Ideal Client Profile: The Beginner’s Guide

Have you heard of Ideal Client Profile? Not sure why to create one? Here you can find the answers.

You have probably heard the term Ideal Client Profile being frequently used in B2C discourse but, unfortunately, it’s often overlooked when the discussion comes to the B2B industry.

In Demand Gen Report 2021, it was discovered that when it comes to B2B marketing, the top two challenges are 1) understanding buyers’ changing needs and business requirements and 2) engaging buyers at the right time through the right channel. To conquer these challenges, it is necessary to have a clear vision of what client you are working with. It is the foundation that establishes the success of future work.

Creating an ICP is a small step that doesn’t take too much time and effort. It can significantly improve all processes in the company, starting from content creation to sales performance.

What is ICP?

In the article, HubSpot describes ICP as a focused sales strategy that tells you which potential clients are actually good prospects — and which ones aren’t. In the B2B industry, the client becomes a company that could gain maximum value from the products or services you provide, and in return would offer significant value to your business.

Essential points to consider when developing your ICP:

• Industry
• Size
• Location
• Budget
• Pain points
• Decision-makers
• Business goals

Look at this list as a starting point for building your ICP, a living document rather than a final manuscript. Depending on the industry, you should add more characteristics relevant to your company and the area of your expertise.

Dangers of not knowing your ICP:

• Lack of personalization

Personalization is what helps to build your clients’ loyalty and establish long-lasting relationships. When companies don’t know who their ideal client is, they put themselves in danger of bringing the wrong ice cream to the wrong audience.

The Conversica 2020 Sales Effectiveness Benchmark Report data shows that although many companies tried to give a more human-like touch to their content, the majority still made minimal attempts to personalize their responses.

• Difficulty with content creation

Content creation does not only help companies increase their visibility in the market. It has a more complex function. However, when you don’t know your client well, how do you know what content would work for them? What culture does your client come from? What language tone is appropriate for your specific client? What channels do they use to gather information? The list is long! Content creation matters only when the clients’ needs and preferences are taken into account.

• Poor segmentation

The rule “quality over quantity” is still a thing, and proper segmentation is a must when establishing that quality.There are so many great companies to work with and it’s easy to forget that all of them have different needs that need to be taken into account. Even if you work with a few companies within one industry, proper segmentation helps to find a personal approach to each company considering all their differences.

• Poor Keyword Research

Doing the keyword search without knowledge about your ideal client is nothing but a shot in the dark. The keywords are the messengers between what people are searching for and the content you provide. Thus, they are a vital part of SEO and determine how much traffic you will get on your website.

• Ineffective Sales Performance

Poor sales performance is a result of various factors but not having a clear definition of your ICP is often the root of the issue. According to Forbes, “marketing spend is potentially wasted on acquiring leads that should be disqualified, and customer success cannot spend needed time servicing clients who have a higher chance to expand, renew or become referenceable.” Creating ICP will save the time and effort of everyone on the team, for it directly or indirectly influences all the sales processes.

Undoubtedly, those issues will occur sooner or later. The question is, how prepared are you to face them?

Learn more about ICP and how to create one on our website.