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When I ask business owners who their ideal clients are, I usually get one of two answers. Either a long pause and an awkward laugh, or something like “oh, anyone who needs what we do.”
No. That’s not how this works.
Your marketing strategy should always start with your ideal clients, not your products or services, your services, or whatever you’re trying to sell this month. Because marketing isn’t about what you want to say, it’s about what your ideal clients need to hear.
If you skip that step, everything else, your pricing, your promotions, your website, even how you deliver your service, ends up based on assumptions. And assumptions don’t lead to consistent results.
Why your ideal clients come first
Most business owners build their marketing backwards. They start with what they offer, then try to find people to buy it. But when you start with your ideal clients instead, your marketing becomes relevant.
You stop trying to please everyone and start focusing on the people who genuinely value what you do. These are the people who:
- see your worth and are happy to pay for it
- tell others about you because they trust you
- stick around because they feel understood
Once you know who they are, you can start making better decisions, not just about what to say, but how your whole business shows up.
This is also where your marketing strategy starts to take shape. In Marketing is more than promotion, I talked about how marketing covers every part of your business, your product, price, people, process, and more. Your ideal clients influence all of that.
If you understand who they are, you’ll know what they value and what they’ll happily pay for. You’ll know which products or services they actually want and where they expect to find them. You’ll even know what type of experience they’re looking for when they deal with you.
When you don’t know those things, you make decisions based on what you like. And that’s where businesses go wrong. Marketing that works isn’t about what you like; it’s about what your ideal clients respond to.
So before you touch another social post, website update, or ad campaign, pause and ask: who am I really talking to?
How your ideal clients shape your strategy
Knowing your ideal clients isn’t just about writing better posts. It affects every part of your marketing mix.
If you understand your clients deeply enough, you’ll:
- Refine your product so it actually solves their problems, not what you think their problems are
- Price with confidence, because you know the value they see in what you offer
- Show up in the right places, where your ideal clients are already spending time and paying attention
- Hire and train people who can deliver the kind of experience those clients expect
- Design processes that make it easy for them to work with you
- Build social proof that speaks directly to what they care about
When those pieces are aligned, your marketing starts to feel effortless. Because you’re not trying to force connection, you’re creating it.
And here’s where things get interesting. When you build your marketing strategy around your ideal clients, decisions become clearer. Not just marketing ones, but business ones.
You’ll start saying no to opportunities that don’t fit. You’ll recognise when a client isn’t actually ideal. You’ll stop wasting time creating offers that don’t match what your best clients want.
For example, you might realise your clients care more about reliability than speed. Or that they’d rather pay more for quality service than chase the cheapest option. That insight changes everything. From how you describe your services, to how you price them, to how you onboard clients.
When your strategy is client-first, your marketing naturally becomes more authentic and effective. You’re no longer trying to convince people to buy. You’re showing them that you already understand them.
What happens when you don’t start with your clients
I’ve had plenty of conversations with business owners who come to me saying “we just need more social media content.” But once we look at what’s really happening, the problem isn’t the promotion. It’s that their marketing doesn’t reflect the clients they want to attract.
For example, they might be talking about price when their ideal clients actually care about time. Or pushing discounts when their clients value quality and trust. Those mismatches are what make marketing feel hit and miss.
When you stop guessing and start listening, really listening, everything changes.
You start to hear the language your clients use. The things they worry about. The questions they ask before they buy. And you can use that information to shape how your marketing sounds, where it appears, and how it converts.
This is also how you future-proof your marketing. The more you understand your ideal clients, the more you can adapt when things shift, whether that’s technology, buying habits, or how people make decisions. Because you’re not following trends; you’re following your clients.
How to start making your marketing client-first
If you’re not sure where to start, here’s what I recommend.
- Look at your best clients. The ones who love what you do, pay their bills, and refer others. What do they have in common?
- Ask questions. Why did they choose you? What problem were they trying to solve? What almost stopped them from buying?
- Check your current marketing. Does it speak their language? Are your products, services, and processes built around what matters to them?
This doesn’t need to be complicated. You don’t need a 20-page persona document. You just need to know enough about your ideal clients to make confident decisions that serve them, not everyone else.
And remember, this isn’t something you do once. Your ideal clients can evolve as your business grows or as the market shifts. Checking in with them regularly helps you keep your marketing grounded in what’s real, not what was true two years ago.
Sometimes I’ll ask clients to describe their favourite customer, the one they wish they could clone. That one story usually tells me more about who they should be targeting than any data report could.
Why this matters more than ever
AI, automation, and algorithms are changing how people buy, but not why they buy. People still want to feel understood, seen, and supported. That won’t change.
If your marketing focuses on products, you’ll always be competing on features and price. If it focuses on your ideal clients, you’ll compete on relevance and connection. And that’s what builds loyalty and longevity.
I touched on this in Marketing is more than promotion, but it’s worth repeating. Marketing that connects with real people is what cuts through, not louder ads, or trendier videos, or bigger budgets. The businesses that win are the ones that truly understand their ideal clients and keep building around them.
As AI keeps reshaping how people search, shop, and make decisions, your human understanding of your clients becomes your biggest advantage. Algorithms can predict behaviour, but they can’t replace genuine connection.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start building a marketing strategy that’s actually centred on your ideal clients, that’s where I come in.
I work with business owners to uncover who their ideal clients really are, how to reach them, and how to make marketing feel easier because it finally makes sense. If that sounds like what your business needs, get in touch and let’s make your marketing work for the people it’s meant to.
Common questions about building a client-first marketing strategy
Why should my marketing strategy start with my ideal clients?
Because your ideal clients shape every part of your marketing, from what you offer and how you price it, to where and how you promote it. When you start with them, your marketing becomes more relevant and effective.
How can I identify my ideal clients?
Look at your best existing clients, the ones who value your work, pay on time, and refer others. What do they have in common? Their needs, motivations, and expectations will guide your strategy.
How do ideal clients fit into the seven Ps of marketing?
Your ideal clients influence all seven Ps: product, price, place, people, process, physical evidence, and promotion. Knowing them helps you align your whole marketing mix for stronger results.
