How to Define an Ideal Member
Developing and Using Ideal Customer Profiles to Create Deep Connection
Summary
People join associations because they want to be connected.
This isn’t only the reason, but it’s the most important one. They also join to make an impact, shape a profession, advance a career, or get their problems solved. All of these reasons create value that serve connection.
Most associations equate defining an ideal customer profile (ICP) with defining membership targets. They are not the same thing. An ICP focuses on our most important membership targets (typically at the organizational level), while membership targets tend to be broader and less strategic (casting a wide net).
Great associations thrive because they know who they serve. The opposite never works: catering to everyone with all-things-to-people offerings and an oatmeal-like mission. This results in either an overly broad, poorly understood, or not properly defined ideal customer profile.
This article will help clarify the key concepts and provide usable examples for associations to get it right. The product community is a product development learning community designed specifically for associations.
Why an Ideal Member Profile is Important
“Earn trust, earn trust, earn trust. Then you can worry about the rest.”
Seth Godin
I’ve written a lot about membership. Defining an ideal member complements these past articles:
Great Visions Attract Like a Magnet – Building a member empathy map
Defining Your Association Market – Market size and description
Identifying New Markets – Market opportunity navigator
What is Your Secret Sauce? – Creating a value proposition
An ideal customer profile (ICP) is a detailed description of an association’s most important customer or member (defined at the organizational-level). It encompasses various demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics that define the ideal fit for the association's products, services, or membership offerings.
There are varying definitions of an ideal member; I try to attract members with these six traits: mission and vision fit, growth mindset, positive multiplier, engaged value creator, able to purchase and ready to buy. Why? Because they are engaged and want to contribute meaningfully to a thriving community.
Unlike target customer, which is used to describe a member that might buy an offering, the ICP focuses on the most valuable members that are also most likely to buy. The ICP should also not be confused with the total addressable market (TAM) or serviceable available market (SAM), which are estimates of the universe of potential members. I covered these concepts in my article Defining Your Association Market.
The ICP is an association-wide effort that impacts our identity and marketing and engagement efforts. It aligns staff to the highest-value members, focuses us on repeatable ways to engage and convert prospective members, and drives target member list creation and segmentation.
Here's why ideal customer profiles are important:
Targeted Marketing – By defining an ideal customer profile, we can tailor our marketing efforts to reach the most relevant audience. This helps in maximizing the efficiency of marketing campaigns and resources.
Improved Member Acquisition and Retention – Understanding the characteristics of ideal members allows us to attract individuals who are more likely to engage with our offerings and remain active members over the long term.
Enhanced Product Development – With a clear understanding of our ideal customers, we can develop products, services, and benefits that are tailored to meet the specific needs and preferences of our target audience.
Better Member Experience – By catering to the needs and preferences of our ideal customers, we can provide a more personalized and satisfying experience, leading to increased member satisfaction and loyalty.
There is a difference between an ICP and a buyer persona. An ICP provides a comprehensive overview of the ideal customer for the entire association; a buyer persona adds depth and granularity by focusing on individual members within that broader profile. An ICP focuses on the organizations we target; a buyer persona refers to the members who buy from us. An ICP may, for instance, be a university, while a buyer’s persona would be the people who work there.
Now, let’s review the process for defining an ideal member profile.
How to Create an Ideal Member Profile
“Conversations form bonds between people. You gain insight into the way someone’s mind works; it is engaging and memorable.”
Kate Unsworth
Creating an ideal customer profile involves several key steps and considerations. It can be broken down into three main steps: (1) ground or unearth insights from key stakeholders and inform with data; (2) create or build and share the ICP through empathy and relationship building; and (3) execute or synthesize and align to the target audience by focusing on connection.
Here are is a checklist of elements to consider as you build your ICP:
Demographic Information – This includes basic demographic details such as age, gender, income level, education level, occupation, and geographic location. These factors help in understanding the basic characteristics of the target audience.
Psychographic Traits – Psychographic information delves into the attitudes, values, interests, lifestyles, and personalities of ideal customers. This helps in understanding motivations, preferences, and behaviors, which in turn informs marketing messaging and product development.
Challenges and Pain Points – Identifying the challenges, pain points, and needs of the ideal customer allows us to offer solutions and support that address these issues effectively. This could involve conducting surveys, interviews, or market research to gather insights directly from the target audience.
Goals and Aspirations – Understanding the goals, aspirations, and objectives of the ideal customer helps in aligning our offerings with their desired outcomes. This ensures that we provide value that resonates with the target audience and helps them achieve their objectives.
Communication Preferences – Knowing how the ideal customers prefer to communicate (e.g., email, social media, phone calls, in-person meetings) enables us to effectively engage with them.
Buying Behavior – Analyzing the purchasing behavior and decision-making process of ideal customers helps in optimizing sales and marketing strategies to influence buying decisions.
Creating an ideal member profile is a crucial step in ensuring that we effectively identify, attract, and serve the right people in the right ways.
Delivering Great Value to Your Ideal Member
“The purpose of a business is to create a customer who creates customers.”
Shiu Singh
Identifying an ideal member profile is a great first step. It helps us focus on, and empathize with, our most important member’s most important needs. From this, we can create an ecosystem of connection to help organically grow our membership.
People don’t want more stuff! They desire value – specific offerings, products, programming, or content – that brings belonging.
Ideal customer profiles help us identify the organizations where our members work. They are not isolated individuals; they are avatars for innovative associations to create deep and long-lasting communities. When we figure out how to do this well, we can create an agile association ready for growth.
Remember, product-led growth fuels connection. Join the product community and flip your destiny.
About the Author
James Young is founder and chief learning officer of theproduct community®. Jim is an engaging trainer and leading thinker in the worlds of associations, learning communities, and product development. Prior to starting the product community®, Jim served as Chief Learning Officer at both the American College of Chest Physicians and the Society of College and University Planning. Please contact me for a conversation: james@productcommunity.us