Do you struggle to know what content to write or what products to create for your crochet business? Defining your ideal customer can help. Once you know who you’re selling to, you will be able to develop content and products that meet that customer’s needs and keep them coming back for more! And more than that, you’ll create a customer base that you love to work with.

Two women smiling and holding a piece of crochet fabric. Text reads: Identify and attract the ideal customer for your handmade business. Download free workbook.

The Secrets to Identifying Your Ideal Customer: Handmade Business Basics

Good morning. So as a handmade seller, identifying your target market, or more specifically, identifying your ideal customer is the number one key to growth, more growth, more effective marketing and more sales. So you might be like, “Why is that?” When you really nail down your ideal customer, that is when you start attracting people who want to spend money with your business. So we’re going to be talking about all of the details of that–how to find your ideal customer, and again, why that’s so important on today’s Crochet Business chat. So welcome to my channel. My name is Pam Grace. I’m the Crochetpreneur and I am on a mission to help 100,000 women find personal and financial freedom through crochet.

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Transcript: Easy Steps to Identifying Your Ideal Customer

[00:00:49] So you are in the right place if you are wanting to grow a profitable crochet business that lets you create a life that you love. If you’re looking for crochet business tips, encouragement, strategies, you’re in the right place. Go ahead and like this video and subscribe to the channel so you don’t miss anything. And be sure to hit that notification bell so that you’re notified anytime I upload something new or anytime I go live.

[00:01:18] Thanks for being here. It’s so great to have you on board. So we’re going to talk today, like I said about finding your ideal customer. So I’m going to quickly … Good morning. I’m just seeing who’s here this morning. Monica, and Marita, and Brooke. Hi, ladies. 

[00:01:41] Okay, so I’m going to pull up my slides. And we’re gonna walk through this really quickly. See if we can get this to work. There, it’s working. Like two minutes ago, I realized I had my slides in the wrong place. So here we go. All right. Easy steps to identifying your ideal customer. This is one of those things that really trips up small business owners, handmade sellers, thinking, “Why do I have to identify a single person? Isn’t that going to cut down on the possibility of my sales? And, b, that’s really hard and I don’t want to.” So let’s talk about the benefits and try and overcome those obstacles to why we might not want to do this.

Handmade Business Basics

[00:02:29] So first, this is a handmade business basic. This is a 101 handmade business type lesson. So basically, if you want to grow a profitable business, one of the first steps you need to take is to identify your ideal customer. Now, if you are not in CBA … If you are in CBA, you know that in module two, we walk through all of this information–deep, deep dive into this–your own psychology, the psychology of your customers, all of that. So if you’re in CBA this will just be a refresher for you. But if you’re not in CBA and you don’t have those resources, I did create a little workbook for you that you can grab down in the description below. Just click on the link and I will get that sent out to you.

Identifying Your Ideal Customer Avatar

[00:03:19] So identifying your ideal customer avatar is the key to growing a profitable handmade business. So often when we start a business, we think like this. “Here’s the world and here are all the customers and those are the people I want to sell to.” So when I create products, I say, “Would someone want to buy this? Yes. Okay. I’m going to put that product in my product line.” Or, “Is there a market for this product? Sure. I’ll put it in my product line.” 

[00:03:50] But the thing is that when we do that–when we try to sell all the things to all the people–we end up being invisible. We end up not standing out, not being remarkable, being forgettable. So when we try to sell to everyone, we end up selling to no one. You become invisible. You become white noise in the background of whatever’s going on. So as a handmade seller, this is really important.

[00:04:19] Perhaps out in the world, you might say, “Walmart does it,” or, “Target does it.” And that’s true but those are very large corporations. Those are not handmade individuals making beautiful art. So you’re an artist and artists need to attract a specific audience or else they’re not seen as artists, but rather crafters or homemade people. You want to be seen as an artisan. And in order to do that, we identify a target customer, an ideal customer, and then we market specifically to that person. So we’re going to get into that just a little bit. 

