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Deciding who to target: Customers, Employees, Vendors, Prospects, Etc
This is a resource for Axiom clients. It is helpful when you are building a marketing plan, considering service options, looking to fill a key role, etc. You need to know your audience. How can you describe a good client fit to a referral partner if you've never thought long and hard about the types of customers you want to build your business around? The more specific you get, the easier it is to identify the person you are looking for. This exercise is about getting specific.
My experience is that very few business owners think hard about what they are looking for. To prime the pump set aside a little bit of time to go through the following items.
ONE
Watch Tim Williams slide share presentation on Positioning for Professionals
TWO
Watch Jack Trout on being everything to everybody
THREE
Read Who is your avatar?
Write down 50 characteristics of your avatar.
Here are ten to get you started
- Gender
- Age
- Geography
- Occupation
- Education
- Parent?
- Spouse?
- Annual income
- Job title
- Political affiliation
Make up your own for 11-50. you should run through all of the usual suspects by item 20 or 25. Then the real work begins. The more creative you get the easier it will be. You can answer questions like "If my avatar had an extra $100,000 they would spend it on ________" or "When my avatar can't sleep he's probably thinking about ______." Don't stop until you get to 50.
If you are like most people items 40-50 will contain some key insights.
Go back through the list and select the half dozen or so traits that separate your ideal customer from every one else's ideal customer. These are the points of differentiation that you will begin to highlight in your marketing campaigns.
FOUR