Identifying Your Ideal Customer & How To Speak To Them!

ideal customer avatar

Posted / 29th October 2019

Maybe work has dried up a little and you’re thinking, ‘I could really do with some new clients, but where do I find them?’. If the answer is yes, it’s time to think about your ideal customer! In fact, you should always be thinking about your ideal customer. Once your business values and marketing is aligned with the values of your ideal customer – you won’t find yourself looking for work at all!

 

What is an ‘ideal client’ avatar

An avatar is just a picture or mock-up of your ideal client. Roughly what age are they? What do they do for work? What gender are they? How do they like to communicate? Why did they decide to hire a cleaner? What is their home like?

For example: Your ideal client might be middle aged professionals with executive or management roles, they’re both male and female with luxury homes and older children. They hired a cleaner because they are rarely at home during the week, but like to entertain on weekends. They don’t like phone calls and prefer to text very quickly.

Or perhaps your ideal client is mums in their thirties, they work part time and raise their children. They hired a cleaner because they want to spend their non-working hours with their family, but struggle to keep up with the home as well. They enjoy a quick catch up in person or on the phone and like to have a built up trust factor with you.

 

Use the resource you already have…

If you’re unsure about your ideal client, look at your current ones! What do they do? Where do they hang out? Why do they like you? Don’t be afraid to ask them. Pay attention to the clients who refer you to others – they are exactly the kind of client you want to attract.

 

What to do with you ideal client avatar…

Now you know who your client is, you know how to find and market to them.

 

  • Where do they shop? Could you put an ad in their local supermarket?
  • Are they on Facebook or Instagram? Spend your social media marketing time on their favourite platform.
  • What are their struggles? If they’re time poor, always reference how you can save them time.
  • How old are they? Are they tech savvy or are they more likely to read an advert in the newspaper?
  • When you get them on the phone, what do they like talking about? Do they care about pricing? Efficiency? Or trust?

When you’re setting your prices, knowing your ideal client’s budget can be very beneficial. If you’re aiming for people who work shifts or part time, they won’t be comfortable spending as much as someone who works in the city or travels a lot for work.

 

See also: 5 things cleaning business owners get wrong when growing their business!

 

Your value proposition

The most important way to use your ideal client is in your value proposition. This is the thing about you that sets you apart from the rest.

If you know your ideal client is stressed and a bit haphazard, would they value 24hr service? Late night cleans or last minute cleans? If your ideal client is very eco-friendly or doesn’t like chemicals around their children, could you offer natural-only products? Would your client benefit from other services as add-ons?

 

Getting to know exactly who they are and what they value can enable you to offer even more services. It will also help to inform your marketing – which can be a huge struggle when you’re spending hours trying to think of captions and posts.

Start with asking your current clients why they like you – and build out from there!