Ideal customer versus target market
It doesn't matter if you are just starting your very first lashing business or are you already a seasoned lash artist with your lash studio, having mapped your target market and ideal customer profiles is a must.
Don't mix these terms up and map out both of them, separately.
- A target market is the specific group of people you want to reach with your marketing message. (More general).
- An ideal customer profile is a hypothetical description of the type of person that would get significant value from your services, and provide considerable value to your business in return. (Very specific).
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Define your lash studio's target market
Start with your target market, which is much broader and general than ideal customer profile, but still accurate enough to create a definite group of people with shared interests and possibilities.
Answer the following questions:
- Are your target customers men or women?
- Age group: You don't need to get too specific here. But knowing which decade of life your customers are in, or their generation can be beneficial.
- Location: Where do your customers live/work?
- Stage of life: Are your customers likely to be single? Married or living with a partner? Students? Parents? Retirees?
- Income and priorities: Are they money-savers? High-enders?
How you begin to communicate your marketing message depends on to whom you target your services. Identify early on who your target market and ideal customers are. The more clearly you define your target group, the better you can understand how and where to reach your best clients.
Knowing your target market and ideal customer, you can plan your marketing and even services and pricing according to the type of customers you wish to attract. And most importantly - you will be able to direct your messages and efforts straight to the people you want to reach, filtering out everyone else: this way, you save money and your valuable time.
Create your ideal customer's profile
By analyzing an ideal customer, you need to answer several questions very precisely. Think of your best customers to date - people who are happy to pay for your services and thank you sincerely every time they get their lash extensions done by you. Who are they? What are their names? Would you like all your customers to be like them?
If you are still in the early stages of offering your lash services and have not yet had that many customers, think of some of the people you know or know whom you want to be your customer; or create fictitious ideal customer profiles.
Here are some questions to help you identify your ideal customer profile:
- How old that person?
- Where does she live (country, city)?
- Marital status?
- Does she have children and, if so, how old?
- Where does she work?
- How much does she earn a year?
- Where is she shopping?
- What is her style?
- How do her friends describe her?
- What does she do in her spare time?
- What books does he read?
- What kind of music does she like?
- What's her favorite TV show?
- Who inspires her?
- What are her biggest fears?
- What does she want to achieve?
- Why does she want your services?
- What is it she wants to benefit by having lash extensions placed?
These questions help you to plan the right pricing of your services, also the look and feel of your lash studio, even it's location.
The answers will decide the look of your website and the voice that you use when posting on social media and replying to the e-mails from your (potential) customers.
When mapping out your ideal customer, be as precise as possible. Give that person a name, age, profession. Ideally, create up to three-four different ideal customer profiles.
An ideal customer example:
Tina is a 29-year-old woman with an exciting job in an art gallery, living with her husband and two children in London, England.
Her workplace always requires proper clothing, which is classically formal. Tina is a practical woman who carefully combines work and after work, picking up kids from school and regularly spends time in a park with them before going home. She's practical in her outfits, but she always wants to be unique in her jewelry - feminine, elegant, and reserved, with distinctive features.
Since quality is the priority to Tina, and the brand name is second to none, she is always on the hunt for personalized accessories, being open to smaller designers.
Her time is money and family. So she prefers to get her beauty-related procedures done in an easily accessible location. The atmosphere of the studio has to be profoundly relaxing and visually pleasing.
As we can see here, Tina is an ideal customer for higher-end studios. She pays for both lashes and relaxing experience at the same time. She will not fall for marketing that is targeted for people who do not mind to get their lashes done in a busy shopping mall environment. For that kind of customer, you would need an entirely different type of marketing approach, starting with a very different ideal customer profile.
Now pick up a pen and a notebook and start mapping your target market and ideal customer profiles. Take your time and have fun with the process. All in all - you deserve to have the very best customers who love and appreciate your work!
Learn more about lash extension industry here:
How To Create A Good Website For Your Lash Business
Share These Secrets With Your Lash Clients
5 Tips To Get You Started As A Lash Artist
Will the Eyelash Extension Market Continue to Grow?
Be inspired by lash studios around the world on our Pinterest page: Lash Studios.
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