[00:05:05] Okay, so this is our goal. So in this big wide world, we’re looking for this person and this is the person we’re going to be speaking to. Every time we create content and any time we write copy, when we create graphics, even as we’re creating our brand itself, and especially when we’re creating products, we are looking at this person here. And we’re speaking to them. And we’re creating products for them. In this way, we create a highly sought after niche and we attract the people who are specifically looking for us. We don’t become white noise. We become the person out there in front who’s showing up and who’s attracting people.

Why Identify Your Ideal Customer?

[00:05:57] So you might say, “Why? Why are we going through all this trouble?” When you know your ideal customer you will be able to create products that will have her saying, “Take my money.” So you’ll be able to specifically say, “What are her pain points?” His or her, of course. I’m using “her” just because most of us have female customers, but not all. 

[00:06:20] Okay. So having her say, “Take my money.” You’re looking at her pain points. You’re creating products that she’s looking for. And in that way, she sees your marketing, your marketing strategy, your ad copy, or your social media copy. And it has her looking at your business and thinking, “Wow, she gets me,” or, “He gets me.” “She is for me. I need more of this. I need more of this person. I need more of these products.” 

[00:06:48] So again, you position your business in such a way that you become a magnet to this person, and as a result, everyone like her. So as we’re speaking to an individual person, we start attracting an entire group of people who fit into that same mold. So her friends, her colleagues, other women like her. There’s a huge Turkey walking out in my backyard. Sorry, I got distracted. 

[00:07:22] And then finally it helps you understand what type of content to post on social media to keep her coming back for more. So often, as we’re creating social media content, we’re like, “I can’t think of something new to say.” All you have to do is look at your ideal customer and say, “What would she like to hear from me today? How can I encourage her? How can I make her laugh? How can I speak to what’s going on with her?” It doesn’t have to be specifically about your business. It doesn’t have to be a sales post. It could be anything that attracts that ideal customer. And later on, you’ll sell to her.

[00:07:59] All right. Forgive me if you hear snoring. My husband is sick today so he’s still in bed. Okay, then so identifying and then attracting. So we have to take action on what we learned today. We’re going to identify our target customer and then we’re going to attract them. And that will change everything for your business.

Knowing Your Customer on a Deeper Level

[00:08:22] So again, here is your ideal customer. If you don’t know who you’re speaking to, you won’t know what to say or how to bring value to them. So let’s take a deeper look at who this person is. There we go. We just zoomed in on that little dot in the circle and here is who we found. There she is. And as an example of who this might be, her name is Sarah. She’s 45. She’s upper middle income, stay at home mom. She is active in her community. She values integrity, peace and family. She enjoys reading, scrapbooking and the odd night out with her girlfriends. And a night out means live music at a local coffee shop. 

[00:09:14] So as you’re developing your business, you’re looking at Sarah and saying, what does Sarah need to hear for me? She’s a stay at home mom. Maybe I can give her some tips on organization or managing the kids’ schedule. Or she’s active in her community. I’ll share how I’m active in my community and that will help attract her to me. And we share a lot of the same values. We share a lot of the same interests. So as you’re creating content, you’re speaking directly to her. 

[00:09:43] Or what if this is Sarah? Sarah is 25. She’s a middle-income entry-level professional. She has no kids but she loves her fur babies. She values fun, and love, and authenticity. She enjoys hiking, nature and helping out with environmental causes and the odd night out with her girlfriends. A night out means drinks and dancing at a local hotspot.

[00:10:10] So as you’re creating content to try and attract Sarah, you’re going to look at … She loves nature and hiking and environmental causes. So maybe she’s seeking an environmentally-friendly brand. So eco products, reusable products. She has fur babies. Maybe you could share things with your fur babies. So share pictures of your pets. Highlight your customers’ pets. This will start attracting this person. If you love nature and you love hiking, you can share pictures of you doing those things. And she’s going to be attracted to you saying, “Oh my gosh. She totally gets me.” 

