Have you ever heard of the principle of an ideal customer avatar? Put in simple terms, think of it like designing a video game character that you would develop everything for. Where does this person shop for clothes or home goods, what is their age, what do they do for a living, who do they hang out with, what do they care most about, etc.
Every single business should have a grasp on who their ideal customer avatar is, but it is crucial for creative businesses. In my wedding planning business, I developed this ideal customer avatar (or simply “ideal client”) a few years ago. It ebbs and flows with the business, but in general, this person is in their early thirties to mid forties. They are generally paying for a chunk of the wedding themselves, and are often in fashion, creative, or hospitality-focused businesses. These people value connection, wedding guest experience, and generally have wedding budgets of $100k and above. They believe in good food, good music, and good booze. They shop at places like Free People, Anthropologie, Target, and small online shops. They aren’t afraid of color.
So what does all of this specific information do for me as a business owner? It helps me TALK to these people on my website. They aren’t afraid of a harmless “curse word” here and there, and that helps me add a bit of personality and love into my words. I can speak as my true self, and feel completely confident that it will be received well. In doing so, I can stand out from the crowd. When MY ideal client lands on my home page, I want them to sigh and say “Oh, HERE she is. This is the one we’ve been looking for.” All the other Wedding Planner websites they’ve seen melt away. Before I ever got on that initial consultation call, half the selling is done for me! My closing ratio is over 90% from the inquiries I get, and I credit a ton of that to knowing my ideal client, and speaking directly to them.
So how about you? Do you know your ideal client?
Photo credit: Jen Emerling
