One of the hardest concepts for online marketers to grasp is how to alter their campaigns so that they speak to a specific type of person. However, narrowing the target market and creating an ideal customer profile (ICP) is one of the most important campaign creation steps. Learn what an ICP is, why you need one, and how to use it when managing a digital marketing campaign.
What is an ICP?
Your ICP is a description of your ideal client that highlights the way he/she thinks, feels, and makes buying decisions. It’s used by businesses to create targeted marketing campaigns that speak directly to people within a specific demographic or psychographic segment. For example, someone who is trying to create a rehab marketing campaign would tailor their ICP by pinpointing the main concerns for suffering addicts and their families and illustrating how their rehabilitation facility solves those problems.
ICP Considerations
The information you include in your company’s ICP depends on the type of product or services you’re selling and your campaign goals, but it’s important to note, your ICP shouldn’t rely heavily on demographics. Use a combination of demographics and psychographics to get a “complete picture” of who your customer is and why they buy by focusing including only the demographics important to your campaign and focusing heavily on the psychographics — the “why” instead of the “who.”
For example, it’s important for a real estate agent targeting potential home buyers to tailor their campaign for renters, but it doesn’t really matter if a customer is a homeowner or a renter if your company isn’t in the real estate or home improvement industry.
Psychographics include things such as your target market’s beliefs, values, mindset, buying habits, hobbies, and spending habits. They tell you why and when your customers buy your products, allowing you to present them with the right ad at the right time.
To create your company’s ICP, decide what demographics are important to you — the ones that matter the most to the campaign you’re creating. Then, compile a list of psychographic-related questions such as:
- What is your ideal customer concerned with right now — at the point they come into contact with your company?
- Where does your ideal customer hang out online?
- Does your ideal customer typically browse the internet at specific times of the day? If so, when?
- What does your ideal customer value the most?
- What is a typical day like for your ideal customer?
Combining a list of demographics and psychographics gives the insight you need to create a digital marketing campaign that speaks to your customer directly, making it easier to build a long-lasting relationship between your business and its customers.
How Do You Use an ICP?
Your company’s ICP should dictate your entire campaign. This means everything from the copy you write to the graphics you choose should appeal to people who fall within the guidelines you established when creating your ICP.
For example, if you are adapting a campaign so that it appeals to people of different cultures, you need to make sure the phrases you use translate well between the languages needed for your campaign. This means you might need multiple campaigns — one that makes sense in each language you’re targeting.
Companies fail to completely understand the importance of creating digital marketing campaigns specifically for different segments of their target market all the time. For example, in 1987, Braniff Airlines adapted a luxury travel campaign to target Spanish-speaking customers. Unfortunately, they translated their slogan, “Fly in Leather,” the translated phrase “vuelo en cuero” didn’t translate well on in their ads because the phrase was too similar to the Spanish phrase “vuelo en cueros,” which means “fly naked.” While this campaign didn’t have a major impact on the company, mistakes like this could alienate entire groups of people. So when you’re creating your own campaigns, create them to appeal to your ICP. Then, consider how the campaign will be perceived by different groups of people outside your ICP before you implement them.
Remember, an ICP isn’t magic. Creating one helps you focus your marketing campaigns, but you need to use the profile for it to work. When created and implemented correctly, your ICP should help you design digital marketing campaigns that increase your sales and customer retention rates.
