In this industry, we’ve all heard the term ‘ideal client’. The concept is that of tailoring your business and marketing to attract that specific type of client you are looking to book. At first, this concept can sound a little snobby. Like you are only willing and wanting to work with a very specific type of person. But really this is arguably more for the benefit of the client than it is for you, the business owner. Allow me to explain.

We are all human and we are all different. We have different personalities, styles, values, etc. So naturally we are going ‘vibe’ and get along best with certain types of people. People with compatible personalities, styles and values. So it would make sense that we, as business owners, would be able to provide the best service to someone that we vibe well with, aka our ‘ideal client’. Not only will your personalities be compatible, allowing for a pleasurable experience, but when your sense of style is also similar, the product that you provide will also be in line with what they are looking for.

I would describe my ideal bride as joyful, family-oriented, elegant, bubbly with a sense of style that lends towards light neutral colors with a southern vibe. So not only will this bride and I get along great, our similar sense of style will ensure that I capture her wedding day and details in a way that is in line with that style.

So the next question is, how do you find that ideal client and get them to book you?? There are several intentional things you can do throughout your business to ensure that you are attracting that ideal client of yours! Here are 3 steps to help you towards booking that ideal client!

1. Identify who your ideal client is. This may seem like an obvious first step, but it’s an important one! Before you can tailor your business to attract your ideal client, you first have to know who they are! A good way to do this is to think of a specific person. It can be an actual past client, a friend, a celebrity- whoever! Just think of a specific person that totally embodies your ideal client. Got a person in mind? Ok, now proceed to step 2.

2. Virtually stalk that person. This may sound a little creepy, but it’s so valuable! Now that you have that specific person in mind, virtually stalk them. Where do they shop? What do the spend their free time doing? What social media platform do they primarily use? What brands are they drawn to? Answering these questions will allow you to tailor your business to attract this specific type of person. Now we can proceed to step 3!

3. Tailor your business to attract your ideal client. Now that we know all this information about your target audience, we can tailor your business to attract them! Here’s a few examples of how you can do that!

• Branding and website design. The aesthetic and style of your brand and website design is a very powerful way to grab the attention of your ideal client. By studying the brands and products that they like, we now know what type of aesthetic they are going to be attracted to. Here is an example of how that works for me. My ideal client is also likely going to be a fangirl for all things Magnolia and Fixer Upper. We are targeting the same audience that is design-minded, southern and drawn to light neutral colors. So when I got a new brand and website last year, this was one of the big brands that we looked to for inspiration. Here is a screenshot of the home page of Magnolia next to a screenshot of my home page. It’s easy to see how these two websites and brands would attract the same type of client. You can see the similarities in the use of negative space, clean lines, simple fonts, light neutral colors, etc.

• Social media. Not only should you make sure that you are using the social media platforms that your ideal client is using, you also want to be intentional about what you are posting so that you are attracting them! It’s getting harder and harder to grab the attention of people on social media these days, so it’s important that your content be captivating specifically to your ideal client! So that means posting things that they are going to be interested in seeing! For me that would be pictures of my home decor (attracts design-minded brides with a similar sense of style to mine), pictures of my dogs (attracts couples that are also dog lovers!), pictures from my personal life (attracts clients that are interested in having a personal connection with me).
• Let your voice and personality shine through! In order to attract people with a compatible personality to yours, you have to let your personality shine through online! That can be through the caption of an instagram post, posting videos on instagram stories, blogging, sharing images of yourself that reflect your personality, etc.

I know this post was a little wordy and long, but this is something that I can just go on and on about! I even have a whole section of my workshop dedicated to this topic! There are just so many ways that you can be tailoring your business to attract that ideal client, which is not only setting you up for success, but also ensuring that your clients are getting the best experience possible!

Here are some other posts that you may find helpful! 

4 Ways To Streamline Your Photography Workflow

5 Way to Make Your Online Presence Inquiry Friendly

DIY Styling Boards

7 Steps To Take Your Business Full Time

Is It Time For You To Rebrand?

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