When you know your ideal customer, this changes absolutely everything in your business. This target market is the basis for everything you’ll do – your branding, the products, and services you’ll offer, the marketing channels you’ll use, and the way you interact with your customers. This is why it’s essential to take this crucial first step. Truth be told, in many cases, it can be the longest of all the steps, because you want to get it right off the bat, otherwise you will be back to this step should things not work out as you would have planned.

Your ideal customer is the person who can benefit the most from what you’re offering. Businesses create a persona that describes this market as one individual. It might say something like, “Bobbie is a small business owner in the American Midwest earning $500,000 per year and seeking to grow his business…” It’s very specific so that you know exactly who you’re targeting. To create a customer profile, you’ll need to gather as much data as possible about the people who’ll buy from you.  Here are the questions your customer profile should answer:

Where Are They and What Do Your Ideal Customers Do?

Demographic information such as this includes things like geographical location, age, job status, annual income, family structure, and so on. Answer the question, “Who are you?” An accurate and complete picture of your ideal customer starts with identifying where they are and what they do.

Can You Solve  Problem with A Product or Service?

Your ideal customer is facing some problem or challenge. You need to discover what pressing need they have so that you can offer the product or service that will solve it. What change will your offering bring about in the customer’s life?

When Shopping, What Is Your  Customer Looking For?

A major part of your ideal customer profile is buying behavior. When and how does your target market shop? How do they feel about the money and the products and services they buy? If you know this information, you can adjust your offer to fit your customers’ particular lifestyle and buying behavior.

Are There Customer Objections to Buying?

This is an important question for understanding the behavior of your customer. Many people get close to buying but stop at the last minute for one reason or another. They might wonder if the product will actually deliver the results, or they may not be sure whether it’s worth the price. Your marketing should address these objections and dispel them to remove obstacles to buying.

Your Ideal Customer Comes with Data

So, where do you go to find this information? There are many ways you can learn about your market:

• Conduct research on social media, including places like online forums and Q&A sites.
• Talk to existing customers or the audience you already have.
• Follow your competitors and see what kind of people follow and buy from them.
• Conduct surveys online with people in your niche.

If you are ready to identify your ideal customer, I invite you join my Jump Start Your Dream Biz Facebook community where I help ambitious go-getters to become profitable and successful entrepreneurs so that they can launch the small business they always dreamed of.

Check out my upcoming Jump Start MasterClass event! 

Please share your thoughts and ideas directly in the comments. You never know how your words will connect with others that visit my site. Remember, being a business owner doesn’t mean you have to do it alone 🙂