Demographics vs Psychographics: What Ideal Client Info You Really Need
If you’re a modern entrepreneur, at some point you sat down and created your ICA (Ideal Client Avatar)…and it may sound something like this:
Her name is Bridget.
She lives in the city, she’s 32 years old & has a goldendoodle.
She drives a Prius to do her part for the environment.
She’s a college grad, keeps in touch with her sorority sisters…
…is hooked on chai lattes & loves her Lulu Lemon yoga pants.
She just got engaged and is planning her destination wedding (post Covid 19, of course).
And she can’t live without her daily astrology, reality TV, and champagne to celebrate.
This is all really great information to have, but here’s what I’m seeing more and more of these days when entrepreneurs are building “Avatars”…
…you’re mainly focused on the demographics.
Demographic information focuses more on the external factors that describe a person or allow you to put them into a category in your brain, things like:
Age
Location
Education
Marital Status
Gender
This example Avatar above also highlights your ideal clients’ personal interests and passions, things like:
Favorite drink
Pet
Destination wedding
Astrology
Reality TV, etc etc.
These are also great to know about your Ideal Client because it can help you add flavor to your copy as you reference some of these relatable topics.
Here’s what you want to double-check:
1 – You didn’t make up your ideal client avatar (meaning you didn’t GUESS what your dream is all about)
2 – That you’ve had a client / customer that fits your ICA actually show up in your world again and again, and those people really are your favorite clients to work with and your content and offers get the results they’re looking for.
You want to base your ideal clients on real people you actually know and/or have served within your business. You don’t ever want to *invent* things about your clients.
And here’s the truth. While demographics – when they’re accurate – DO tell you a lot about your ideal clients, that knowledge applied will NOT be what inspires your audience to buy.
As a brand strategist who helps entrepreneurs create messaging that resonates with dream clients, the must-have and need-to-know for any business owner is to understand the psychographics of your clients.
Psychographics are the information that focuses on the internal information that drives your ideal clients’ every thought and action. Sounds important, right? It is! And when you can unearth this information about your ideal client, you are winning!! It’s about getting into their head to find out what they believe, what they want and what’s motivating them.
Can you see how that information could help you:
Craft offers that address their goals and pain points
Create drool-worthy content
Connect with clients in a relatable way
Psychographics help you build a brand and business that attract ideal clients and has them sticking around for more when you apply what you know into everything you do, say and offer. All you need to do is connect with your ideal clients regularly and ask them the right questions to know exactly what they need from you.
Are you ready to dig into the psychographics of your ideal client but not sure where to start? As a first step, I recommend doing Ideal Client Interviews. Identity 7-10 people who you know that would make ideal clients for your products /services and ask for a 15 minute zoom with them. If all you do is ask them one question, ask them this:
When it comes to [WHAT YOU DO / OFFER], what’s your biggest challenge?
For example, as a brand strategist, I can ask my ideal clients:
When it comes to BUILDING A CLEAR & COHESIVE BRAND, what’s your biggest challenge?
PRO-TIPS for interviewing your Ideal Clients:
Write down their answers (or record with permission) exactly how they say it
Don’t lead them in any direction, let them do the talking
Listen carefully for keywords that identify another pain point and/or listen to ask really great follow up questions to understand their perspective even better
Let me know how you do, and feel free to comment below with any questions!