Ever dealt with a customer who just couldn’t be satisfied, no matter what? We’ve all been there.
But what if I told you there’s a way to attract only the customers who truly love your product or service—those who keep coming back and referring others?
Sounds too good to be true right?
Well, with an ICP, it’s all possible.
In this mini-masterclass, you will learn how to identify and create your ICP for your business. By the end of this, you will be able to:
- Define what an ICP is and why you need one.
- Identify your ICP using data and research.
- Create your ICP using a template.
- Use your ICP to improve your marketing strategy.
Are you ready to create your dream customer with an ICP? Let’s get started…
What is an ICP and Why You Need One:
An ICP, or Ideal Customer Profile, is a detailed description of your dream customer. It includes their characteristics, behaviours, needs, goals, pain points, and preferences.
Creating an ICP can help you:
- Focus your marketing on the customers who are most valuable and loyal to your business.
- Save time, money, and headaches by avoiding customers who aren’t a good fit for your business.
- Increase customer satisfaction, retention, and referrals by delivering offers that match their expectations.
- Stand out from competitors by offering a unique value proposition that your customers will truly love.
You might be wondering, how is an ICP different from a buyer persona, or a target market? Well, let me explain…
A buyer persona is a fictional representation of your customer based on their personality, interests, hobbies, values, etc.
A target market is a broad segment of your customer based on their common needs, problems, or goals.
Now, an ICP is a specific and detailed representation of your customer based on their characteristics, behaviour, needs, goals, challenges, and preferences.
As you’ll see, an ICP is more specific, detailed, and focused than the others. It helps you identify and communicate with your ideal customers, and create a marketing strategy that attracts and converts them.
How to Identify your ICP using Data and Research:
To identify your ICP, you need to do some research on your current customers. You can use a few methods to collect information, such as:
SURVEYS:
Use online tools to create and send surveys to your customers. You can also offer incentives or rewards for completing surveys, such as discounts or freebies.
INTERVIEWS:
Use Zoom to have recorded interviews with your customers and ask them more in-depth and open-ended questions about their experience.
ANALYTICS:
Use online tools like Google Analytics to track and measure your customers’ online behaviour. You can also use tools like Hotjar to visualise your customers’ behaviour.
CRM:
Tap into your CRM to store and manage your customers’ data. You can also use tools to communicate and engage with your customers through email.
Once you have collected enough data, you need to look for common patterns among your best customers. You can use spreadsheets to organise and filter your data and create groups based on criteria such as:
- Industry: What industry or sector do your customers belong to?
- Size: How big or small are your customers’ businesses?
- Location: Where are your customers located geographically?
- Role: What role or position do your customers have in their businesses?
- Budget: How much money do your customers have or are willing to spend?
- Pain points: What problems or challenges do your customers face?
- Motivations: What goals or outcomes do your customers want to achieve?
- Decision-making process: How do your customers find, evaluate, and choose your service?
Now, it’s your turn. Collect and analyse your own data using these methods.
You can use the worksheet that I have provided for you to record your data and findings.
If you haven’t got it yet, join my mailing list & I’ll send it across to you.
How to create your ICP
Now for the fun part. To create your ICP, you need to use a template or a document that summarises the key characteristics of your ideal customer profile.
Your ICP should include the following elements:
- Attribute: A specific characteristic of your ideal customer.
- Description: A brief and clear description of the attribute.
- Value Proposition: A statement that explains how your product solves your ICP’s problem.
Here is an example of an ICP for a hypothetical SaaS company that provides email marketing software:
INDUSTRY:
E-commerce, retail, or online services.
SIZE:
Small to medium-sized businesses with 10-100 employees.
LOCATION:
United Kingdom
ROLE:
Marketing Manager, Digital Marketer, or E-commerce Manager
BUDGET:
£500 – £5,000 per month
PAIN POINTS:
Low email open rates, high unsubscribe rates, poor email design, lack of personalisation, or limited analytics.
MOTIVATIONS:
Increase email engagement, conversions, and revenue, improve email quality and performance, or save time and resources.
DECISION-MAKING PROCESS:
Research online reviews, compare features and pricing, request a free trial or demo, or consult with peers or influencers.
VALUE PROPOSITION:
Our email marketing software helps you create beautiful, personalised, and effective email campaigns that boost your sales and customer loyalty.
With our easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, advanced segmentation and automation features, and comprehensive analytics and reporting tools, you can take your email marketing to the next level.
Try it for free for 14 days and see the difference for yourself!
Now, it’s time to create your ICP using the template and examples above!
If you want me to build you a winning marketing strategy, book a free call with me today!
