would they like to be at?
- What is the heart behind their business?
- Where does their motivation come from?
