How to Understand, Define and Choose Your Ideal Client - February Roundup

Patrick McFadden

Our theme for the month of February at Indispensable Marketing was “Ideal Client Discovery.”


Goodness knows there’s a lot of ground to cover when it comes to understanding, defining, and choosing your ideal client for a small business. You know what I say, Who Before What! A great deal about marketing has changed over the last few years, but one vital element has not changed. That’s the need to understand, define and choose your ideal customer.

It’s only in the understanding, defining and choosing of an narrowly defined ideal customer that allows you to build your entire marketing: message, website, tradeshow plan, new service offerings, public relations campaign, intake process, marketing materials, referral program and support around reaching, attracting, retaining and serving this ideal customer group.

Every day, 98% of the people responsible for the marketing strategy of organizations end up implementing tactics that FAIL for one simple reason: trying to be “all things to all people.” So, how do you focus your resources (time, money, attention and energy) on prospects that you’re best suited to serve?

These posts aim to help you, your team, and your marketing service providers better understand everything that goes into understanding, defining, and choosing your ideal client.


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How to Understand Your Ideal Client Posts


4 Essential Questions For Understanding Your Ideal Customer

Every day, 98% of the people responsible for the marketing strategy of organizations end up implementing tactics that FAIL for one simple reason: these tactics do not appeal to their ideal customer.


Why You Must Focus on Ideal Clients

Recently I had a phone call with the managing partner of a 10 yr well-positioned and growing professional service firm that has been heavily impacted by the COVID-19.


Truly Understanding Your Ideal Customer: Home Service Contractors

In order for a home service contractor to be competitive in today’s home services environment, business owners and managing partners must build their strategy around a core understanding of their ideal homeowner. This article will detail the home service buyer’s journey from prospect to customer and beyond.


Do You Know Who Your Ideal Client Is?

3 Questions to Discover Your Perfect Ideal Customer - The past few weeks I’ve been out in the Richmond area talking, presenting and meeting with small business owners about identifying their ideal clients.


Are You Targeting The Right Customers?

Often I talk about not chasing the wrong customers, and the ideal client profile. What does that mean? A lot of times in a small #business, the phone rings and, the client asks “Can you do this?”, we often say, “sure” because we’re happy to get out there and help somebody.


Trying to Chase All Types of Customers Leads to Attracting The Wrong Kind of Customer

Just because someone might have the budget and need for what you sell doesn’t mean they are the right fit for your business. Trying to chase all types of customers leads to attracting the wrong kind of customer.


How to Define Your Ideal Client Posts

4 Steps to Discover Who and What Makes an Ideal Client for Your Business

The first part of any effective marketing plan is to really identify who and what makes an ideal client for your business. A lot of confusion comes into play on this topic because owners and CEOs of small businesses think target market and ideal client are the same. They are not. Ideal clients are a market segment of your target market.


How Do You Identify Your Ideal Client?

Recently I’ve been out in the local area talking, presenting and meeting with small business owners on “how do you identify your ideal clients?” It seems like a simple topic and question — who needs, wants and values your services? How hard could it be to think about? Yet, in my conversations, most small business owners underestimate the time and effort it takes to identify their ideal client


The Process for Finding Your Business’s Ideal Client

Have you ever thought of working with a select group of clients? Many businesses offer a wide range of products or services to a wide range of people or companies but struggle to narrow their market focus. Instead of targeting a broad population, get good at serving narrowly defined market segments.


How to Define Your Ideal Customer in 4 Questions

In any marketing conversation (or one that you hope to be effective) it’s common to hear that you must know your target market. What bothers me most about this simple target market approach is that it still allows small businesses to chase anyone who has a business card.


Tips For Discovering Your Ideal Client

I’d like to talk to you about the steps involved in developing a strategy for your marketing. It starts with defining your ideal client.


4 Effective and Proven Steps to Discover Ideal Clients

The first part of any effective marketing plan is to really identify who and what makes an ideal client for your business. You can’t pass go or try to implement marketing tactics until you really nail this idea of an ideal client.


7 Requirements of a Good Paying Client

Think about prospecting as a prequalification process🤔 I consult owners and CEOs of small businesses on the idea that ideal customers have


How to Choose Your Ideal Client Posts

Right Client Choosing You vs. You Choosing The Right Client — Small Business Marketing

Most owners and CEOs of small businesses believe that getting loyal clients is about the right clients choosing you.

But I have realized over time that creating loyal clients is mostly about you choosing the right client.


Small Business Guide to Identify, Narrow, and Choose Your Ideal Customer or Client

The strategic elements of marketing haven’t changed. Knowing your ideal client is still everything when it comes to marketing! When I speak on having a strategy for your marketing to a group of CEOs and business owners I’ll often ask them to identify the characteristics of their ideal clients, and what I often hear is “people with money.”


