Who’s your perfect customer? Describe your ideal client. The more you know about who is buying from you, the easier it is to design your business avatar.
A business avatar is unique to each business. The customers you choose to work with may differ from those that work with your competition. And that’s okay.
Still, a business avatar is something you should define as you start your business. Haven’t done it yet, but been in business for a while? Not a problem. Do it now. It will help you get even stronger in your marketing strategy.
Defining Business Avatar
Think about all the customers or clients you’ve worked with in the past. Now, pull out your favorites. These are the people you’ve enjoyed working with. The people that make it a pleasure to do what you do. They might shop with you repeatedly. They may refer their friends.
These customers all have one thing in common—value. If all your customers could be like this, your business would be booming.
You might know business avatars by other names—customer avatar, buyer persona, or customer profile. But whatever you choose to call it, it’s a critical part of your marketing strategy. It allows you to define who your ideal customer will be.
Your business avatar should be a fictional character based on who you choose to market to. Name them. See them. Dive deep.
Start with the demographics you know. Where they live. Their marital status. Number of kids. Interests. Hobbies. If you don’t know, you can survey your existing customer base to learn more.
Those preferred customers you thought of earlier? Now would be a good time to connect with them. See if they’re willing to take a survey or do a phone interview. Feedback will help you see your audience through different eyes.
Multiple Avatars
As you start seeing one business avatar persona come together, you might have a problem. Two, three, or four business avatars begin to materialize. Is that okay?
Of course! Many businesses have several business avatars they market to regularly. You have more than one product or service. They have different interests, different demographics.
The key is tackling them one at a time. Don’t intermix and start to put together a business avatar that combines everything. That’s why we suggest giving each profile a name. It helps you get crystal clear on who they are, their goals, and their interests.
Why Business Avatars Are Important
Creating business avatars might seem like an odd use of your time, but they are vital to your marketing efforts. Companies with business avatars are more succinct in their marketing messages. They’re more sure of their customer approach. In a Forrester study, personalization is proving its worth for retailers, helping them exceed targets for revenue (68 percent), conversions (68 percent), and customer experience (63 percent).
That isn’t by accident. Business avatars give you depth that’s hard to define without getting to know each of your customers personally. They:
- Humanize your brand: You’ll no longer see your customers as a group of people who buy from you. You’ll think of them as individuals and better appreciate their needs.
- Give you a competitive advantage: In a crowded marketplace, businesses that take the time to understand their customers will rise to the top. Prospects and customers see the difference.
- Improve the customer experience: Start by designing products and services your customers truly want. Understand their pain points and craft your offers to solve them. Speak to them in a voice that shows you care.
- Improve your marketing: Business avatars allow you to think and talk like your customers. Use their messages to give them what they want.
- Increase authenticity: Your business avatar represents your perfect customer. Keeping this in mind allows you to focus more on what your customer really wants in every decision.
Creating Your Business Avatar
You don’t sit down and do business avatar creation in one session. Instead, you’ll continue to build it over time. Today is your starting point. Then, grow from here.
Step One: Research
It starts by knowing everything about your customers. Who they are, where they live, their interests. Collect as much data as you can:
- Age and gender
- Marital status and family dynamics
- Where they live and do business
- Education
- Occupation and income
- Interests
- Challenges and pain points
With this, you can start putting together your business avatar. Name them. See them. Using the data you collect, make the avatar represent your ideal customer.
Step Two: Goals, Values, and Fears
Every customer has a goal when they look for you, find you, and do business with you. They are backed by values they live by and are motivated by their fears. Don’t overthink this—even purchasing a chocolate birthday cake can be defined this way.
This is about defining your customer on a deeper level.
- What does your customer want?
- What do they need?
- What’s their budget?
- What holds them back?
- What makes them buy?
This is where it pays to get to know individual customers better. This grows over time as you learn more about who they are and what they want.
Step Three: The Decision-Making Process
Your product or service isn’t perfect, but it does work for your customers. It’s up to you to look specifically at objections and turn them around, helping your ideal customer overcome them.
What are the biggest reasons customers hesitate? Why do some say no? The answers provide you with more depth to include in your marketing messages. Personalize it with what you’ve learned building your business avatar, and you’ll have content and awareness that touches the heart.
Build Your Business Avatar Today
At the most basic level of marketing, a business avatar defines your customer in detail, helping you solidify your marketing message. It cuts through the noise of a very busy marketplace and helps you develop a stronger strategy.
Who do you market to? How effective is your strategy? We can offer guidance in whatever part of the process you need help with. From crafting your business avatar to creating a sophisticated marketing funnel, if you’re ready to build a more robust digital marketing plan, we’re ready to offer advice.
