Why doing ideal client work isn’t enough

Every marketing expert under the sun will tell you to work on your ideal client and I’m not going to argue with them, they are right. But in this post, I want to explain to you why this simply isn’t enough. 

 Who is your ideal client anyway? 

 When I ask people who their ideal client is, most go general. They start telling me they work with men or women, aged 20-55. They then go straight in to explain what they are struggling with. 

This is not an ideal client. 

Your ideal client is one person, not a list of general demographics. Most importantly this person might be someone you haven’t even worked for yet. Think of your client list right now, I bet quite a few of them are far from ideal! This is why it’s sometimes best to think about your dream client instead. 

How to define your dream client?

One of the many things I tell my clients to do when defining their ideal client is to think of one person.

Imagine that right now, your absolute dream client walks through your door. They will be a joy to work with and you know you will be able to help them. 

Visualising just one person is an old marketing strategy but it helps to focus this concept and stops you from being so general. 

• Think about… What sex they are 
• How old they are 
• What they do for a living
• How much they earn
• If they are married 
• How many children they have 
• Pets 
• Where do they live 
• What their home is like 
• Do they have a mortgage
• What they do in their spare time 
• What they are good at 
• What they struggle with 
• What TV do they love
• What books they read
• What personality type they are 

If you notice in this list, I haven’t even begun to think about the ‘pain points.’ Of course after these questions are answered (sometimes with a pretty picture drawn too), we do talk about the problems they are facing and how you can help them but it’s important to remember that your ideal client is a whole person. They have passion, love, excitement, fear and sadness in their life. They are not just a 2 dimensional being waiting for you to come along and save the day. 

Thinking of them as a whole person allows you to shift your mindset around this work and take a more holistic approach. This is far more powerful and effective long term. 

Don’t stop there

Most people do their ideal client work at the beginning of their business and only revisit it when they are doing a course or working with a business coach. In between these times, however, it sits in a draw. 

Out of sight, out of mind. 

Your ideal client avatar won’t help you hidden away. I recommend putting it up, somewhere you can see it every day, ideally in front of where you write your copy and create your marketing content. 

Talk to the avatar

This is useful because every single word you write should be directed at your ideal client avatar. Imagine you are having a conversation with them, that you are writing your posts just for them each time. On social media, in a blog, on your website, in an email, wherever you are showing up, you are talking directly to an individual dream client. 

Some of my clients say this makes them feel less overwhelmed in the online world. They stop worrying if the whole world will see their posts and just keep their ideal client in mind. 

Some say it makes the copy easier to write because they know who they are talking to. 

Some say they enjoy the process of writing more and they feel more confident.