Nailing down your dream customer is just as much about repelling people as it is about attracting people. That may sound harsh, but it really just comes down to understanding who you’re selling to. That’s why it’s important to create an avatar.

Your messaging needs to be crystal clear. This is probably the biggest moving piece in my company as I work to get into the mind of my dream customer… my avatar. Once I do that, I can speak to them better. You need to know what an avatar is, how to create one, and how to use that creation to connect to your customers. 

What is an Avatar?

In my Peak Business Academy, one of the first things I teach is narrowing down your niche. One of the best ways to do that is to create your own avatar. 

What is an avatar?

An avatar is your dream customer. It’s a fictional person who would buy your product. It’s the person you dream of helping. You want to get into the psychology of this person. What are their hopes and dreams? Your avatar is not everyone, it’s one specific kind of person. Creating your avatar will inadvertently repel those who will not buy from you, and will speak directly to those who will. 

The more you know about your avatar, the better you’ll be able to sell to them. You’ll think about them when considering which products to create, you’ll think about them when writing your sales and marketing copy to get them to buy that product, and you’ll think about them when you imagine the help you’re providing people with your product. They will be the driving force behind your own successful online business. 

How to Create One

Let me give you an example. Let’s say you love gardening, and you want to help someone learn how to garden. That’s a really wide net. Think smaller, more specific. Do you want to help the beginner, or someone who knows a little bit about gardening? Do you want to teach someone who can have a bed in their yard, or someone who lives in an apartment and can only have a window garden? Are you thinking veggie gardening or flowers? These are all questions that will be easier to answer once you know your avatar. 

Here’s how you create them.

Okay, imagine a person. The person you think would be in your niche. One big hint is that this person tends to look a lot like you, or like you did when you were first starting out in your niche. 

Write down their:

• Demographic
• Age 
• Income
• Gender
• Marital Status
• Industry
• Values
• Beliefs
• Lifestyle
• Hobbies
• Interests
• Anything else you can think to include

Some of these things may not seem to matter. Why does it matter if the person you’re creating who likes to garden is single? These are only designed to help you really get to know this make believe person. Don’t overthink it. The worst you’ll do is write down too much information that you may not need. 

Now, name them! Yes, give them a name. My first avatar’s name was Laura. I even went on Google images and found an image of a person who looked like how I imagine she’d look. You want to flesh this person out so well that you can imagine what they’d think. 

How to Use Them

Now you have an avatar. You know all about them. You’ve named them. Now, ask them some questions. These will help you understand them in order to create products for them and design messaging for them.

• Why do they worry, and what do they worry about?
• What sort of problems do they have?
• How do they reach their goals? What are their dreams?

Once you’ve had a deeper dive into your avatar’s life, you’ll get into their pain points, which will help you help them with your products. If you’re ever stuck on how your avatar would answer, think about how you’d answer. And it’s totally natural for your avatar to change over time! Trust me when I say creating an avatar will help you connect with your customers so that you can engage with your audience in a real and authentic way. 

Here’s how to use them.

Imagine them when you’re brainstorming products to create. Picture them when writing emails. Imagine them when writing your sales and marketing copy. Picture talking to them when you’re writing chapters, recording videos, or making images to help them. 

If you’re trying to figure out why people aren’t buying, think about your avatar. Why wouldn’t they buy your product? Money? Time? It doesn’t appeal to their interests? 

With the gardening example we’ve been working with, think about your avatar in terms of your product and how to sell it. You can write an eBook on starting an indoor herb garden for all kinds of people. But who are YOU writing that book for? College students? People who live in apartments in the city? Moms teaching their kids how to grow herbs indoors? Deciding on which of those avatars you’re selling to will GREATLY change how you create the product as well as how you market it. 

Your avatar will be an important piece of your online business in terms of understanding the products to create and how to sell them. It will help you connect with your customers by creating messaging that really speaks to them. Their hopes, dreams, and their struggles.

What will your avatar tell you?

You got this!

xo Natalie 

P.S. If you want to learn more about creating your own wildly successful online business, I have a FREE web class that is open for registration! Click HERE to reserve your spot before it fills up!