I have to admit, it’s very exciting to open a business and tell the world about it! It’s your dream come true and with your own business, you’ll have newfound freedom without the restrictions you normally have in your 9-5. But who exactly will benefit from hearing about your business? Who needs your services?

These are the two most basic questions you need to answer BEFORE opening your doors. Quite simply because you don’t want to use “hope” marketing, where you just throw out a message and hope that someone sees it, do you? Talk about a total waste of time and money. The big bucks brands don’t operate that way, so why should you? Instead, create your dream customer so you know exactly who needs your services and who is willing to pay for them.

Think of it this way:
1. Your marketing message should be tailored to the needs of your Customer Avatar. If you’re just putting up random Facebook posts about what you do, take notice of how much engagement you get in return. Are the only Likes you receive from your mom and cousins? Does anybody leave a comment about how great you are and they love your work? If not, it’s time to review who is seeing your message.

Here’s a newsflash: Your business isn’t about you; it’s about how you can serve the needs of your market – aka your Customer Avatar. How can you resolve their struggles? What pain points do they struggle with and how will YOUR product or service help them?

1. You’ll see better ROI on advertising with targeted ads. Advertising is an expected part of running a business but similar to what we discussed earlier with targeting your marketing message, the same targeting is necessary with advertising.

Case in point: My neighbor has perfect hearing but keeps getting mailings for hearing aids. He doesn’t need this product so the brochure is immediately thrown out. Take the printing cost, postage cost, paying someone to stuff the envelopes, plus the cost of whatever list his name ended up on, and that company is throwing out real money by not reaching the correct prospect. Now double that cost because his teenage daughter receives the SAME mailing even though she also has perfect hearing!
Lesson learned: Reaching the wrong prospect is wasted money, and nobody has time for that!

1. Writing becomes easier when you’re addressing just one person. Most of us don’t have a big-time budget to hire a marketing or advertising firm, so we are responsible for creating our own content and messages. Think of your Customer Avatar as that one person who can benefit the most from your services. You’ve given that person a name and have drawn a unique character; now think about that one person when you write emails, blog posts, ads, or social media posts. If you think of just one person, you won’t get overwhelmed at writing for a large group. Your copy will be much more personal and conversational if you focus on writing to just one person.
   Even if you hire a writer to help you, they will ask you for this same client information. Whether they call it a Customer Avatar or not, they need to know who the message is meant for so they can use the proper words to achieve the right mood.

Need Help with Your Avatar? Check out my template
Creating a Customer Avatar is an important first step when planning your business foundation. My Customer Avatar Template is the exact tool you’ll need to fine-tune that dream client. It is filled with exercises for you to get to know and really “get” your customers. So find some peace and quiet and check out this template.