Defining your ideal client

Your ideal client is often the most narrow way to define your audience, and can help you define your branding and business personality. However, defining an ideal client does not mean you will only sell to them. Depending
on how you define the layers of your audience, you may choose to create marketing around your target audience/ niche.

There are several different layers of your audience who will be interested in your message and services. Each has a unique place in supporting your business and mission.

As you build your branding, products, messaging and marketing, you may choose how specific you target and build for your audience at each stage. The more narrowly you focus on the ideal client you’ve outlined above, the more you will connect with your audience and differentiate yourself from others doing similar things. Often times, you’ll want to build your branding around what appeals to your ideal client, build the majority of your services
and marketing around your target audience, and more rarely blog or market to your wider fan base.

Ideal Client: The most narrow definition of your audience, this client has everything you’d define as a perfect client and is a match for your highest priced services.

Target Audience/Niche: This is the niche that you market to, united by similar interested, tastes and demographics.

Fan Base: All the people who follow you, irregardless of unifying characteristics, and who may or may not ever buy from you.

An example for audience for this blog is:

• Example of ideal client: creative entrepreneurial women, either who have or eventually want children, and therefore seek a balance between their personal and career life
• Example of target audience/niche: creative women seeking more purposeful life
• Example of fan base: anyone with passion to live a life they love and a mission to live intentionally

WHAT IS YOUR IDEAL CLIENT, TARGET AUDIENCE, AND FAN BASE?

ABOUT YOUR NICHE

There are three general parameters needed for you to be able to connect with a specific audience. Consider the answer to the question above and make sure that:

1. You are a member of your target audience
   Who are you? Look at what groups you fall into. You will have an easier time relating to a group you are part of.
2. You are able to solve a painful problem
   Can you remove a pain?
3. You have something you can teach
   

• Teaching is an ideal form of marketing and problem-solving.
• You do not need to have all the answers. You can hire someone, do interview(s) or do research to teach others.