You Get The Ideal Clients You Create

This Instagram post is for all of you who want “better” ideal clients. I want to remind all of you that when you better understand what makes a great client in the first place, you’re more equipped to create them.


Knowing Who To Look For Is Your Real Secret

This mindset more than anything else is what I preach to small business owners. Unfortunately most do this in reverse. When it comes to ideal clients, all marketing activities need to be aimed as narrow as possible for that target client.


To Be Successful You Must Do This

So many of the business owners and CEOs I meet want to know how to generate more revenue through client acquisition - attracting new clients. But the secret to getting new clients is to take hope out of the equation to a large extent by understanding how to choose your customers.


If You Ever Find a Client With These Three Traits - Never Let Them Go

Getting clients can seem like the hardest work an owner or CEO can do. Getting the right clients, well that can feel like scaling a wall. In my experience, the idea of working solely with ideal clients takes a bit of a mind shift. First you have to believe it’s possible – then you have to believe you deserve it.


Choose Your Clients Not The Other Way Around

That's the real secret to marketing! Understanding, narrowing and choosing clients that value what you bring to the table, respect your staff, pays on time and enjoys a partnership over a transaction.


Customer Loyal Is About Choosing The Right Clients

I know the headline of this graphic might raise some eyebrows, but it’s true – most businesses have the exact clients they’ve chosen. And that's the real secret to customer loyalty!⠀⠀


Contact Your Marketing Consultant at Indispensable Marketing

If you’re a small service based business that needs help with understanding, defining, and choosing your ideal client for your business or your business’s online presence on Google and other search engines, at Indispensable Marketing we can help. We offer marketing strategy consulting, marketing audits, monthly marketing packages, consultations, exploratory calls or monthly local SEO services. Contact us for more information.

Big News: Google LSA Ads Update Opens New Opportunities for Remodeling Contractor Marketing

By Patrick McFadden • January 13, 2025
Discover how Google’s LSA update impacts kitchen & bathroom remodeling marketing. Learn SEO tips to attract leads and boost visibility in Richmond VA & beyond.

