Who Are Your Ideal Clients?
Who are the people you want to work with? Thinking deeply about who they are will help you figure out what they need, where to find them, and what language and design will get their attention. It will also help you decide when to accept work, and when to politely decline.
It’s hard to describe an imaginary group. To help you out, work through the following exercise.
Create three ideal clients that you would love to work with or to sell products to. Sometimes these are called avatars. Choose them so that they represent different types of clients/buyers. Really think them through; flesh them out. Name them, describe them, build a picture of them in your head.
Get three pieces of paper - one for each idea client. Draw a picture in the middle of the client, or perhaps cut an paste images. Use each page to bring your ideal clients to life! Afterwards, we’ll make some observations.
For each one, fill out the following ~
For Individuals:
Name
Age
Religion/politics
Where they live
How they dress
Family
Career
Aspirations
Hobbies
Everything you can think of
For Orgainzations / Companies
Name
Size
Services/Products
Location
Design/Look/Brand
Who they work with
Company values/causes
How long in business
Community connections
Everything you can think of
• • •
Now, look at your three clients. Let’s make some observations.
What do they have in common?
Where do they hang out?
What do they like?
What do they need that they’re not able to get?
What ideas, images, and values do they have in common with you and your business?
Use this knowledge to help you when choosing words and tone in your marketing materials, such as colors, design, and imagery. Think about them by name. For example, Would this make sense to Sally, the Florist in Ballard?
Continue to refine these three ideal clients. Carry them with you as guides.