In the world of business, people through around the term ‘ideal client’ A LOT. It makes sense though, your whole business relies heavily on that ‘person’. Every successful personal branding strategy focuses on it. Think about it, we run Facebook ads, post on Instagram stories, and send out newsletters, so we can get that client to buy. Today, I’ll give you some tips on how to define that ideal client. And because I love you, I’ll give you a free worksheet to guide you in the process.

Why Do I Need An Ideal Client In My Personal Branding Strategy?

Let’s say you were selling organic cloth diapers. Would you target single, male college students on food stamps? No. That would be a waste of time – and even worse, ad money. Trick question. Would you target working moms on the go, who place their kids in daycare? Probably not either. Why? A working-class mom is generally on a budget and limited on time. Organic, dye-free diapers aren’t high on her radar. She’s probably rushing to get to work, drop the baby off, and think about what she’s going to make for dinner in a few hours. Who has time to wash diapers every day?

What would be a better ideal client? The middle-aged housewife mom, whose sole focus is to provide for her family in the most ethical way. She shops at farmer’s markets. She only buys pesticide-free produce. Groceries at Walmart?! Over her dead body.

Do you see how we got specific and clear on the client? You can almost see her turning the tomato in her hand before she places it in her reusable grocery bag. That’s how clear you need to get. Oftentimes, when people are crafting their personal branding strategy, they get too broad when it comes to their ideal client. But, don’t worry I’m going to show you how to get specific.

Demographics of Your Ideal Client

Demographics are the basic foundation of an ideal client. It makes up who they are.

1. What’s your ideal client’s gender?
2. What age bracket do they fall in?
3. Ethnicity?
4. How much do they make annually?
5. What’s their marital status?
6. Where do they live?
7. What social media accounts do they follow?
8. What brands do they shop with the most?

These are questions that help shape the blob in your head into a living breathing person. It also guides your Google/Facebook ads. You’d be surprised how many clients want to market to everyone when building their personal marketing strategy. No. A brand should attract clients they have in mind, and repel those who don’t fit that mold. If your leads (inquiries) are not focused or consistent in persona, then you need to go back to the drawing board and re-map your ideal client.

Psychographics of Your Ideal Client

When I work with clients, we spend a lot of time focusing on what makes their ideal client tick. Buying is an emotional process. When you’re able to tap into that emotion, it’s easier to close a sale. Psychographics focuses on the behavior of a person, and the things they connect to on a psychological level.

Some of the questions you would ask here are:

1. Who/What fulfills them most?
2. Are there any beliefs are they closely tied to?
3. Do any activities excite them?
4. What causes do they fully support? (vegan, eco-conscious, etc.)

Tying Your Personal Branding Strategy All Together

Ok, so back to the organic diaper scenario. Our ideal client is deeply concerned about global warming. Why throw away thousands of diapers that will end up in a landfill? Our client loves making up her home. She constantly seeks out products that will benefit her children and partner. No dyes? Perfect. She’s against the ‘man’ and refuses to buy into big brands. She woman loves supporting her small business. You can find her at her local farmer’s market any given Saturday, putting her dollars back into her community.

Do you see how a totally different woman is painted? She’s conscious, caring, and more than happy to invest in a product that will not only help the planet but benefit her family.

This is how clear you should be getting on your ideal client. Shoot, name them if you have to! When I create ideal client boards for my clients we name these things. It’s important for our personal marketing strategy because our visuals depend on it. Take a look at the ideal client profile we created for my client. We wanted a dance between a chic and casual brand. Making sure we landed on the type of client we wanted to attract, helped craft the branding aesthetics needed to convert.

How this Benefits The Personal Branding Strategy

When you’re able to expertly narrow down your ideal, you’ll have more data to craft a brand identity that attracts them every single time. Once my client approve her ideal client board, I then created her brand aesthetic board, take a look below.

Do you see how we were able to take the heart of her ideal client and create a direction to help attract those ideal clients? That’s the importance of having a personal branding strategy. This is also why personal branding can take months to complete, but the rewards are worth it. Once Jeanea launched, she started seeing an uptick in her inquiries. This screenshot was taken less than a week after Jeanea has launched her new site, thick with intentional personal branding strategy.

Defining your ideal client could be costing you thousands of dollars in your business, if not more. I base all of my rebrands on this one part of the process and it always pays off. If you need help identifying the brand aesthetic that fits your business, take my brand quiz! I’ll help you define the brand personality that best fits your business based on your questions.

And if you know you’re ready for a rebrand, fill out the form on my contact page.