[00:10:47] All right. Or perhaps Sarah is a higher-income upper-level professional. She’s got three kiddos and a hubby who stays at home with them. She values growth, and status, and social justice. She enjoys supporting local charities, watching her kids play sports, and like the others, an occasional night out with her girlfriends. But for her, a night out means a quiet conversation at a local wine and chocolate bar.

[00:11:17] So you can see that as you’re dialing in on your customer, there are a lot of factors that you can take into account to say, “What is her life like? How do I speak to her? What are the things that she enjoys? So in one case, Sarah the 45-year-old might not want to hear your political opinions. But I think Sarah at 35 probably does. So looking at, “What is going to attract my target customer and what might repel my target customer?” These kinds of things. As you deep dive into her lifestyle, her psyche, her loves, her hobbies, all of those things will help you create content that directly attracts this person and then create products. That meet the needs of her lifestyle. 

[00:12:08] So you might say, “I create home decor products.” Each of these Sarahs will enjoy a different type of home decor product. Or, “I create fashion accessories.” Each of these Sarahs would enjoy a different type of fashion accessory. They have different needs, different wants, different goals. This is how–just to help you understand–how understanding her will help you create products and content that will attract or repel different people. 

Who Do You Want To Sell To?

[00:12:43] So how and what you share, what you create, and where you find each of these women will be different. So it’s important to ask, “Who do you want to sell to?” So often I’ve been seeing in the maker community, people who are attracting people who they don’t like to work with. And oftentimes, that happens because you’re not paying attention to how you’re showing up in your business. You may be showing up in a way that attracts people that you don’t actually enjoy working with. So as you’re creating your ideal customer, it’s important to ask, “Who do I enjoy?” 

[00:13:25] So this is not … One mistake that makers make is as they’re developing their ideal customer, they think that there’s a “have to.” So she has to be this and she has to be that. And she creates this kind of obscure person, when in reality, you’ll want to create your ideal customer to be someone who you enjoy working with, someone who has enough money to buy what you’re selling, and someone who you can understand. And typically, “This person is going to be an awful lot like you. So it is okay to create your ideal customer in your own image but a little bit different. If she’s exactly like you, then she can make her own things. She doesn’t need you. If she’s exactly like you, she could create her own crochet business.

[00:14:19] So she’s different than you in that sense, that she isn’t a crochet designer or she doesn’t know how to crochet products. But she’s similar to you, perhaps, in that you liked the same fashion styles or you have the same lifestyles. And that’s okay. And if she’s not, if you still understand her though she’s not like you, that’s okay, too. And it’s also important to understand that this ideal customer avatar can grow and shift over time. As you grow in your business, so will your ideal customer. 

Defining Questions

[00:14:55] So here are some questions to ask. As you’re working out, “Who do I want to work with? Who do I want to create products for?” let’s take a look at these few things. Now again, that worksheet that I created for you deep dives into these much deeper. But here are a few things that you can look at: her age, her profession, her relationship status. Does she have children or no children? That’s of course going to impact her lifestyle. What are her hobbies and interests? 

[00:15:25] What are her values? Because you can use her values to help you create products for her–again, like we said, social justice, or eco-friendly, those kinds of things. If she values at most comfort, then you’re going to use comforting words in your copy to attract her. What’s her favorite social media? Where does she hang out on social media? Where are you gonna find her? Is she on Instagram? Is she on Facebook? Is she here on YouTube? Discover where she hangs out on social media so that you can find her and connect with her there. And what are her fears and worries? This will help you understand more of her pain points.

[00:16:05] What are her favorite stores? What are her favorite brands? Where does she shop? What does she buy? This will help you as you’re developing your own brand. Does she like high-end, classy, classic type stores? Then you’re going to need to create your branding to be similar to that. Or does she like folksy? Or does she like eco-friendly, natural? All of these things can speak to how you create your own branding. 

