Why Ideal Client Avatars Don’t Work (And What to Do Instead)
What Is an Ideal Client Avatar? (And Why Everyone Tells You to Create One)
An ideal client avatar is often presented as a foundational step in marketing: define one fictional person and speak directly to them. On paper, it sounds helpful. In practice, it’s usually oversimplified, misunderstood, and treated as a rule instead of a tool. It’s also something you can easily obsess over because literally you are creating an entirely fictional person, everything from their likes and dislikes, to how much money they make to what they do on the weekends.
This marketing tool became the rule of thumb and everyone does it from huge corporations down to small businesses and startups. But I have always disliked this marketing approach since I was first introduced to it over a decade ago - it just seemed like a complete waste of time and if you are a service-based business, a therapist or a coach I can guarantee you it won’t help you market your business.
Why Ideal Client Avatars Don’t Work for Service-Based Businesses
For service-based businesses, especially those built on trust and relationships, ideal client avatars often create more friction than clarity. Real clients don’t fit neatly into demographic boxes, and trying to force them into one can dilute your message instead of strengthening it.
Your clients want to feel seen and heard when they land on your website or sales page. They want a real connection and they want to feel they can trust you. Ideal client avatars do not provide connection, in fact in my experience they do the opposite - they completely disconnect you from who you actually want to work with.
What to Do Instead of Creating an Ideal Client Avatar
If ideal client avatars aren’t the answer, what is? A more flexible, human-centered approach allows your messaging to evolve as your business grows - without constantly rewriting who you’re “allowed” to talk to or keeping you and your website in a box that truly limits your connection to the people you want to work with.
My process for connecting with your ideal client is a lot more fun, intuitive and rooted in connection and trust.
Step 1: How do you want your clients to feel when they land on your website or your social media?
This is one of the first questions I ask my clients when working on their website. This sets the tone for your branding, your website and your social media and its really important but it’s also flexible and part of a system for connection with the clients you want to work with. You can use simple one-word answers like “excited” or “safe”. You will probably have several feelings in the beginning of the process and that’s great. By the end of this process you will be super clear on your messaging, design and branding.
Step 2: Focus on Shared Values, Patterns, and Problems - Not Demographics
Aligned clients are rarely connected by surface-level traits. What actually draws people in are shared values, common challenges, and a sense of being understood - none of which can be captured by a fake demographic profile.
Think about what issues your clients come to you with. What are they struggling with? This is hugely important and often overlooked. This shows potential clients that you see them and hear them and you understand what they are struggling with. Use past clients to qualify this. What do they come to you with? What problems are they hoping to solve?
Next, define the goals you have helped them achieve. After working with you how do they begin to feel? What goals are they able to meet? What successes did they have as a result of your work together? Use client reviews to qualify this on your website and social media (this builds trust and shows that your copy is backed up by real people and real experiences).
Lastly, define your values. What do you value? Is it honesty and transparency? Is it providing your clients with the best possible service? Weave this into your copy and design. If you value transparency make sure your pricing is shown on your website so clients know what to expect going in. If it’s diversity make sure that’s clear in your copy and images.
Write for Lived Experience, Not a Fictional Profile
The most effective messaging comes from real conversations, real questions, and real moments of recognition. Writing from lived experience creates resonance in a way no worksheet ever could.
Building your copy around these key points gives you a way to connect with the people you want to work with and attracts your aligned clients. Once you have these written down design becomes easy. Blogging and social media posts land and make a real connection to the people you want to serve. Everything flows.
Step 3: Create an experience with your website - not a box
Now you can bring it all together! Go back to Step 1 and see if how you want your clients to feel when they land on your website, sales page or social media matches the copy you created from Step 2. Adjust as needed and design around that.
Choose colors that match how you want your clients to feel but also resonate with your values. If you want your website/social media to make people feel grounded and safe than choose earth tones. If you want them to feel light and free than choose light, pastel colors. (You can google color psychology to see what colors invoke what feelings but a lot of this is purely intuitive and your colors should feel like you while still resonating with your audience).
Choose images that align with your clients’ goals (not their pain points.) It’s really important that your imagery supports the goal not the pain as this can create triggers for clients rather than making them feel seen and understood.
Lastly, create your website so it flows intuitively for folks and is easy to navigate. If it feels overwhelming or confusing to you then it probably does to people landing on your website as well.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need an ideal client Avatar to Build a Sustainable Business
You don’t need a perfectly defined avatar to build trust, attract aligned clients, or grow a meaningful business. What you need is clarity about your work, your values, and the problems you’re here to help solve. It’s really that simple!
If this article made you rethink how you talk about your work, your website might need the same care. Your site should feel human, clear, and aligned — not like it’s trying to appeal to a made-up person.
I design custom websites for therapists and service-based businesses who want their online presence to feel as real and thoughtful as the work they do.