Perhaps the most important thing you can do in marketing is to focus your efforts on the people who are most likely to hire or buy from you. Because, when you do, you end up with a client list of couples who were awesome to work with, trust you as an expert, and are likely to refer you to friends in the future. But figuring out who these people are doesn’t happen overnight; rather, it takes a concerted effort to get to know them, their needs as well as how you can best serve them. So how do you get here? You start by making sure you’ve completed a foundational step in your marketing strategy—you create an ideal client avatar. And today, we are going to walk you through what you need to know in order to do just that.
What is an ideal client avatar?
An ideal client avatar (ICA) is a description of the person (or couple) you most want to work with. It’s typically based on demographic and psychographic data that helps paint a picture of who they are, what their interests are, why they may need your services, etc. This gives you an understanding of what kind of marketing messages and content will resonate with them, and how best to connect them. Having an ideal client avatar helps you focus the time you do spend on marketing on the right people, creating the right content, and makes it more likely that your messaging speaks directly to them. It also saves you time and resources since you are theoretically eliminating leads who are unlikely to hire or buy from you—meaning your marketing dollars are spent more effectively.
Pro Tip!
It is possible (and likely) you have more than one ideal client type because each of your services is the best fit for a different kind of couple. So don’t just create one ICA. Go through this exercise as many times as you need.
What should be included in an ideal client avatar?
When you sit down to create your ideal client avatars, there are a few things you should include: demographic information (age, gender, location), psychographic information (values and beliefs, hobbies, interests), how much they are likely to spend on their wedding overall as well as your services specifically, and any other relevant information that can help you better understand who your ideal client is (what brands they are loyal too, what social media platforms they use most, etc.) But, if you want to really create an ICA that helps propel your marketing efforts, you’ll want to dive into:
- What they are most excited about for their wedding (meaning, what are their priorities)
- What worries them the most about their wedding
- Anything they are struggling with while planning their wedding (i.e. their problems)
- What they need to hear, feel, and get in order to trust and hire you
Get all these details and stories down in something as simple as a word document or go the extra mile and design it out in Canva. You can include pictures of the types of wedding details your ICA loves most, a portrait of an actual couple, and lay things out so they are easy to reference and read. Whatever version you choose, just be sure to keep it easily accessible since anyone who is working on your business should use the document as a foundational guide!
Pro Tip!
You can create an ICA even if you are just starting your wedding business and have yet to book your first clients. Simply imagine who these people are and build your ICA around that—you can refine it with real details after you’ve started working with couples.
How to use your ICA in marketing
Once you have your ideal client avatar in place, you can start creating marketing messages and content that speak directly to them. This means creating really custom or targeted messages for each ICA on your list because you really understand what matters most to them. From social media content and blog posts to website copy and sales materials, you can hone in on the emotions your ideal couples are having (positive and negative), catch their attention with ways around their problems, and educate them about the things they are curious or unsure about.
Creating an ideal client avatar is a foundational step in your marketing strategy, and once you have one in place, you’ll be able to level up your marketing with content that speaks directly to the people most likely (and excited) to work with you!
As you step up your marketing game, it’s also a great time to step up your booking process! And Rock Paper Coin can help you do just that! From online proposals and contracts to invoicing and payment processing, you can tailor your workflow just as much as you’re tailoring your marketing efforts and client experience. Learn more about our tools and start your free trial today!