The Future of Marketing and Selling May Not Be To Humans But AI Agents

By Patrick McFadden • January 9, 2025
For years, the focus of marketing and sales has been to appeal directly to human customers—to connect emotionally, build trust, and ultimately close the deal. But the rules are changing, and small businesses need to be aware of a massive shift on the horizon: the rise of AI agents as decision-makers. At first, this may sound like science fiction. After all, aren’t people the ones making purchases? But the reality is that artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming the gatekeeper for consumer and business decisions. Understanding this shift is critical for small businesses, as it offers both challenges and opportunities. Let’s dive into what’s happening, why it’s happening, and how your small business can prepare. What Are AI Agents? AI agents are advanced technologies designed to handle complex tasks for consumers. They don’t just provide recommendations—they make decisions. Think of an AI agent as a virtual assistant that interprets your needs, evaluates options, and executes the best solution on your behalf. Here’s a simple example: You might tell your AI assistant, “Find me a hotel near Central Park for two nights within a $1,000 budget.” In response, your AI: Searches available hotels. Compares prices, reviews, and amenities. Books the best option without you needing to lift a finger. For the consumer, it’s all about convenience. For businesses, however, it changes the game: your target audience is no longer just the human buyer—it’s the AI agent. Why Is This Happening? Convenience for Consumers Consumers want faster, easier, and more reliable decision-making. With so much information available, the process of comparing options can be overwhelming. AI agents streamline this process by narrowing down choices and delivering results that align with the consumer's preferences. AI’s Superior Decision-Making AI can process far more data than a human ever could. It evaluates everything from price and reviews to proximity and availability, all in seconds. This allows it to make decisions that are more informed and objective. Consumer Trust in AI As AI becomes more sophisticated, people are increasingly comfortable delegating decisions to their virtual assistants. Trust is shifting from brands directly to the AI agents that curate and recommend those brands. Simple Examples of AI in Action Small businesses are already seeing AI at work in various industries. Here are a few scenarios to illustrate what’s happening: Travel and Hospitality A traveler asks their AI assistant to book a flight and hotel for a weekend getaway. The AI evaluates options, finds the best deals, and books everything. The business that optimizes its data for AI discovery wins the booking. Retail A customer needs a pair of running shoes. Their AI searches for shoes with great reviews, the right size, and quick delivery. It bypasses generic search results and goes straight to businesses with clear, accessible product data. Healthcare A health app uses AI to evaluate symptoms and recommend over-the-counter solutions. Pharmacies with optimized digital listings and relevant information are prioritized by the AI. Home Services A homeowner asks their AI, “Find me a plumber near me with 5-star reviews who can come today.” The AI scans local listings and books the business with the most reliable and visible online presence. What This Means for Small Businesses The shift to AI-driven decision-making has huge implications for small businesses. Here’s what you need to know: 1. Your Audience is Changing You’re no longer marketing solely to human buyers—you’re marketing to the AI agents making decisions on their behalf. These agents prioritize structured data, transparent pricing, and measurable value over emotional branding. 2. Local SEO Becomes More Critical AI agents rely heavily on local search data. If your business isn’t optimized for local SEO —clear location details, accurate business hours, and positive reviews—you’ll be invisible to AI. Need help with your local SEO? Get in Touch. 3. Quality Data Wins AI thrives on structured, high-quality data. If your service descriptions, product descriptions, pricing, and availability aren’t clear and accessible, AI will skip over your business in favor of competitors who have optimized their data. Check out this article so AI doesn't skip over your business. "5 Must Have Elements of Service Area Pages" 4. Proximity Matters For many services, AI prioritizes businesses that are physically closer to the consumer. This is especially true for industries like home services, healthcare, and retail. Small businesses can capitalize on this by focusing on hyper-local SEO strategies. 4a. For Service Area Businesses, Precision is Key For service area businesses (SABs)—those that don't operate from a fixed location but serve customers within specific geographic regions—AI's prioritization mechanisms work differently compared to location-based businesses like retail stores or offices. Instead of prioritizing physical proximity alone, AI evaluates the clarity and accuracy of your defined service area. This is especially critical for industries like commercial cleaning, plumbing, pest control, HVAC, or mobile health services. Learn more about - 5 Steps: Local SEO for Service Area Businesses AI agents rely on several key factors, including: Accurate and detailed information about your service area. Keywords that highlight your services and locations. Social proof, such as reviews, ratings, and testimonials. Content that directly connects to your service area, like localized blog posts or FAQs. The accuracy and consistency of your listings on platforms like Google Business Profile. Quick response times to inquiries. A well-optimized website with clear navigation and mobile responsiveness. Integration of AI-friendly tools like chatbots to provide instant information to users and demonstrate efficiency. An active presence on local social media channels to further enhance visibility and engagement within your service area. By optimizing these elements, service area businesses can enhance their visibility and ensure AI agents prioritize them for local searches. 5. The Playing Field is Leveling While it may seem daunting, this shift levels the playing field for small businesses. Unlike traditional advertising, where big budgets dominated, AI prioritizes data quality and relevance—areas where small businesses can shine. How to Prepare Your Service Based Business for an AI-Driven World Here’s how you can start positioning your business to succeed in an AI-driven world: 1. Optimize for Local Search This step is even more critical for service-based businesses, especially those operating in specific geographic areas (like commercial cleaning, plumbers, HVAC companies, and remodel services). Focus on hyper-local SEO by including business districts, neighborhoods, zip codes, and cities you serve in your website content and Google Business Profile. Add a "service areas" page to your website to clarify where you operate. Encourage reviews that mention specific services and locations to boost credibility in local searches. Use geo-targeted keywords like “emergency cleaning services in Dallas” or “24-hour plumbing in Brooklyn.” 2. Provide High-Quality Data For service-based businesses, this means being very clear about what you offer and where : Use structured data to outline services , pricing estimates, and FAQs. Include service-specific keywords in descriptions, such as "drain cleaning" or "roof repair." Add before-and-after photos , case studies, or examples of completed projects to help AI and potential customers understand your expertise. Create mobile-friendly booking forms for easy service requests. 3. Focus on Trust and Transparency Service-based businesses rely heavily on customer trust because most services are provided on-site or involve direct customer interaction. Highlight safety measures , certifications, and background-checked employees to build confidence. Share detailed testimonials or video case studies that walk through successful projects. Be transparent about response times , pricing structures, and warranties for services. Add "Meet the Team" pages to introduce key staff or technicians, humanizing your business and building rapport. 4. Target AI-Specific Needs AI-driven search is increasingly intent-based , meaning it focuses on what customers are looking to achieve (e.g., “find a reliable roofer near me”). Service-based businesses can target this effectively by: Optimizing for voice search (e.g., "Who fixes water heaters in Austin?"). Using conversational language and FAQs that match natural language queries. Structuring content to answer specific questions like "How much does roof repair cost?" or "How long does an AC repair take?" 5. Embrace AI Tools Service-based businesses can benefit greatly from AI to improve operational efficiency: Use AI-powered scheduling tools to let customers book appointments automatically. Implement chatbots to handle inquiries about availability, pricing, and service areas. Leverage AI analytics to predict seasonal demand spike s (e.g., higher calls for HVAC repairs in summer). Adopt AI-enabled CRMs to track customer preferences and improve follow-up communication. The Opportunity Ahead While the rise of AI agents might seem like a challenge, it’s also a massive opportunity for small businesses. By optimizing your digital presence, focusing on transparency, and understanding how AI evaluates options, you can position your business to thrive in this new era. Remember: AI agents aren’t just replacing human decision-making—they’re enhancing it. By meeting AI on its terms, you’re not just staying relevant—you’re setting yourself up to win in the future of business. So, take a look at your business today. Is your data accessible? Is your local SEO in place? Are you ready to meet the needs of AI agents? The future is coming fast, and the time to prepare is now. Need Help? My marketing firm, Indispensable Marketing, provides a step-by-step strategy and implementation process tailored for service-based businesses with revenues between $750,000 and $7 million. We help optimize local SEO, craft trust-building content, and create scalable marketing processes that deliver measurable results . From foundational setup to growth-focused tactics and amplification strategies, our approach ensures clarity, confidence, and long-term success in your marketing efforts. Get in Touch