Naming your Customer Avatar

[00:16:34] And then finally, I would want you to give her a name. As you saw earlier, I gave this particular avatar the name, Sarah. She might have a different name to you–something that you connect with and that helps you understand who she is and how she operates better. So give her a name so that as you’re creating products and content, and you can ask yourself, “What would Sarah like?” Or as you’re creating copy, you could start in your head, “Dear Sarah,” and then write your copy. It will really help you to connect with her and create consistent copy–consistent messaging as you’re speaking to this one person.

[00:17:15] And again, that doesn’t mean you’re only selling to one person or one type of person. Anybody can buy from you. But by focusing in on this one person, you create a hyper-focused strategy for your marketing and your product line that is going to attract people and help them become loyal customers and followers of yours.

Writing your Avatar’s Story

[00:17:38] So the next thing I would have you do is write your avatar’s story. So I would say find a stock photo that represents him or her. Or if you know a person who fits the mold, you could maybe use one of their photos from Facebook. I would ask them before you did that. There’s a page in that worksheet that I created for you where you can write the story. And you can have the photo right there. And then you can print it out and keep it in front of you as you’re creating content for your business.

[00:18:07] And remember to allow your ideal customer to grow and change with you. Your business is going to grow and change over time and so is your ideal customer. So whatever you choose today is not set in stone. So it’s not one of those things that I want you to be so perfectionistic about that you don’t do this. It’s very important that you do this. And like I said, yes, it’s okay if she’s similar to you. We tend to attract people who are like us and who share our interests and values. So it would not be surprising if your ideal customer is very similar to you. 

Matching Your Messaging to Your Target Customer

[00:18:46] And finally, remember I talked about attracting people you don’t enjoy working with. If you recognize that you’re attracting customers that you don’t enjoy working with, it’s important to analyze why this might be and make some shifts in your messaging and strategies to attract more of your ideal customer and repel those whom you don’t want to work with. 

[00:19:06] I had this issue in my own business where I was attracting a particular type of person who is not the type of person I enjoy working with. I enjoy people who really care about growth, and mindset, and taking action. And I found that I was attracting people who were more helpless and powerless. And so that was becoming frustrating in my business. And so I just shifted my messaging a little bit, and I shifted my pricing, and started attracting more of the people that I enjoy working with. So you can look at that in your own business and say, “Why are these people attracted to me and what can I change?”

Ideal Customer Checklist: Get Your Free Workbook

[00:19:50] Finally, don’t forget to click that link in my description [or for your blog readers, the subscribe form below] to get on my list and I will send that workbook to you today, immediately. So it’s all set up. Go ahead and click that link and get your own workbook. And now I have to remember how to come back on the screen. There we go. So that was just a kind of primer of how to identify your ideal customer, but really taking those first steps of answering those questions and getting an idea of who you would like to work with.

Conclusion

[00:20:28] It’s that simple. Just answer the questions. You get to make it up. You get to create this person. So saying, “I don’t know this person.” That’s okay. You’re creating the person. It’s your ideal customer, your idea. That’s the lesson I have for you today. I so appreciate all of you.

[00:20:52] Oh, thank you, Busy. Yeah, I got my husband sick. And I’m so glad, Annette, that you’re here live. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments below and I will answer them as soon as possible. And if you’re on Facebook, leave them in the comments and I will pop over there later today to answer any questions that you have.

[00:21:13] This is the first in a series of handmade business basics. Next week, we’re going to talk about niching. And once that’s up, I’ll link it down below with this video as well so that you can grab both of these foundations. Okay. All right. Thank you so much for being here. I am having a busy day. I have to get things ready for the Crochet Business Summit that starts in five weeks. And so I’m going to be busy doing that today. So I wish you all a wonderful day. Thank you for coming to Crochet Business chat and I will see you next week. Bye, guys.

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