How to create your small business Avatar profile, a personification of your ideal client or customer, with Henry Lopez. Henry is a serial entrepreneur, small business coach, and host of The How of Business podcast.

On this episode of The How of Business podcast Henry focuses on helping you create your target Avatar profile, and he explains why it’s important to clearly define the one Avatar for your small business.

What is an Avatar? It’s more than your target market, which can be fairly broad – it’s your target persona for your small business. Your ideal client or customer. The personification of the one ideal person who represents your best client or customer.

If you are planning to start a new business, then it’s critical that you have a clear and concise profile of your Avatar. If you are already in business, and you don’t have a clear Avatar, then this episode will help you define one. And if you do have an Avatar defined, use this content to validate or perhaps enhance what you already have. It’s something you should revisit periodically, as it may likely change as markets, conditions, and your business change.

• A critical starting point for all plans, including business plans and marketing plans, is to clearly define your ideal client or small business avatar.
• What is an Avatar?
  • In computing, an avatar is a graphical representation of a user or the user’s character or persona.
  • In marketing, an avatar helps us understand who our ideal customers are so can more easily find them. It’s a detailed profile of your ideal customer or client.
• “If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it.” You may already have a clear definition of your target market of ideal Avatar, but it’s important to revisit it since it’s at the heart of everything you do in small business marketing. Most marketing decisions depend on knowing your target audience. Be as specific as possible when choosing where you “aim” your marketing campaigns and efforts.
• Your Avatar (also called an Ideal Client or Target Persona) is the person who you are creating your business, your content, your services, and your products for.
• For B2C businesses, your Avatar is an individual consumer. For B2B businesses, your Avatar is the decision maker or buyer at your ideal client company.
• To clearly define your target or ideal client or customer in detail, you need to go beyond basic demographics – define your Avatar as if it’s a person you know.
• Points to consider include:
• What are their demographics: Age Range, Gender, Education, Income, Location, Occupation, Marital Status, Children Age Range – but be as specific as possible.
• What are their pains or problems? (That you can solve!)
• What are their buying habits?
• Where do they shop?
• What do they believe in?
• What are their goals and values?
• Who do they listen to?
• Where are they online?
• What materials do they read?
• What gurus or influencers do they follow?
• Are they the primary decision maker or an influencer?
• What is their typical buying decision making process?
• What questions will they have about you, your business and your product or service?
• Ideally you have one target Avatar, but for some businesses you may have two or more. For example, for The How of Business we have someone who wants to start their first business, and another listener and client who is an existing small business owner. When you are getting started, I recommend trying your best to select the one best target Avatar.
• If you are not sure who your Avatar or ideal client is, it helps to ask where does most of your business come from today? Who are you’re your biggest customers or clients? Which types of clients or customers are most valuable to your business?
• Defining your target avatar is the most important initial step in creating an effecting Marketing Plan. It allows you to focus your marketing, advertisement and sales efforts and investments to get the highest return possible.
• After clearly describing your Avatar, you will develop your Value Proposition or marketing message for your target Avatar. Answering the question: How do you help solve their pains or problems?
  
• Common Mistakes with creating your small business avatar profile:
  • Not having a clear Avatar or Ideal Client Profile.
  • Too broad or high level – only high-level demographics – ranges instead of specifics.
  • Not being able to give the Avatar a name – not specific enough.
  • Having more than one avatar.
  • Not being in alignment or congruency with your Avatar – Your marketing, messaging, tone, décor.

Episode Host: Henry Lopez is a serial entrepreneur, small business coach, and the host of this episode of The How of Business podcast show – dedicated to helping you start, run and grow your small business.

Resources:

Free Downloads:

• Avatar Profile Worksheet

Related Podcast Episodes:

Episode 382: Small Business Plans

You can find other episodes of The How of Business podcast, the best small business podcast, on our Archives page.