Plan, Create and Publish

Ideal Customer Toolkit

gudrunlauret.com

gudrunlauret.com

Instructions

Save the PDF to your computer and print it off, or follow the link to the online version. Choose the ‘make a copy’ option from the ‘file’ dropdown menu, rename and save it in your own drive. You can share this version with your team if you like.

You’ll see a series of prompts to help you think about your ideal client, and you can copy and edit the slides to answer the questions within the toolkit if you want to.

At the back of the PDF document you’ll find some supplementary information which will help you create a buyer persona (sometimes called an avatar) to help you develop your ideal customer. Refer to this every time you plan a piece of content - think about how the content will help your avatar with a problem or answer a question they have.

Your Ideal Client

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Prompt: Consider your product or service from your customer’s point of view. How does it help them?

Prompt: Create a buyer persona/avatar (see supplementary sheet for how to do this) to identify characteristics.

Prompt: If you already have clients, ask them how your offering helped them, and if there’s anything else they would have liked from you.

Prompt: Ask your clients how and where they found you, so you can be more active there to find similar clients.

Prompt: What is most important to them and what is their goal? What keeps them up at night? What do they want to happen after you’ve solved their problem? Can you help them with that as well?

Prompt: Who will really value what you do and keep coming back to you? Who will recommend you to others? What can you do to encourage their loyalty?

Your Ideal Client

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Prompt: What type of person is your product or service aimed at? If you’re selling luxury handbags or high-price coaching, your audience isn’t students or start-ups.

Prompt: How do people want to hear from you and how often? In what mediums (eg email, social media updates)?

Prompt: Who do your competitors work with? Do you want to have similar clients or would you prefer totally different types of customers?

Prompt: Who do you want to work with and who don’t you want to work with?

Prompt: Consider your value proposition – what makes your product or service special. Why should people choose you rather than a competitor? This will help you focus on a niche.

Prompt: Can you find a way to niche down? Is there a way to refine your offering to meet the specific needs of a small group of people?

Your Ideal Client

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Prompt: Are there similar offerings available that don’t quite meet the needs of the market? Could you create an online version of something for millennials, who prefer to do things digitally?

Prompt: Do some social listening – search for keywords around your topic or use a tool to do it for you. Which types of people are looking for what you offer and what kinds of questions do they ask?

Prompt: How will people buy from you? Will they pay upfront for an expensive product? Do they want a payment plan, a subscription or a trial period? Will they pay a retainer?

Prompt: How much information do they need before they make a purchase? Are they the decision-maker?

Prompt: Use your Google Analytics to look at where people are visiting you from, the pages they look at and how long they stay on your site.

Prompt: Likewise, track your social analytics to find the same kinds of statistics about your followers.

Notes

gudrunlauret.com

Notes

gudrunlauret.com

gudrunlauret.com

Find out more: www.gudrunlauret.com

A published writer for over 20 years, Gudrun specialises in working with traditional heritage organisations to use modern marketing methods successfully.

She supports her clients with the whole process, from identifying their audience and the value of engaging content, through to planning and strategy, as well as writing bespoke copy.

She has worked with a diverse range of clients and loves helping them to communicate their messages clearly.

About Gudrun Lauret

Creating Your Buyer Persona

A buyer persona, also known as an avatar, is a personification of your ideal customer. If you have more than one sector you’d like to target, you can have more avatars, but it’s best to have no more than three. Be as detailed as you can when creating personas, and have them in mind when you create each piece of content. Rather than thinking, “What would my audience like?” you should ask yourself, “Would my persona get value from this?” and produce content just for them. Some people recommend having a photo of your ideal customer, although it’s best to use a stock image rather than someone you know or a celebrity, as this can affect how you think about them. At the very least, give them a name. Print off your avatar’s details and display them somewhere you’ll see them often. Questions to Answer About Your Avatar Demographics Demographics is a way of segmenting your audience and your avatar by things like age, gender, income and location. Thinking about these things will help you decide who is the right person for your product or service, and help you identify the best ways to market to them. Answer the following, and be as specific as possible:

1. Age 2. Gender 3. Marital status (try to add some information about their partner if they have one, such as age, job etc) 4. Children (yes/no, ages, how many) 5. Location 6. Employment status 7. Job title/role

8. Industry 9. Hobbies 10. Previous experience 11. Education level 12. Challenges (depending on what you offer, this could be personal or professional) 13. Who is the decision maker (at home or work)? 14. Culture 15. Race/ethnicity

Psychographics Psychographics goes into more detail about your buyer’s personality and preferences. Thinking about these aspects allows you to drill down further into what you’ve identified from demographic segmentation, and makes sure you’re delivering content the way they want you to. Consider:

1. The language they use 2. Where they hang out (online, but also offline) 3. How they want to hear from you (email, telephone, social media) 4. How often they want to hear from you 5. What motivates them 6. Their priorities/ambitions 7. Beliefs 8. Emotions (e.g. the emotional state they’re in when they come to you for help) 9. Learning style 10. How they find information 11. Objections (to working/interacting with you) 12. Their impression of you and your business 13. Why they might choose to work with you 14. Their internet and social media habits (these can often cross age and other demographic characteristics) 15. Outside influences (where do they go for advice, who do they trust?)

If you’d like more help with your content, get in touch to discuss how I can help you!