How to create your ideal customer profile

From a client’s perspective, relevant ads on a timeline and inbox are way more persuasive than randomly pushed stuff.

With that said, creating a target client profile for your target audience is one of the most important things a business can do for itself.

In fact, it should be second on your priority list after forging a unique product or service.

ICP (ideal client profile) is a marketing principle, based on an article – 1000 true fans. Here is an interview with the author, by London Real

Why you need client profile(s)

Are you still confused about all the fuss surrounding client profiles?

Don’t be; they are the secret weapon to successful marketing.

Sometimes, you might need more than one, depending on the nature of your business.

But before that, here are the advantages of having an ideal client profile for your target audience.

Knowing you Customer – get to know who your target clients are, their age, sex, location, and preference.

Identifying their characteristics

what are they up to during their spare time?

Here, look out for hobbies, interests, and influences.

Know what engages them

retaining clients involves having a rough idea of what makes them tick and most importantly, satisfied.

Conversion

This is the whole point of creating client profiles for your target audience.

After a successful conversion, rinse and repeat.

Ideally, client profiling is the reason why some companies remain at the top of the food chain while others struggle to break even.

And, of course, nobody wants to be on the losing team.

How to create an ideal client profile

Creating a profile involves asking questions to past clients, prospects and team members.

However, there is a thin line between engaging and nagging.

The sooner you find it, the better.

The idea here is to ask few, short questions.

That way, you will get a better response and overall success.

Here are some suggestions for your target audience that you should try out:

• Where do they live?
• What is their gender?
• Age?
• Do they read?
• From where?
• Education level?
• Ask them to describe themselves in a few words
• What are they looking to solve?
• What do they want for themselves/ company?
• What are their fears concerning the business?
• What is the nature of their enterprise?
• How do they manage it?
• How big is the business
• To which industry do they belong?
• How does the company make money?
• Who are their target clients?
• Does their company depend on influencers?

These questions are all you need to build a client profile.

Keep them simple and include multiple options were applicable.

And one last thing, send the questioner to your top 10 – 20 clients because they are the closest you can get to perfection.

Round-up

Landing a “good client” is hard but retaining them is much harder.

That’s why you need to identify potential long-term customers to avoid wasting time and resources while staying ahead of the competition.

Honestly, data collection is never a walk in the park, so do not expect cooperation from all your clients.

But don’t forget to thank those that do pitch in.

Eventually, you will have a client profile for future marketing endeavors.

Happy hunting!

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