If you haven't refined your ideal customer avatar, there is a chance that you are missing out on incredible growth opportunities and are wasting precious time and money. Instead of just putting content out in space and hoping for the best, we will take the time to define what an ideal client avatar is and who yours is.
What is an Ideal Client Avatar?
To explain it simply, your ideal client avatar (ICA) is an imaginary PERFECT client. They are the image you have in your head when you think of the people you want your business to serve.
If you cannot resonate with your client, they're not going to be able to resonate with you. Creating your ICA means asking yourself who you can resonate with. Having an ICA helps you get more focused; everything becomes easier in your business, and you tend to attract who you are focused on serving.
Therefore, we are going to start refining who your ICA is RIGHT NOW! I encourage you to get out a pen and paper, so you can write down your ideas as you read.
Define Your Ideal Client Avatar’s Demographics
Knowing exactly who your ICA is right off that bat is unlikely, and it will become more and more refined over time. I encourage you to define your ICA's demographic details to get started.
It is essential to refine your demographic because it makes it easier to connect with your client, especially when it comes to marketing. Marketing to a 25-year-old versus a 70-year-old, a female versus a male, a parent versus a non-parent, etc., is all very different. You want to speak directly to the person you want to connect with.
Therefore, I encourage you to write out answers to each of these questions:
1. What is my ICA’s age range?
2. Where does my ICA live?
3. What is my ICA’s ethnicity, heritage, or cultural background?
a. How much does that impact their life and decisions?
4. What language does my ICA speak?
a. If they speak another language, what is it likely to be?
5. What is my ICA’s preferred gender pronoun?
6. Where is my ICA along their life journey?
a. Are they married? Have a house? Have children? Are planning for retirement?
7. What is my ICA’s average annual income range?
8. What kind of career is my ICA in or pursuing?
Brainstorming Your Ideal Client Avatar
Depending on how you answered the questions above, you may still have a broad idea of your ICA, or you may have narrowed it way down. Either way, we will niche it down even further by getting into the mindset of our ICAs. Start by tackling these questions:
1. What is the thing your ICA wants the most? (write it in one sentence!)
2. What is the biggest problem your ICA has?
3. What is the biggest headache your ICA faces on a daily basis?
a. What things does your ICA no longer want to deal with?
4. What worry or fear haunts your ICA?
5. What in life is most important to them?
6. What would it look like if they were living their dream life?
a. What keeps them from living their dream life?
7. Are your ICAs connected to God, Spirituality, the Universe?
8. What are their thoughts about money?
9. What are their relationships like?
10. Do they enjoy life?
a. If not, what do you think is holding them back?
11. How much time do they spend doing new things and learning?
a. How do they apply what they learn?
12. Are they action takers, or do they overanalyze?
a. Do they take leaps and bounds or just sit paralyzed about taking action?
13. How do they decide what they will do every day?
14. What tools or resources do they use to accomplish tasks?
15. What are their weaknesses?
16. What do they do when faced with adversity?
a. How do they react?
17. What does your ICA believe will happen if they don’t succeed?
18. What are the most significant tips/strategies you would give someone who needed to get results quickly?
My Ideal Client Avatar
You may be wondering, "Julie, what's your ICA?" Let me tell you!
My ICA is Andy. Andy is a woman in her 40s who has been helping other women as an unofficial coach and mentor. She is smart, loves her family, is social, and enjoys doing new things. She has had a great job for many years, but she is not satisfied and wants more. Andy has been thinking of doing her own thing but is unsure of what she can do. She is smart but is afraid of failure. She wants a step-by-step plan, but she wants to see results right away.
Andy loves giving to others and knows that she needs to charge enough in her business to support her lifestyle but doesn't know what to charge. Andy is frustrated because she knows what to do in her career, but she is clueless about this new endeavor. She is also not willing to compromise her lifestyle to launch a business without a proven plan that can help her make an income to support her life.
Andy is married to a supportive husband but is unwilling to let the new endeavor create friction between them. She is willing to learn; she googles "what do I need to start and grow a business" She is into self-care, loves Brenee Brown, Glennon Doyle, enjoys wine, and is in social media. She can get down on herself because she compares herself to others at times. She wants to call her own shots, and this is why she is launching her own business. Andy has a dream in her heart and wants to see it come true.
Go Confidently with Your ICA
Hopefully, you have developed a better framework for who your ICA is by brainstorming these questions. However, if any of these questions tripped you up or you feel unsure who your services would best compliment, I encourage you to book a consultation with me today. I can walk you through developing an ICA and refining it to suit your niche.
