CONTENTS
04 06 08 What is a Customer Profile?
Example Profile
10 Customer Persona Insights
Contents | Knowing and Understanding Your Customer
Build Your Customer Profile
S
tarting your own business is an exciting journey, but to succeed, it's essential to understand your customers. Without this knowledge, you risk creating a product or service that doesn't meet their needs. This workbook will help you build a customer profile and guide you through understanding your ideal customers. By completing this, you'll: Identify the key characteristics, values, and behaviours of your ideal customers. Understand your customers’ needs, motivations, and what drives their purchasing decisions. Reflect on what might stop customers from buying from you and potential barriers to sales. Discover how to connect with your customers by understanding what motivates them, what encourages them to buy, and what may deter them from purchasing from you. Let’s dive in!
WHAT IS A CUSTOMER PROFILE?
A
customer profile is a fictional representation of your ideal customer, helping you clearly understand and communicate to your target audience.
You may have more than one type of customer, and that's perfectly fine! For this exercise, focus on one customer type. You can then create profiles for your other key customers. You’ll build a detailed customer persona by focusing on three key areas that will give you a clearer picture of who your ideal customer is and how to connect with them. Key Characteristics and Demographics: This helps you understand the basic facts about your customer: Age. Gender. Occupation. Income. Location. Who they live with. Psychographic Information: Here, you'll explore what makes your customer tick, including their interests, values and lifestyle. You'll want to detail: Interests and hobbies Preferred communication channels, e.g. Instagram / newsletters / leaflets. Other brands they regularly engage with. What do they value: Emotional values. Practical values. What do they most value about your business?
04 | Knowing and Understanding Your Customer
Behavioural Information: This digs into your customer’s needs and motivations. What problems are they trying to solve? What drives them to make a purchase? You’ll also consider any barriers that might prevent them from buying, and what adjustments you could make to better meet their needs. These are just some of the questions you'll answer in this section of a customer profile, along with: What problems does your customer face, or what desires do they have that your business could address? Practical needs. Emotional needs. What motivates your customers to make a purchase? Triggers for purchase. Influences on decision-making. What would make your customers more compelled to buy from you over others? Key differentiators. What could deter customers from buying from you? Practical barriers. Emotional barriers. From your customers’ perspective, what do they wish was different about your business? Wishlist. Potential adjustments. On the next page, we've prepared an example customer profile for a local coffee shop. The sample information could help guide your thoughts when creating your own.
mycareer.bathspa.ac.uk | 05
EXAMPLE PROFILE 🪪 💻 🏠 ⚽ 📱
KEY CHARACTERISTICS AND DEMOGRAPHICS
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Name: Omar Occupation: Graphic Design Intern
Age: 23
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Gender: Male
Income: £25,000 per year
Where do they live and who with? Bristol with three housemates.
PSYCHOGRAPHIC INFORMATION Interests and hobbies:
Art, DJ nights (he performs at), good quality flat white, professional development (mentoring, short courses).
YouTube and podcasts for learning, Instagram and Preferred communication TikTok for sharing. channels:
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Boston Tea Party, Cassia Collective. Other brands they like: Emotional: Appearing stylish, being in the know about new trends, what others think of them, creativity, individualism, seeming like an individual.
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What do they value?
Practical: Efficiency, welcoming staff.
About your business: Quick service, cool coffee art, nice vibe, quiet space to work, artwork.
06 | Knowing and Understanding Your Customer
BEHAVIOURAL INFORMATION Practical: A space to work, a place to get good coffee.
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What problems do your customers face, or what desires do they have Emotional: Somewhere they can bring their mentor that your business could and freelance clients that feels cool yet professional, address? feeling like they belong, sharing what they're doing on social media. Triggers for purchase: Needs a place to work or hold meetings, take-away when travelling.
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What motivates your customers to make a purchase?
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What would make your customers more compelled to buy from you over others?
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Influences on decision-making: Opening times, how the space will be perceived by others, feeling welcome and that they can stay and work, loyalty schemes. Key differentiators: Loyalty scheme, advertise it as a place for remote working, open early at 8am, evening social events. Practical: Noisy, too busy, rude staff, can't afford to come here regularly.
What could deter customers from buying from you?
Emotional:
Wishlist: Separate space for remote workers, bookable meeting rooms, discount offers / all day offers.
From your customers' perspective, what do they wish was different about Potential adjustments: Run a 'work from here in the morning' offer: three hours working, two coffees, and your business? early lunch for £20.
mycareer.bathspa.ac.uk | 07
BUILD YOUR CUSTOMER PROFILE KEY CHARACTERISTICS AND DEMOGRAPHICS
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Occupation:
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Interests and hobbies:
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Name:
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Income:
Where do they live and who with?
PSYCHOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
Preferred communication channels:
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Age:
Other brands they like:
What do they value?
08 | Knowing and Understanding Your Customer
Gender:
BEHAVIOURAL INFORMATION
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What problems do your customers face, or what desires do they have that your business could address?
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What motivates your customers to make a purchase?
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What would make your customers more compelled to buy from you over others?
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What could deter customers from buying from you?
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From your customers' perspective, what do they wish was different about your business?
mycareer.bathspa.ac.uk | 09
CUSTOMER PERSONA INSIGHTS What have been your top three insights from doing your customer persona? 1)
2)
3)
What communication strategies would work best for your customer?
What adjustments might you make to your business or approach to better suit your customer?
10 | Knowing and Understanding Your Customer
CUSTOMER PROFILE SUMMARY AND NOTES
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FURTHER SUPPORT
KEEP IN TOUCH
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12 | Knowing and Understanding Your Customer
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