Who are you targeting when you do your marketing? And who are your products for?

 

Why will people actually like your products?

 

Are you just sharing your favorite things with others?

 

There are a lot of ways to visualize your target market and target audience. One way to do this is to design an avatar of you who your ideal customer is.

 

We use the term avatar similarly how online gaming and social media networks use them. This avatar is an image or character that represents someone’s desires, fears, wants, and dreams. They are fully fleshed out profiles, with lots of information. Which is exactly what entrepreneurs need. A detailed guide to their perfect customer, inclusive of name, fashion sense, personality, likes, and dislikes.

 

Think of only one person who would be your perfect customer.

 

Who are they? What do they like? What is their problem and how will you solve it?

 

Do not be afraid to go as specific as you need to, in finding your ultimate customer or avatar. We do not want things like; my avatar is someone who likes reading, or someone who is into fitness. This is far too broad to benefit your business.

 

You want something specific, as we will see later, this is going to help you tailor your content and marketing to something that will attract this type of person.

 

You want to get to the point where your business is answering your avatar’s questions before they have even spoken them.

 

Here are 8 tips that you might want to look at when creating your avatar or dream client. Feel free to use as many of them as you want!

 

1. What is their biggest problem?

 

Business is about answering someone’s problems. You want your training service or inventive product to answer your avatar’s problems. Your idea needs to completely change this person’s view of the world!

 

This is a unique way of thinking because we often do not think about this first. There is a tendency to try and dictate what people want, based on what we think. It’s harder to actually learn what someone’s problems are, and then solve them.

 

After you identify your avatar’s main problem, see how your existing business idea can solve that issue for them. If it cannot, you might need to find a new target audience or tweak your business.

 

2. What is their pain point?

 

Perhaps your avatar’s biggest issue is something that is getting in their way. Do they have a bad habit, learned trait, or lack of experience or knowledge in a particular area that is holding them back?

 

Many small business owners find that their biggest pain point is how they manage their funds. They were either not taught or told how to manage things. In this example, you could provide a product or service that might help them learn or better manage their finances. This would in turn aid them where they are in pain.

 

3. What miracle could solve your avatar’s problems?

 

Here is another way to deal with your avatar’s problems. What is the miracle that they need, and can you embody it?

 

Many say that; they cannot learn a foreign language because they do not have the time, resources, or contacts. In some ways the Internet, and the various language learning services out there now, is that miracle. Suddenly, learning a language from the other side of the globe is accessible and no longer impossible.

 

Similarly, time management is a skill needed in almost every profession and industry. Yet, it is not a skill that everyone possesses nor wants to invest time into. If you are an expert in managing your own time you could teach and coach others how to manage their time better. Effectively giving them back more time that they never had to invest in their business or other dream pursuits.

 

 4. What does your avatar want from you?

 

Let’s say that you have identified your avatar’s problems and even how they can be solved. You have the perfect recipient for your products or services. Then, you decide to give them a videotape. A VHS. Does anyone remember those anymore?

 

What I’m trying to say is, it will not matter if you have the perfect response and plan to assist your avatar if you then present it to them in a format that is inaccessible to them. You may as well be talking to them in another language.

 

Similarly, as you are building up subscriber and mailing lists, you will want to provide gifts to you current members. If you want to do a makeup give-away on your outdoors and construction business page, this is really missing the mark. You will find your customers are not engaging with you and some might even leave your lists.

 

So make sure that any gift, product, or service you provide to your avatar, is actually something that they want.

 

5. What is your avatar’s top fear?

 

What is your avatar worried about the most? 

 

This can really help with your branding and marketing collateral. Your avatar may seek financial freedom through business, but why? Is it to earn a lot of money? Pay off debts? Or retire well?

 

Learn how to make a business that will make you millions!

 

Run a business as a student, while paying off your loans.

 

Create a business for financial stability and for your family.

 

These are all very different angles for marketing and branding that you can use for your business. Furthermore, someone who is attracted to the first angle may very well not care for the second or third. And vice versa.

 

This is one way you can niche-down, craft an ideal buyer, and tailor your message towards them. If you would like to learn how to identify and focus on your industrial niche, check out my article here.

 

6. What does your avatar do for a living?

 

This is so important for the different facets of your business. How busy is this person? What is their time management like? How does engaging with your business better help their professional life?

 

These are deep questions but can help define how you create your services as well as brand.

 

How will they interact with you as a business?

 

Is a long-form blog good for what they need?

 

Or will they only interact with you 5 minutes a day on Instagram?

 

Would they rather listen to your advice on a podcast as they travel to work?

 

What people do for a living might also have ramifications for their price bracket and what they are willing to spend on your business. Would someone at a beginner role be able to spend lots of money on premium services? Or should you be targeting the CEO’s and managers?

 

 

7. What is their style?

 

Aesthetics and a pleasant look are key to good branding and making an impression fast. Pay attention to what brands and companies your avatar interacts with.

 

This is another way to engage with your avatar’s niche or wider audience group. What kind of style attracts people also says a lot about the people too. If you would like to read more about the importance of having a niche, check out my article here.

 

Do you want your branding to be something similar to what they already like? Or do you want to go against the grain and show off something completely different?

8. Do they have unique traits or qualities?

 

What defines your avatar and makes them unique as a person? Are they extroverted or introverted? Are they left-brain or right-brain?

 

How can these qualities affect their interaction with your products and engagement with your business?

 

There are so many other qualities that you can use to specify and separate your avatar from the crowd. I have just listed a few key ones here. Hopefully with this information you can change the way you think about your marketing.

 

Create your bank of avatar specific words

 

Once you have a really good idea about who your avatar is, it’s time to build up a word bank. As you research your avatar, and where their interests cross over into your business, you will no doubt run into repeated words, topics, and phrases. Pay attention to these and write them down!

 

Someone who is looking for weight loss strategies might be looking at things like meal preparation, diets, and exercises on their computer or phone. They probably will not be looking for pet foods, makeup, or computer technology. So, make sure to pay attention to the topics and key phrases in your niche.

 

You can see what terms are popular right now by looking through forums like Quora, as well as researching what other influencers in your industry are talking about.

 

This is important when it comes to crafting the message for your avatar. As we mentioned above, the message matters just about as much as what you’re selling. If your message isn’t targeted to hit, your marketing will miss.

 

Who will respond to a rapid weight loss program for summer bodies? And who will respond to a year-long weight loss plan for overall improvement? These are two very different avatars.

 

Make sure that when you are writing marketing collateral and product descriptions you are targeting your ideal customer. It has to be so on point that your avatar feels like this product was made specifically for them. You want them to say;

 

‘Wow! I’ve been looking for this all my life, and never knew it existed!’

 

Here lies the difference between good marketing and great marketing.

 

You need to start by targeting a specific person. This is your avatar, your dream customer, who will buy all of your products. Don’t worry though, if one of your avatars exists, it is very likely there are others out there who share similar traits and personalities. Soon enough you will have carved out your very own, very profitable niche.

 

So, are you ready to get specific and find your avatar?

 


Dr Raja Yasmin is the founder of the EQBIZ Academy. She has both real life experience running businesses as well as 20 years of teaching experience. Now Dr Raja Yasmin is ready to help women become empowered through business. If you would like to receive a free marketing resource for your business, sign up here.