Every business owner knows that there are three elements that make marketing a success: Market, Message and Media. Well in today’s blog I want us to think a bit more deeply about our market. Today we are going to look at our Customer Avatar.

What is an Avatar and why do you need one?

An Avatar is a clearly defined figure/character that represents a particular person.  By creating an avatar for your ideal client you have an identity at which to focus your marketing… you will find it much easier to work out the tone of your copy, the style of your brochures and fliers, the information they will find most useful and which media to use to market to them.

The key reason for having and thinking properly about our avatar is that it is only once we fully understand our customer and begin to think like them, can we properly focus on offering them what they really want, (Their Dream Proposition) and so ensure they buy from us rather than someone else.

Marketing without a particular person in mind, marketing in effect to the many,  may result in a level of success but could mean a lot of wasted marketing spend. Some business owners worry that by doing this they are cutting out potential customers, but it is the opposite – the better you can define your avatar the more your message targets and gets through to the people post likely to convert and buy.

How do you define your Avatar?

This is the fun part! 

You will need to think about your best existing customers… their gender, age, where they live, the type of job they have, what they enjoy doing, their socioeconomic status and any other key characteristics they have. You will also need to think about their behaviours.. what do they read, what do they do, where do they go, how do they choose to spend their money.

You might do this by chatting with them, looking at some facebook profiles, or you may simply know them already. 

Once you have your customer avatar defined you can give them a name. At Elite Tents when we did this we actually drew her (Her name was Katie)… That way when you are creating marketing copy you really can talk to them.

What do we do with our Avatar now?

Once you have an avatar in mind, you need to really try and get inside their mind… not just in terms of your business. 

Think about what their ‘Heaven’ is. What are they trying to achieve in a perfect world. What are their hopes and dreams. What are their goals (what do they want to achieve) 

What are their values (what are they committed to?)

Then think about what they stand against… what are they trying to escape from – their idea of ‘Hell’. Think about their challenges (what are they struggling with?) and their pain points (what are they scared of/irritated by?)

Using what you know about your Ideal Customer.

The better you do all of this, the easier it will be to tackle the next few questions which will then help you with your tone and copy as you write your marketing message:

  • What problem or desire motivates your ideal audience to purchase from you? 
  • Why would they NOT purchase your product etc. What might stop people from buying from you? 
  • What should you include in your marketing so you can you overcome these objections? 

Your ability to accurately and honestly think like your customer will be the single biggest factor in determining your success. So get thinking now. Get your team thinking and start talking to your customer about what they want!

Written by : Jacquie Hale

As a coach I use the same kind of method, in that I will support you as you implement a range of tried and tested marketing pillars which will definitely increase your sales leads and enquiries, ultimately gaining new customers and increased profits for you and your business.

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