When you’re putting something new out into the world. If you try to make it for “everyone”. Then the wisdom is, it’s for “no one”.
While I agree with this.
That you need to narrow your efforts, marketing, messaging, who you write for.
That the common advice is to create your customer avatar.
Create a person that you can then “speak to”.
That’s all well and good.
The problem is that in the early days of a project. You don’t have enough data. What people, businesses, sectors, headaches can you solve?
You might not know all this information. That you must rely on plucking it out of thin air.
And that is as bad as targeting “everyone”
Figure Out Their Hopes, Dreams and Fears
I recently had an idea for a new business.
After years of trying out a lot of digital products. I’m dipping my toes into service-based business ideas. One is the form of an automation agency.
I’d seen a new “Ideal Customer Avatar” worksheet and thought it would be useful to go through it.
The initial parts that I needed to fill out where straight forward. To nail down the demographics of the person, the people I’d like to start working with.
Documenting things like name, gender, age, background isn’t the difficult part.
It’s inside of the persons mind that is the difficult bit.
Goals, Aspirations and Fears
The worksheet I was going through started asking questions to go deeper. Into the mind of my ideal customer.
“What are their top 3-5 values, frustrations, wants, fears, aspirations”
I was able to answer the values and frustrations sections.
That’s because my avatar has a lot of similar traits to me. Or it’s the sorts of people that I want to work with. The types of folks that I would enjoy spending time with if nothing else.
It was the wants, fears and aspirations sections that had me stumped.
I didn’t want to write any old thing down.
And I could have listed out my own hopes and dreams. But that didn’t sit right with me.
I can also hear people shouting. “Go and ask those certain people”. Well, that’s all well and good. But what if you don’t like cold outreach to start with when pitching for business.
“Can I pick your brains?” Doesn’t seem to work.
What if you’re that early in the game you are struggling to even find your ideal customer?
Documenting The Unknown
Another question on the worksheet was:
“Is there anything your avatar is thinking but not saying?”
As well as a few other questions along this vein.
And I thought this was an impossible question to answer.
If they are thinking about something. But aren’t saying it. How are you meant to find this out.
Even if you manage to arrange a call with someone who is someone you’d want to work with.
Why would they tell you this, more so if it’s personal?
How do you go about filling in the answers?
Asking “AI”
I delayed doing this.
Because I knew what would happen.
I plugged in the data I’d already got together. And asked ChatGPT to fill in the 3 sections I was struggling with.
The response was “meh” at best.
A lot of the answers was the AI model regurgitating what I’d already given it. Outputting the inputs, written in a different way.
One or two answers seemed to be OK.
But again, how do I know that it’s valid, that it’s right?
That the people I want to work with have these thoughts?
It feels too woolly and made up.
Is the data that AI gives you worse than leaving an answer blank? The model is trying to answer your question regardless. What if that no answer at this point is better than having any answer?
My gut tells me that AI will know far less than you will.
Even if you haven’t even got a customer yet.
Does This Block You From Even Starting
One of the biggest issues this could cause. Is to stop you from taking action.
“I’m not going to post today; I don’t know their fears”.
“That landing page can wait as I don’t know what headline to write”
“I’m not starting the how to videos because I don’t know who to tailor it to”.
The list goes on.
It’s difficult. On one hand you want to start putting stuff out to the world and start figuring it out. On the other you don’t want to random do stuff that won’t work.
There is a phrase I love, “Progress > perfection”
That the only surefire way that something won’t work. Is to never take any action
That post won’t go viral. This blog won’t get views. If they are sat in a file on your computer somewhere. Waiting to make it “perfect”. Of course you won’t get any results.
“Take the shot”
Because you never know.
Start Creating Content For That Person
It’s all well and good me telling you to start.
But how?
What does that look like?
For one of my projects, I had this same issue. First, I didn’t know who to target. Once I did have a slight inkling of who that could be. I felt like an imposter, why would they listen to me. I do into more detail in this article.
Don’t let this stop you.
There’s a great course, by a gentleman call Justin Welsh. And it’s called the LinkedIn OS.
Now I’m not saying you turn to LinkedIn.
What Justin introduces in this course is the concept of a content matrix.
Here’s what mine looks like for my automation agency business.
Along the top. You have different style of content, or posts to create. Down the side is different topics related to your ideal customer. Or at least related to your project or type of business you are in.
Asking “AI” Part Deux
If you are struggling with what topics to enter. This is where AI can help.
Before, when it regurgitated what we’d given it. Asking it to find this sort of information. To help you come up with say 50 topics. It can help you no end.
I used AI to help fill out my content matrix.
I’d managed to list about 20 different topics. But I wanted to get to around 50. It took a few attempts. But ChatGPT helped me get the matrix finished.
So now, even though I may not know my ideal customer. At least I can address topics that are of interest to them.
No More Blank Screen
Now, what I try and do it to fill in the matrix.
Yes, it’s easier said than done.
But going back to the LinkedIn example. When I’m promoting my automation agency. I tend to schedule a week’s worth of posts in one go.
I open this matrix. Start seeing which sorts of post I can write. By combining a style of post and a topic.
Inspiration will hit you at random.
And yes, it’s still difficult, but now, in theory you’ve got a year’s worth of post ideas to start with.
If you have created a basic customer avatar. Try and write as if you’re sat in a coffee shop with that person, talking to them directly.
Start Listening
This is another tip from Justin Welsh and his LinkedIn OS.
We don’t know how to fill out our ideal customer avatar.
But a way to counter this is to create content, as we’ve discussed. Then start listening for problems.
Even if we never manage to list out the psychographics for our avatar. If we know what problems they encounter. Start creating content that addresses these problems.
Well, you never know.
This could be enough to start moving forward with a project.
As I said earlier in the article. Progress is greater than perfection.
Conclusion: You Ideal Customer Avatar
A lot of the time. The biggest reason we aren’t moving forward is we haven’t got “all” the information.
And that if we target “everyone” with a project that will work. It won’t.
We need to niche down.
A good way to do this is to create an ideal customer avatar.
The problem is it’s impossible to complete this in the early days of a project.
So, what’s the answer?
It’s to create a content matrix. Start getting the project out to the world with this content.
Then starting listening out for problem from people who are an ideal customer.
Then repeat.
Act -> Assess -> Adjust.
Don’t let the “unknowns” stop you.
