Who are you talking to? Finding your client avatar

Martha Warner Author

Looking to refine your client avatar? Check out this step-by-step guide!

--------

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash

.

Why you need an avatar

Do you know who you are talking to? Are you creating content just to create and hoping it finally sticks?

An avatar is a fictional character that you create that will help you identify who your target market is and how you specifically can help them. Having a client avatar is an essential part of your business and your marketing plan.

When writing content and figuring out who to market your products or services to you need to understand WHO you are talking to. It is impossible to help everyone, so you need to narrow down specifically who you would want to work with.

Figuring out who you would like to talk to will make the process of creating content, products, and services much easier! The more details you can obtain from this exercise the better. You will know what your customers like, dislike, what they are having a hard time with, and ways you can help them. This will make your brand and messaging very clear and effective.

Follow these four easy steps to help you identify who you are talking to.

How to find your client avatar

.

Step 1: Start with the basics

Start with the basics of who your avatar is. Get creative and make this fun and as descriptive as you possibly can. Give your avatar a name and even pull a picture from Google of what you think they may look like.

Some basic information to include in your description would be:

• Age. How old are they or what generation are they from?

• Gender. What gender or gender identity do they identify with?

• Location. Where do they live? You can choose something such as they are from a small town or get specific and choose an actual city. (Remember the more specific you can get, the better!)

• Relationship status. Are they single? Married? Divorced?

• Do they have children? If so, what are their ages?

• Occupation. What do they do for work?

• Salary. How much money do they make? How much is their household income?

• Education. What level of education do they have?

These are some basic questions that you can start with. Go even deeper into this exercise with the next step!

.

Step 2: Go Deeper

Now dive into deeper connections you can make with your ideal client. Create a true story and personality for your client.

.

Some questions you make ask yourself:

• What are they interested in? Do they enjoy reading or watching TV?

• What social media platform do they prefer?

• What are their core values?

• What are their goals for this year? 5 years from now? 10 years from now?

• Where do they get their information from? The internet, the newspaper, etc.

• Who are their favorite celebrities?

• Do they have certain events they like to attend?

• Are there certain causes that matter to them?

• Do they use specific brands?

The possibilities in the section of finding out who your client avatar is are endless. You can come up with as many questions as you like to really understand who you are speaking to.

Step 3: What are they struggling with?

This is where you are going to identify their pain points. Take your time with this section and think about what they are struggling with in their day-to-day life.

Some questions to consider:

• What is their biggest struggle currently?

• What have they had trouble with in the past?

• What challenges do they need help overcoming?

• Are there any problems they are currently trying to solve?

• What are their emotions like?

.

.

Step 4: How can you help them?

Now you can dig in to start solving their problems with your product or service. This is the section where you think about exactly what it is that you can do to help.

Questions to think about:

• What would my product/service do for them?

• Will this product/service solve a problem?

• Are there any objections to your offer they may have?

• Where would they go to find your offer?

• Are they a direct buyer? Need approval? Or buying for someone else?

After completing these 4 steps, you should have a much better understanding of who your ideal client is. You will know their basic demographics, their interests, what problems they may be facing, and how you can specifically help them.

Your avatar may evolve over time, and that’s okay. Go through these steps as often as you need to until you can hone in on your ideal client avatar. You will not only improve your business, but you will also improve your client experience.

Knowing who to talk to is vital for marketing purposes. Knowing exactly who you are speaking to will allow you to truly help those that you are trying to reach.

Categories: writing