When I first decided to turn my crochet hobby into a business, I read a lot about target audiences and ideal customers. People would say, “know your target audience” and while I understood the overall concept, I couldn’t quite figure out how to narrow it down to the specific person who would buy my product.

That being said, I have had some real-world experiences, and I have a better understanding of this concept that I would like to share with you today. You may have read my other post about selling at craft fairs, which is where some of this real-world experience came from. I got out there and got my feet wet, so to speak, and I have learned a lot.

idea customer and target audience — ideal customer and target audience

What is a target audience?

Google defines a target audience as “a particular group at which a film, book, advertising campaign, etc., is aimed.” I like the book reference is in this definition. Colleen Hoover is a popular author right now. She wrote the book the new movie “It ends with us” is based on. If you consider marketing this book, elementary aged children would not be your “target audience.” You would likely market this book adult females. Granted this is a very broad example, hopefully it starts to paint an overall picture for you.

You will also notice that an audience is a “group of people.” I mention that because next we will talk about narrowing that down to a person. The audience portion of this is helpful when choosing an event to participate in. I will use my own experiences here. Most of the “events” I do is to set up at my local farmers market as an “arts and crafts” vendor. Think about the people that get up early and go to the farmer’s market. What are they shopping for? If your immediate thought is fruit and/or vegetables, you would be correct. Generally speaking, they aren’t there looking for “arts and crafts.”

The farmer’s market is NOT my target audience.

Now, that doesn’t mean I can’t make money setting up there. If I didn’t make money, I wouldn’t keep doing it. What that does mean is that MOST of the people there aren’t looking for what I am selling. They might however decide they need it once they see it.

what is an Ideal customer profile (icp)?

Google defines an ideal customer profile, or icp, as a “detailed, data-driven description of the type of company or customer that would be most valuable to your business.” This is where you drill down to the specific details about your customer, not the overall audience. The customer details get you to the person who sees your booth at the farmer’s market and decides they do need your item.

Are they male or female?
Are they young or old?
Are they rich or poor?
What are their interests?
Are they single or married?
Do they have kids?
These are just some examples of the type of details you may consider depending on the product you are selling.

Let’s keep with my farmer’s market scene here. You are manning your booth at the farmer’s market. You are watching the people as they near your table. You see a 65-year-old man walking in your direction. Is he the person who will stop and browse, or is he the person who will keep walking without stopping?

What about a 23-year-old female? Does she stop or keep walking. This is how you are figuring out the details of your “ideal customer.”

Which do I need?

You need both. The target audience will tell you the type of event you might want to choose based on the overall demographic of who will attend while the ideal customer profile will help you design your booth in a way that attracts that special person who is looking for what you are selling!

I want to reiterate that even if it isn’t your target audience doesn’t mean you SHOULDN’T do an event. It just means you should go in knowing that MOST of the audience aren’t shopping at your booth. My farmer’s market costs me $10 per day. I have set up 4 days for about 4 hours each this month and I have made $181.54. I consider that to be worth my time. You may not consider that worth your time, so that is why it is important to understand target audience as well as the ideal customer profile!