Customer profile template for small businesses
Build a profile of the customer you most want, then up to two more. Each one covers who they are, what they care about, what they're trying to get done and where they spend time. The check on the right tells you when a profile is still too broad to write an ad for.
Your audience profiles
Specific enough to picture, big enough to live on
A good profile passes two tests. You can picture a real person who fits it, and there are enough of those people to keep the business going. Most first drafts fail the first test. "Women 25 to 54 who like nice things" describes half the country and tells you nothing about what to say.
The payoff for narrowing down is copy that only works on the people you want. A jeans brand that goes after construction workers gets to write a line no general denim brand can use:
Nails are no longer the enemy of your denim.
That line would mean nothing to a college student. It stops a framer mid-scroll. Read the full post on defining your target customer.
Why the tool stops at three
A small team can't keep separate messages, ads and posts going for five audiences. If you find yourself needing a fourth profile, one of the first three is usually too loose. Tighten it before you add another.
Put your best customers in profile one. That's the group that gets your first ad dollar and the first draft of every email.
Where the profile goes next
The channels you pick here are where your touchpoints belong. Take them into the customer journey map and fill in what each profile sees at every stage. The shared value is the part most owners skip, and it is the one that makes a customer pick you over a cheaper option.