Customer
This is where we really start to get to know who your customer is as a real, tangible human being you can imagine in detail.
A lot of people, especially when we really believe in what we’re doing and want to impact many people, like to think our customer is “everyone.” Our customer is never everyone. Our job is to narrow down exactly who our customer truly is. We are not the right fit for everyone, and we don’t want to be. What we do want is to really understand who we ARE the right fit for.
We want happy customers, people who love what we’re doing. That’s how we build word of mouth, make greater impact and serve the people we are actually here to serve, letting go of the people who aren’t the best fit for our products or services.
(P.S it’s okay not to be the best fit. It’s okay to say, “I don’t think what I’m offering is what you’re looking for,” and refer them to someone else. There is plenty to go around!)
One way I like to help people refine this idea is to imagine you’re running an advert on Instagram. You’ve got five dollars, and you must get at least one paying customer. You’re not going to promote your business to “everyone”, you’re going to narrow it down to the people who are the best fit.
So how do we know who they are?
- How old are they?
- What gender are they?
- Where do they live?
- What are their interests?
- What do they care about?
- What values do they share with you?
- How much do they have to spend on your product?
We’re not targeting everyone in the world. We might choose people in a specific location because people who value what we offer tend to live there or share those cultural values. Maybe men resonate with what you do more than women, so we narrow the gender—not because you don’t care about women, but because men are the people you’re best able to serve with the most impact. You then narrow down the age range. It’s very unlikely your business serves a wide span of ages, so we refine that too. By understanding who this customer is specifically, it helps us use our marketing budget far more efficiently.
If you’ve been in business for a while, you may already have an idea of who your customer is. Start gathering factual information about who your customers are now and continue doing this over time so you can keep reaching them in the most efficient, effective ways. Sometimes who we think our customer will be and who actually resonates with us changes over time, which is why we always need to be measuring, recording, and gathering data on our marketing. We want real facts about who our people are.
If you’ve been in business for a while, look at who is already buying. As you interact with customers, start noting information. If you have an online platform gather as much information as you can (where customers live, how old they are, what gender they are, and so on).
Customer Profile Template
Who are your customers?
- Age
- Gender
- Income
- Personality
- Values
- Location (local, regional, state, national, or international)
Who has bought from you in the past?
- Age
- Gender
- Income
- Personality
- Values
- Location
