A customer avatar, or a fictional picture of your target customer, is a great way to make sure you are tailoring all your marketing efforts to the people you know who are most interested in your products or services. If your business is geared toward several different types of customers, it is not a bad idea to develop an avatar for each of them.

Develop Your Customer’s Story

The first step in developing your customer avatar is to develop their story. For instance, if you are in the weight loss industry, your target market is likely women. You may have a target audience of new mothers who are trying to lose the baby weight. You may also have a target audience of women who want to get in better shape, but family/work/life balance makes it hard. Whatever the case may be, develop a full story for this person, as if they really existed.

Give your customer a: name, age, job, family, educational background, etc. and any other detail that is pertinent to your niche. Think about how much money this person makes, their religious/spiritual beliefs, their geographic location, etc. The more detail you have about your customer, the better off you are. Internet marketing is about building relationships and providing a personal touch. So if you really know your customer, you can add that personal flare that makes the difference between someone who leaves your site never to return, and someone who not only makes a purchase, but someone who refers others, or becomes a repeat customer.

What is a customer avatar: An example

Mary is a 26-year-old new mother, who has an entry-level accounting job. She and her husband are thrilled to have the new baby and even though she’s enjoying her time off on maternity leave, she needs to go back to work. She lost a great deal of weight after the baby was born, but she’s really struggling with those last 10 pounds. She’s watching what she eats, and trying to be active. With the new baby, she’s not sure she can afford a gym membership or will have the time to go to the gym like she needs to. Instead, she’s looking for a supplement, such as the one you offer, to help give her what she needs to see those last few pounds melt away.

What’s the point?

The point of having a customer avatar is to make all your marketing materials easier to develop. When you write sales letters, create advertising campaigns, etc. you should write all your text as if you are speaking to Mary. Then, you know for sure you’re going to be able to appeal to your target audience. If you develop those materials without your target customer in mind, you’re not likely to see the conversion rate you need.