The Missing Ingredient for Small Business Marketing in 2025: Leadership, Not Tactics

By Patrick McFadden • January 9, 2025
As we approach 2025, the changes in the business landscape are going to be significant, and many companies are already feeling the pinch. If you’re one of those business owners who’s noticing a decline in leads or a drop in website traffic, you’re not alone. Something is happening in the market, and businesses are beginning to see the winners and losers emerge.  But here's the critical thing : the reason many businesses fall behind is not because they lack tactics—it’s because they lack marketing leadership. Why Marketing Leadership Matters I’ve worked with many small businesses over the years, and one thing is crystal clear: most marketing failures stem from a lack of leadership. It’s easy to get caught up in the latest marketing tactics or rush into hiring a marketing agency, but without a clear leadership strategy guiding your efforts, you’re just throwing darts at the wall. Your marketing activities might be disconnected, ineffective, and lack the cohesion that makes them truly impactful. Marketing leadership is the key to taking a business from spinning its wheels to driving real, measurable growth. Whether you have internal marketing hires, work with an agency, or manage things yourself, someone needs to own the strategy and ensure marketing activities aligns with the company’s overall growth goals. This is what I call the missing ingredient in many businesses—marketing leadership. The Three Pillars of Marketing Leadership Strategy Thinking First: It’s not just about tactics; it’s about understanding where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. This means developing a clear marketing strategy that aligns with your brand’s core identity, including who you are promising to help (ideal customers) , what problems you are promising solve for them, and how your images, metaphors, colors, words, look and feel, dress, attitude, networks, consistency represents its promises. Once the strategy is defined, you’ll know exactly where to invest your resources and which marketing channels will move the needle. Fixing the Foundations: Before you get fancy with campaigns, you need to fix the fundamentals. This means ensuring your website is a trust-building workhorse , your messaging is aligned with your ideal customer’s needs , and your content is educational and building credibility . When you have a strong foundation, every marketing effort you put forth will be more effective. Building a Repeatable Process: A solid marketing process isn’t just about running ads or posting on social media; it’s about creating a machine that works long term. This process needs to generate consistent leads, build your brand, and retain customers. A marketing leader will help you build this process, ensuring it’s repeatable, scalable, and aligned with your business’s growth objectives. Marketing Leadership as a Service: The Future of Small Business Marketing What I’m seeing—and what I believe is the future—is that agencies need to step up and offer something beyond just execution. Instead of acting as subcontractors who only perform tasks, they need to take on the role of general contractors overseeing and managing the entire marketing process. Marketing leadership as a service is about providing that strategic oversight and ensuring everything aligns with the business’s long-term goals. Think of it this way: AI may be taking over certain tactical tasks, but it’s not going to provide leadership. That human touch—the ability to analyze, strategize, and lead—is what will differentiate the winners from the losers in the coming years. Businesses will need marketing support who can step in, assess the situation, create a roadmap, and then help execute that vision. The First Step: Are You Ready? In 2025, marketing leadership will be the key to success for small businesses. It’s not about doing more; it’s about doing the right things in the right order. If you haven’t embraced marketing leadership yet, now’s the time to make that shift and set your business up for long-term success. Final Thoughts It’s easy to get distracted by the shiny new marketing tactic of the week, but without a clear strategy and leadership in place, it’s hard to see real, lasting results. This year, make it a priority to focus on marketing leadership as the core of your growth strategy. The businesses that do this will be the ones that rise above the competition in 2025 and beyond.
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