When I ask business owners who their ideal customer is, I often get the same answer: “Anyone who needs what we do.”
It sounds logical. But here’s the problem: when you try to talk to everyone, you end up resonating with no one.
That’s why creating customer avatars and using the right messagingaround them is such a critical stage of any marketing strategy.
What is a Customer Avatar?
A customer avatar (or persona) is a detailed profile of your ideal customer. Thinking about more than just demographics, such as age and location, is crucial.
For example, consider:
- Their goals and challenges
- Their buying motivations
- The problems they’re trying to solve
- How they research and make decisions
- What objections stop them from buying
When you map this out, you stop guessing. You gain the clarity to focus your marketing on the customers most likely to buy, stay loyal, and recommend you.
The Data to Back It Up
- According to HubSpot, businesses that use detailed personas see their websites perform 2–5 times better than those that don’t.
- A Cintell study found that companies that exceed their lead and revenue goals are 2.2x more likely to have formal customer personas documented.
- Messaging that’s targeted to a specific audience increases engagement rates by up to 300% compared to generic, untargeted content.
The numbers don’t lie; businesses that know their customers deeply are the ones that win.
Messaging: Turning Avatars into Connection
Once you know who you’re speaking to, the next step is shaping how you talk to them. That’s where messaging pillars come in.
Think of these as the 3–5 key points you want every piece of communication to reinforce. They could be about:
- The unique value you deliver
- The problem you solve best
- The benefits your customers care about most
- The proof you bring (testimonials, reviews, case studies)
Strong messaging is consistent, clear, and customer-focused. It avoids jargon and speaks in the language your audience uses.
Why It Matters
Without customer avatars and clear messaging, marketing is just noise. You might get clicks, likes, or even enquiries, but they won’t be from the right people.
With them, you:
- Spend less by focusing on the right channels
- Build brand recognition faster
- Connect emotionally with the people who matter
- Turn marketing from “busywork” into growth work
Defining your customer avatars and building your messaging pillars isn’t just an exercise; it’s the foundation of your entire marketing strategy. It’s the difference between hoping for results and creating them.
Have you created customer avatars for your business yet, or are you still trying to reach “everyone”?
If you would like to chat through you customer avatars or any other aspect of online marketing or the marketing coaching course, drop me a message, happy to help.
