Why Create an Ideal Customer Profile?
We are working with a new client who offers fractional CFO services for small to mid-size businesses. Their average cost per click on Google Ads is around $45. At $45 every time someone clicks your ad, you want to be pretty sure you’re attracting the right people.
Google Ads can be one of the most expensive ways to get in front of a prospect. But it is also one of the few advertising channels where you can reach someone at the exact moment they are actively looking for a solution to a problem. The challenge is making sure you’re reaching the right person. That’s why we start with an Ideal Customer Profile.
Who Do You Really Want to Reach?
Before we start looking at keywords, we look at who we’re trying to reach and who is the best fit for the company. An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) goes well beyond demographics. We want to understand what is happening that caused the prospect to start looking.
- What are they frustrated with?
- What are they trying to accomplish?
- What are they worried might happen if they don’t solve the problem?
For our fractional CFO client, someone searching for “fractional CFO” isn’t enough.
A $1 million business struggling to keep its books organized may type the same search as a $5 million business growing rapidly and realizing that basic bookkeeping no longer gives the owner the information needed to make good decisions.
They use the same keyword but are a very different prospect.
Why Should That Prospect Choose You?
Once we understand the Ideal Customer Profile, we look at the company’s business differentiators. What do they do differently that actually matters to customers? Why do customers choose them instead of competitors? What do customers consistently praise them for? Some of the best answers come from customer reviews.
Then we look for the overlap between the two. What does our ideal customer care about that this business does particularly well? That’s where the strategy comes together.
Find the Overlap
One of our home services clients is a good example. They’re not the cheapest option in their market. But their ideal customer isn’t looking for the cheapest option. They value convenience and reliability over price.
Customers can book online, see the price of the service in advance, and choose a two-hour arrival window. Customers can also call 24/7. Plus; the company trains its technicians in safety and professionalism.
Those differentiators matter to someone who is willing to pay a little more to get great service on their terms. So we emphasize those factors. Instead of trying to convince every searcher to become a customer, we’re trying to attract the people most likely to appreciate what the company does differently.
Every Click Matters More
Years ago, when a Google Ads click might have cost $0.25 or $1.50, there was a lot more room for wasted clicks. When clicks cost $10, $20 or $45, there isn’t. That makes understanding your ideal customer increasingly important.
Your keywords determine who might see your ad. Your Ideal Customer Profile helps determine who you want to respond to it. And when every click costs $45, that’s a distinction worth making.
How clearly can you describe the person you want clicking on your ad?
Want Help Finding Your Ideal Customer?
If you are or someone you know is looking for better results from their Google Ads campaign, it makes sense to look at who they are really targeting. Factor Four offers a Lead Engine Audit to help you figure out the top 3 things you can do to improve your Google Ads results.
