Forget Everything You’ve Been Told About Your Ideal Client Avatar
I really struggled with creating an ideal client avatar, also commonly referred to as an ICA, for a long time.
Just create your new imaginary BFF they said … Yeah right - as if it were that easy!!
That’s what most people tell you to do. Answer a list of questions to help you craft this imaginary person that is supposed to represent your ideal client. How old is your ICA? Are they married? Where do they shop? What social media do they frequent?
I understand the theory behind it. Truly, I do.
But it always felt insincere to me. I was never comfortable with the fake persona that was supposed to represent the customers in my business.
And I assure you, I was definitely not “speaking” to this ideal customer when I was drafting any of my messaging and copy.
But you DO need to know who your ideal audience is.
The marketing gurus are right on that concept.
There’s a saying that if you try to talk to everyone, you talk to no one. There’s some definite truth to that. If you are too general and too generic, nothing sets you apart in the sea of online voices.
It’s critical to know who you are writing to when you write your blogs and scripts, send your emails, draft your sales and services copy or whatever other content you are putting out into the world.
You do have to narrow down your audience in order to find your dream customers who will connect with you and what you have to say.
But when it comes to telling you how to do it, they’re usually wrong!
Your avatar vs your audience
One of the things I truly appreciate and value is the diversity of people. The different thoughts, ideas and ways of processing information are incredible.
(side note-I have twin sons who process information completely differently. When they were toddlers and working on a puzzle, one always started with the edge pieces and the other would begin with the focal point of the picture. It was amazing to watch!)
So for someone to tell me that I have to create one or two different personas to represent the whole of my audience never clicked with me.
However, while I struggled with trying to find out who my ICA was, I have zero doubts about who my audience is. I serve a diverse group of entrepreneurs and small business owners. They are typically solopreneurs or have small teams and are looking to scale their business and increase their revenue. They may have varying degrees of success or experience in business but they all have the same desire and commitment to their business.
And if you're reading this, I bet that defines you too!
The clone trap
The biggest mistake I see when working with a client who has created an ICA is that they, more often than not, have created their clone.
Let’s be honest - it’s an easy trap to fall into.
Chances are you are passionate about your service or product and many of your clients are passionate too.
So what happens is you end up creating an ICA that is essentially you - whether it’s you yesterday, today or where you want to be tomorrow, when you strip it down, it’s still you.
This ends up creating issues you may not even realize.
When you’re your own ICA, you inadvertently start making assumptions about what your clients know and don’t know, about what they may or may not need, or about how much money they have or don’t have to spend on your services/products.
For example, because I have a marketing background, I’m familiar with multiple social media platforms and strategies. I know what demographics use what platforms. So while “talking” with my clone ICA, I may be talking about various social strategies assuming my ICA knows what platforms she needs to be on.
But what if she doesn’t? Rather than creating an actionable strategy, I may have actually just created an obstacle for my ICA. I’m telling her to make a post and she doesn’t even know where she should be posting. It’s frustrating and it can be demoralizing, and that’s not fair to your client.
When you are your ICA, you can forget to start at the basics and meet your client where they are. This costs your client time and money and it could even be the final straw that stops someone from going for their dreams and offering their services or products to the world.
And here’s some hard truth …
When you are your ICA, your clients end up looking like you. What you see in the mirror is what is primarily displayed in your audience.
Now, that may be okay if you are focused on a specific niche. It may serve you best.
BUT, for the majority of business owners, it doesn’t work.
My business strategies don’t only help middle-aged white women. They help anyone, of any gender, race, age, socio-economic background, etc. that is trying to grow a business. Why would I want to exclude someone simply because they don’t look like me or share my background?
Because of this, I don’t focus on an ICA. I focus on my audience. I want to help as many people as I can grow their businesses. I want a diverse and inclusive audience that any business owner that needs my help can see themselves in.
I want to provide a safe community for those that are experiencing a challenge in their business. I want my audience to represent similar values as my client community and have the same desire to scale their businesses and serve their clients.
And whether they are 32 or 49 or whether they shop at Target or Hermes has absolutely no influence on my ability to serve them.
Your audience and your copy
Here’s where it can get tricky.
The concept of ICAs was primarily developed to add depth and value to content - to add a “layer of real-world consideration to the conversation.”
But if you focus on your audience and not a specific ICA, how can you clearly deliver your message?
Very simply, pick a client that is struggling with the issue that you are talking about. Talk to them and them alone. Make it conversational as if you were coaching them through the content. This will keep the personality of your content consistent and relevant to your audience.
But what if you’re just starting your business and don’t have any clients to “talk” to yet? Or maybe you have something you want to share but haven’t brought the concept up to your audience or clients yet.
My answer to you is this - look around you.
Let’s say you want to coach small business owners on a particular topic but are just starting your business and don’t have any clients yet.
Look around you. I’m sure you have friends, family members or even coworkers with various skills or hobbies that could be made into a business. If they came to you and said they were thinking about turning their hobby into a business but needed advice about your topic, what would you say to them? That’s the person you are delivering your message to when you create your content.
You don’t need an ICA to create content. In fact, it may hinder you more than help you.
You need an audience!
When you are able to talk to various members of your audience and not just your ICA, you’ll see that it becomes easier to talk to them in your messaging. More often than not, you’ve already had a conversation with a member of your audience about your message. Now it’s just turning that message into a formal piece of content.
Your audience may be wildly different in tastes and personalities but, at their core, they have the same desires and goals. And that is who you should serve.
So here’s my challenge to you -
For one month, ditch your ICA if you have one and focus on your audience and the community they represent.
Be sure to let me know how it goes!