This second article in our rebranding series covers the creation of an ideal client avatar as we examine what is involved in rebranding a business start-to-finish. We are focusing on our own rebrand from to help you learn the how, what, and why behind branding so that you can create your own wow-worthy brand.
The first installment of this branding series covered our rebranding strategy including:
- The reasons behind our decision to rebrand
- Our brand purpose
- Our brand promise
- Our brand positioning
Rebranding Strategy
We are giving you a rare behind-the-scenes look at our rebranding strategy to help you with your own branding journey. In this second installment of our branding series, we are looking at the evolution of our ideal client avatar. Understanding what goes into the creation of an ideal client avatar will hopefully spark some ideas and inspiration for your own rebranding journey.
What is an Ideal Client Avatar?
An ideal client avatar (aka ideal client) is a made-up persona who represents our ideal client for marketing purposes.
The purpose of the ideal client avatar is to identify current and potential clients who will benefit from your services based on their needs and desires, as well as to market to this group in a way that resonates with them and who they are.
Identify Your Ideal Client Avatar Characteristics When Rebranding
The first step to creating your ideal client avatar is to list everything that makes your ideal client unique. Getting as specific as possible will help you tailor your marketing efforts to attract your ideal client. visualizing who you work best with. You don’t want to attract anybody – that’s a lot of people to market to – you want to fill your calendar with clients you love. So get specific.
Remember – an ideal client avatar is not about niching your practice. An ideal client avatar is about creating a highly-focused marketing strategy for the best results.
Complete The Ideal Client Avatar Worksheet Before Rebranding
To help you identify your ideal client avatar for your private practice, we created the Ideal Client Avatar Worksheet that you can download here for FREE to help you identify this magical branding tool.
This worksheet will help you drill down on the following characteristics of your ideal client avatar:
- Demographic data
- Goals and values
- Where they get their information
- Their most pressing concerns and pain points
- How they might object to using your services
- Whether they are the decision-maker in hiring you
Review Your Ideal Client Avatar’s Values
Here are some examples of how we might define the values for our ideal client:
- My ideal client is committed to making healthy lifestyle choices
- My ideal client is committed to enhancing her professional expertise
- My ideal client is committed to supporting local businesses
- My ideal client is more likely to purchase goods or services from practitioners with advanced certifications or training.
Your Ideal Client Avatar Will Shape Your Rebranding Materials
You will now create laser-focused content tailored to attract your ideal client avatar. Use your ideal client avatar to tell a story that shares their values and personality traits when planning your marketing efforts.
If we want your ideal clients to recognize themselves in your brand identity, then all of your content from website copy to social media posts must be true to your unique ideal client avatar.
The Evolution of Our Ideal Client Avatar When Rebranding
Now that you have a better understanding of what an ideal client avatar is and why you need one, let’s take a look at the evolution of our ideal client avatar during our rebrand.
Our Original Ideal Client Avatar
Following is a snapshot of our previous ideal client avatar:
Goals and Values of our Ideal Client Avatar
- To build a thriving therapy practice
- To look more professional through effective branding and website design
- To create an improved work/life balance
- To have a positive impact on their community
- To get off insurance panels and have a full-time private pay practice
- To learn how to develop additional passive streams of income
- To grow into a group practice
- To transition successfully from in-person to online during Covid
- To learn how to write better website copy and marketing content
- To sign up for a done-for-you blogging service to drive more website traffic
- Trusts other therapists
- Wants their online presence to reflect their level of expertise
Information Sources of our Ideal Client Avatar
- Professional Facebook groups
Challenges and Pain Points of our Ideal Client Avatar
- Unsure how to market themselves
- Needs a better website
- Limited time and energy
- Lower income clientele
- Not making enough money
- Having a 2nd job or working in an agency to supplement their practice
Objections and Role of our Ideal Client Avatar
- Concerned about the investment cost
- Worried that the design process will be overwhelming, confusing, or take too long
- Had a bad experience with past designer
- Is the decision-maker in the sales process
Demographic Data of our Ideal Client Avatar
- Licensed therapists
- Ages 35-55
- Been in practice 0-5 years
- Not very comfortable with technology
- Located in USA
After creating our ideal client avatar, all of our marketing materials were then cultivated to resonate with that persona.
Our previous tagline:
Growing Your Online Presence By a Therapist for Therapists
Our previous marketing message:
Present Your Practice Like the Pro That You Are
Our new Ideal Client Avatar During Rebranding
While many aspects of our ideal client avatar have remained the same, let’s take a look at our revised avatar:
Goals and Values of our Ideal Client Avatar
- To build a thriving private practice
- Wants their online presence to reflect their level of expertise
- To create an improved work/life balance
- To have a positive impact on their community
- To learn how to develop additional passive streams of income
- To learn how to write better website copy and marketing content
- To outsource tedious time-intensive business tasks
- Sees the value in investing to grow their business
- Has the budget required to receive a marketing masterplan to grow a thriving practice
- Trusts the experience of highly-skilled branding and marketing specialists
Information Sources of our Ideal Client Avatar
- Members of business-building FB Groups pertinent to their specialty
- Reads magazines specific to their professional associations
- Attends professional conferences
Challenges and Pain Points of our Ideal Client Avatar
- Unsure how to market themselves
- Feels confused/overwhelmed and knows they need branding/marketing assistance
- Needs a better website
- Limited time and energy
- Not making enough money
Objections and Role of our Ideal Client Avatar
- Worried that the design process will be overwhelming, confusing, or take too long
- Had a bad experience with past designer
- Is the decision-maker in the sales process
Demographic Data of our Ideal Client Avatar
- Owners of private practices
- Education: Advanced degrees and licensure
- Ages 35-55
- Has an established practice 2-10 years
- Not very comfortable with technology
- Located in USA
After revising our ideal client avatar, our new marketing materials were then cultivated to resonate with that persona.
Our new tagline:
Create a marketing machine that attracts your ideal clients while you sleep.
Our new marketing message:
We care about helping private practices thrive so that more consumers can benefit from your services and feel supported in our society.
What Creates a Successful Brand?
Learn the five key steps that your brand needs to have in place to create a successful brand identity.
Next Up In Our Rebranding Series
Can you see the differences in our ideal client avatars and how they influence our marketing strategies in different ways? In case you missed it, grab our Ideal Client Avatar Worksheet to help you identify your ideal client avatar for your private practice.
Stay tuned next week for an in depth look at our brand identity creation including our logo redesign, color palette and font selection… plus the new logo we almost went with but ditched last minute. Be sure to tune check it out here so you can apply the same process to your own branding journey.
If you want a branding or marketing strategy that will connect, get you noticed, and make your ideal clients choose you over your competitors, contact us. We have helped hundreds of private practices just like yours nail their branding and marketing, book more clients, and build more income.
Let’s grow your (re)brand and get you noticed.
