I'm an artist and own a small business called Devs Doodles Co., and I'll help you understand and identify, then find and target, your ideal customer—one of the most important components of running a successful business.
Identifying your ideal customer—and their wants
The first step in finding your ideal customer is to build a customer persona. This means making a list of all the information you are looking for in a customer. Details like age, interests, style, gender, behaviors, and goals will help you narrow down and really pinpoint who your customer is. For example, the ideal customer for my business is a young female between the ages of 21 and 35. She has a laid-back lifestyle and a love for coffee, stationery, summer days, and a hint of retro vibes.
You'll need to do research. Pay attention to where your ideal customers are already shopping if you're looking to sell products. What do these stores have that your customers are looking for? Or what don't they have that could make your product stand out?
For this step, I followed accounts on Instagram that I thought embodied my ideal customer. I paid attention to the clothes they were wearing, the places they visited, and what brands they were following or talking about. I took note of what I thought these businesses had in common and I incorporated it into my business.
Turning customer understanding into customer targeting
After doing research, you'll need to start curating your products with your ideal customer in mind. Incorporate their style and interests into your products.
When designing my own products, I choose colors and fonts that reflect a retro style. I keep colors bright and happy. And I created products that can be used alongside interests my ideal customer would seek out, like a tote bag for beach days or a coffee cup for their morning coffee.
Where to find your ideal customers and make the sale
Once you have your products, start selling where your customers already are. Older generations will likely be on Facebook, while younger generations can be found on Instagram and TikTok.
If you're using a platform like Instagram or TikTok, hashtags and trends will help get your posts onto your customers explore page and timeline. This is an easy way to help your customers find you. When I started selling my products, I was the same age as someone who would be my ideal customer so I had a good idea of where they could be found. I started with Instagram and used hashtags that related to my customers' style and interests like #beachstyle or #coffeerecipe.
Attract customers with beautiful imagery
Use imagery that will attract your customers to your products. Use colors and style that will grab your customers attention. For example, I keep my photos bright with warm tones and I take my product photos at the beach to give them a summer feeling. I share illustrations that reflect a retro style, and I post photos of my coffee and desk set up to relate to my customers.
Instantly uplevel your photos using Microsoft Create's image background remover. This handy tool lets you remove boring or cluttered backgrounds and replace them with clean, vibrant backgrounds that help your images pop.
Pro tip:
If you have similar interests and style as your own ideal customer, show up on social media! Share your day-to-day life, post photos of your style, share your favorite finds or recipes. This gives your customers the opportunity to connect with you on a personal level.
To give your social media posts that extra bit of pop, start with a professionally designed social media template from Microsoft Create and then edit the template to make it your own.
