How well do you know your ideal customer?

So, do you know who your ideal customer is?

Can you name him and picture an individual? Do you know his interests and his values? Do you understand his problems, and how you can help him find a solution through using your business products and services.

In episode 7 we chatted to Sophie Jewry about Brand, and discovered just how important knowing exactly who your customer is has a big effect on branding. Very early in the branding process Sophie asks her clients who that ideal customer is, and even goes as far as asking what newspapers and magazines they read, and what radio shows they listen to.

In episode 8 we talked to Sam Ashdown, a marketer working with estate agents, and again the ideal customer came up. We found her estate agent client giving his ideal customer a name – A couple called Tom and Fiona – and we found out that they shopped at Waitrose and drove an Audi.

In the first example Sophie showed us how knowing the ideal customers interests could directly affect how you branded to appeal to them, and where to think about advertising to get their attention. Sam took this further and used the type of car they drive and where they shop to determine their values, and whether they were more likely to respond to price or service.

Do you understand your ideal customer’s issues and how you solve them?

In episode 8 Sam went on to explain how to write the pain email to yourself, The email your ideal client might send you explaining his situation and asking for help. I tried that exercise after we recorded the podcast, and it’s really powerful. I sent the email to Graham, and he thought it was a real customer and got all fired up to sort out his problems. Through the email we identified our ideal audience member for the podcast very effectively!