If you’re in business, especially if you’re online, you’ve probably heard that you need to know your Ideal Client Avatar so that you can develop a clear marketing message that speaks to him or her. And it probably looks something like this:
“My ideal client is Mary. She’s a married mother of two children under the age of 10 (plus a golden retriever named Charlie) who lives in a Chicago suburb. She drives a Lexus SUV, loves her Starbucks caramel macchiato, and has a secret obsession with the Target dollar bins. She looks forward to margarita Mondays with her girlfriends, and from the outside she seems to have it all together. But on the inside, she has lost her sense of self. She’s going through the motions but knows she wants something more.”
The reason so many people recommend developing an Ideal Client Avatar is so that you start to picture a single person to speak to, and that’s really important. You want to focus your message and talk to one person, because it’s one person who is receiving your message each time. Just like you are a single person reading this right now.
But here’s the thing…it’s not enough.
It’s a great first step, but how does that help you know how to speak to your ideal client? How does that give you the words that are going to MOVE them to want to work with you?
What you need…what will REALLY help you…is to fully develop your messaging foundation. The building blocks that make content creation so much easier, giving you all the elements that help you stand out in your market.
There are actually seven elements that you’ll want to develop:
- Ideal Client – beyond the avatar, get really clear on the pains, problems, and struggles they have, and the results, benefits and transformation they’re looking for.
- Your Value Proposition – what truly sets you apart from the competition.
- Your Brand Vocabulary – the words you use and DON’T use.
- Your Brand Personality – the tone, attitude and feeling of your brand.
- Your Brand Position – sometimes referred to as a tagline, it’s the 3-5 word statement you want to OWN in the market.
- Your Brand Story – this is not YOUR story. This is the experience your clients can expect to have when working with you.
- Your Elevator Speech – or what I like to call your Impactful Introduction. You have 7-15 SECONDS to keep someone’s attention and you need to pack in all the right elements into just 1-2 sentences.
When you have these foundational elements of your message defined, your marketing is more effective because it is RELATABLE to your ideal client. It’s what allows you to show up in a ONE-OF-A-KIND way so you are remembered and don’t sound like anyone else. It gives you an ACTIONABLE framework to make content creation so much easier. And allows you to be the RELIABLE expert that your ideal client can’t wait to work with.
And that’s what will Make Your Message ROAR®.
About the author: Karie Price is a Brand Messaging Coach helping established women business owners find and own the words to stand out, be heard, and Make Your Message ROAR™! That means creating a message that is Relatable, One-of-a-kind, Actionable, and Reliable, and attracts your ideal client to you. Join Karie along with IAW on December 19 for an eCoaching session that will help you stand out and be heard!
