Who’s Your Avatar and How Do You Find Them?

When you think of your perfect customer, who comes to mind? Is it that steely-eyed executive with the pin-striped suit and the V-8 sports car? Or maybe the friendly neighbor a few houses down who loves her cats and her knitting? It could be the eager college student with her trusty tablet, the cynical stock broker who’s had a run of bad luck or your sister-in-law getting ready to start her first business.

So who is it? Your avatar is your perfect customer, and defining that person is one of the first steps in starting a successful business. You may have begun your business for personal reasons, perhaps carrying on a family tradition or fulfilling a life-long dream, but sooner or later (probably sooner rather than later) you’re going to need to sell something. That’s where the avatar comes in.

The more you can define your avatar, the better chance you’ll have of attracting them. Try to be as specific as possible. “Anyone who likes Hobby X and wants to see how I can help them learn more about it” is not an avatar. Refine your potential avatar by gender, age, occupation, education level or interest. Find out who they are as people. What do they care about? What do they believe in?  

For example, if you’re writing a high-tech crime thriller about a female detective, your avatar might be: “women between the ages of 18 and 34 who have a college background, a median income level, are technologically proficient, have at least part-time employment and an interest in the criminal justice system.”

Imagine them as people. What would they be like? What would you talk to them about over dinner? 

The purpose of all this avatar creation is to figure out who you’re going to be marketing to. Who’s going to want to read your book, try out your new service or use the shiny gizmo you’ve concocted? By creating an accurate picture of your perfect buyer, you can target your marketing to them, saving you from wasting your precious advertising dollars.

Now that you have your avatar, the next thing to do is figure out where to find them. If you’ve properly defined them, the next step will be fairly intuitive. Where would this person hang out?  What would they most likely be doing on a Friday night? What types of places would they go?  Would they be going out to parties or staying home? What kind of stores would they go to?  Where would they get their news and information?

The final step in this process is also pretty simple. Now that you know who your avatars are and where they’re going to be, all you have to do is to make sure you’re right there with them and that you have as much great marketing as you can pack.

Finding your perfect customer, your avatar, can simplify your marketing and bring you to the right people at the right time. Try creating your avatar today!