How to Create Your Ideal Customer Avatar

A question that comes up a lot about writing copy for your website or sales page or when you’re creating content for social media or your blog is, “How do you actually go about finding who my ideal client is and why is it even important?” In this post, we’ll talk about how to create your ideal customer avatar and  the importance of having this in your toolbox.

Your ideal customer avatar is simply your dream client. Also known as your ICA, buyer persona, or ideal client, it’s the key to your success and impact in your content marketing and most other aspects of your business. And knowing who they are, from their demographics to their likes and dislikes, helps you talk directly to the right people. When you can do this, you significantly increase the likelihood they will resonate with your message. So, the more you know about your ICA, the more easily you can create relevant content designed just for them.

Now that you understand why you need to know your ideal client let’s look at how to create your ideal customer avatar.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info.

What questions should I ask?

This vision of your ideal client should guide everything you do, from pricing to branding to content marketing. To develop ideas for your content, you want to know the answers to the following questions. And you want to be as descriptive with your answers as possible to help spark creative ideas for your content.

Some businesses have more than one, so create as many avatars as you see fit to define the various personas you want to speak to. As you go through the list, more questions may come to mind, so go ahead and add them. Your goal is to create a well-rounded view of your ideal customer avatar.

But before we get to the questions, keep in mind, you can’t get this wrong. In fact, your ICA can change throughout the lifetime of your business. In addition, not all these questions will apply to you. Nor do you have to answer every single one. This is not a test. It’s a guide to help you better understand who you aim to serve so that you can better address them with your copy and content.

So, take a stab at answering the following questions the best you can for now. You can, and should, always come back to refine or make changes as your business grows. And as you create your content, come back to your answers to make sure what you’re creating speaks directly to your ICA.

Your Ideal Customer’s Demographics

Let’s start with the basics, their demographics.

1. What’s their name?
2. How old are they?
3. What is their household income?
4. What’s their level of education? High school, college, post-college?
5. Do they work? What do they do? Are they full-time, part-time, self-employed?
6. Where are they located?
7. What’s their gender, race, body, etc., if applicable.
8. Describe their family life, if applicable. Household size, married, children?

Your Ideal Customer’s Personality

Now that you have some basic statistics, let’s add a bit of personality to your ICA.

1. Are they snarky, sarcastic, extroverted, fun-loving and loud, introverted, or quiet?
2. What are some things that make them happy?
3. Who are they following on social media? Which ones are they interacting with?
4. Where else do they hang out online? Forums, groups?
5. What favorite websites do they visit, talk about, recommend?
6. Who are they following on TV, music, podcasts?
7. Where do they get their information?
8. Write some general adjectives that come to mind to describe your avatar.

Your Ideal Customer’s Lifestyle

Okay, you have your statistics and personality mapped out. That’s a great start! Now let’s get into your ICA’s lifestyle and habits.

1. What does their typical weekday look like? Routines and tasks?
2. On weekends, what do they like to do?
3. What things do they do to relax and unwind?
4. What do they do when they have a moment to themselves?
5. What’s something that they love to do in their spare time?
6. What objects or things do they have around them in their daily life? On their desk? In specific rooms? In their car? In their purse?
7. What are they wearing on a typical day at work and at home?
8. What products or services do they invest in and talk about?
9. Describe their ideal online shopping experience (or offline if you’re a brick and mortar business).
10. When they go to grab a guilty pleasure snack, what are some foods they might pick?

Your Ideal Customer’s Goals and Wants As It Relates to Your Business

By now you should have a pretty good idea of who your ideal client is. Next, let’s dive into what they’re looking to do, keeping in mind how how your products or services can help them get there.

1. When they look over their life, what are some things they think about?
2. What would make their life easier?
3. What’s a goal they might have for themselves?
4. What’s a win in their book?

Your Ideal Customer’s Struggles and Needs As It Relates to Your Business

Here’s where you discover your ideal client’s “pain points” and frustrations. Your answers to the following questions can help you create copy that shows you understand what they’re struggling with.

1. What need has your ideal client expressed?
2. What is currently frustrating them?
3. What do they struggle with?
4. What are they “tired of?”
5. What do they most often complain or ask about?
6. What keeps them up at night?
7. What are they trying to figure out?
8. What do you think is their #1 pain point?
9. What things have they not quite figured out how to do yet?
10. What prevents them from reaching their goals?
11. What’s something they’re doing “wrong?”
12. What are some reasons they haven’t yet found what they need?
13. If your product or services didn’t exist, where else would they go to get it?
14. What solutions or products have they tried before?
15. What trends are they hopping on?

Your Ideal Customer’s Experience With You

The next set of questions will help you paint a picture of the kind of experience you want your dream client to have when they see your content, interact with you, work with you, and use your products and services.

1. What social media platforms are they on?
2. When they look at your brand visually, what’s something that would “stand out” and catch their eye?
3. When they scroll social media and come across your profile or feed, how do you want them to feel?
4. How do they typically feel BEFORE doing business with you?
5. How do you want your ideal customer to feel after they do business with you?
6. What are some one-liners or one-sentence statements they would say after having a positive experience with you?

Turn Your Answers into Content

Once you’ve painted a well-rounded picture or your ideal customer avatar, including their pain points, you’ll have a powerful tool ready to use. With this information, you can create content, write sales copy, and define your programs and service offerings. When you’re able to help your clients overcome their most painful issues — whether it’s a fear of failure or a lack of self-confidence — you instantly become a more valuable resource in your niche.

And when you incorporate those same pain points in your content marketing and sales copy, your conversions can dramatically increase. Using your answers as a keyword guide and having a face and a name to think of during all your brainstorming can help you create content that resonates with your ideal customer avatar.

As you continue to create content, regularly refer back to your ICA. Use it as a reminder for whom you are creating content and products. Ask yourself, is this relevant to my ideal client’s needs, frustrations, and struggles.

I hope you found this helpful! Now, you’ll be more creative and on point at producing content marketing that speaks to your customers. If you have any questions, let me know.

Are there other questions you like to use when thinking of your dream client? Share them in the comments!

Found this article helpful? Check out my Top Tools to Grow Your Business.

References:

1. Persona (user experience) on Wikipedia