Finding Your Ideal Customers: How to Market Your Work to the Right Audience

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Do you ever feel like you’re posting and promoting your work, but no one’s really paying attention? Like you’re shouting into the void, hoping someone will buy what you’re making? Today, we’re changing that.

Today we’re looking at how to find your ideal customers. Who are they? Where do they shop? Why do they buy? And why will they buy things from you?

You might be wondering why it’s important to know who your ideal customer is. I studied Business in college, with a concentration in Marketing, and I have to admit that I find marketing both fascinating and at times a bit gross. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being manipulated or sold to so that someone else can make tons of money. Right? I think for a lot of artists, sometimes the marketing piece can feel a bit yucky. If this is you, try reframing it in this way: You want to sell what you’ve created. This enables you to pay your bills, to live the life you want, and to keep creating. Your ideal customer is looking for cool things to buy. They are excited to support you. It makes them happy to have unique works of art in their home. That transaction leaves them feeling good and inspired and fulfilled. So part of your job as the working artist is to find these people.

For me, the key to marketing in a way that feels in alignment with my values, is creating genuine connections with people. My goal is to connect, help them feel seen, and solve a problem for them. And I can’t do this if I don’t know who I’m trying to connect with.

Knowing who your product is for and who you want to buy it shapes all of your branding and marketing decisions because you’re going to tailor them to those people. It’s not about you and what you like, it’s about them and what they like. That’s why we’re talking about this now, early on in the podcast season, so that we can build upon it in future episodes when we talk about building a solid brand and selling your work. 

Remember that when you market to everyone, you attract no one. The more specific you can get about who is buying your work, or who you want to buy your work, and why, the easier it will be to make lasting connections with the right people.

If you’re just starting out in your business, you might be thinking, “But Torie, I don’t have any customers yet.” That’s okay! I’ve got some ways that you can narrow in on who it is that you want to buy your products. Remember, we’re talking about our ideal customers, so if you haven’t had any actual customers yet that’s totally okay!

If you’ve been in business for a while and haven’t looked at identifying your ideal customers or you haven’t revisited that as your business has grown and evolved, this is a great episode for you too!

Let’s talk vocabulary first to define some of the key terms used in marketing. I don’t want to overwhelm you with jargon, but I want to mention these terms in case you come across them and to help paint the broader picture of marketing your products.

The first term is “target market”. This is a broad group of people that your business is built for. In determining your target market you use identifiers like age, gender, income level, geographic location, lifestyle and interests or values. An example would be “Women, age 25-45, with an annual income of 65-125k, who value handmade jewelry and shop at local boutiques and markets.” 

Under the target market umbrella we have a  “target audience”. This is a specific segment of people within your target market that you are trying to reach with a certain message, promotion or post. It’s the group of people you’re talking to in that moment. This can shift depending on which of your products you are marketing. An example of a target audience could be “Local women who follow small brands on Instagram and are looking for unique, personalized jewelry for holiday gifts.”

Then, getting even more narrow, we have your ideal customer. This is the person who loves what you do, comes back for more, and tells all their friends about you. You could even create an Ideal Customer Avatar, which is also called an ICA. An ICA is creating a fictitious person who represents your dream customer. You give them a name and describe them as if they were an actual person. For example, “Meet Amy. She’s a 36-year-old fitness instructor who loves supporting small businesses. She wears dainty gold jewelry with personal meaning, follows you on Instagram, and always stops by your booth at markets. She’s thoughtful with her purchases and wants to feel connected to the maker.” You can get lots more specific than that and add even more details about how she dresses, where she shops, some of her other hobbies, etc., but I wanted to give a general example. 

Identifying your dream customer (or creating an ICA) really helps you get super specific in your marketing.

To keep this simple, think of it like this:
Your target market is your whole garden.
Your target audience is one flower bed in your garden.
Your ideal customer is your favorite flower.

Now that we know what those concepts are and how they fit together, how do you actually identify and find your ideal customer?

If you’ve been in business for a while, you can think about who has already purchased from you. 

If you sell at markets or in person events, you have the huge benefit of getting to meet and interact with these people face to face, which gives you lots of information. Scan your memories of your customers and pull together some details on how you would describe them. Think specifics like age range, gender identity, fashion style, etc. Then think about things like, were they shopping with friends, family, or alone? Did they buy your products for themself or as a gift? What did you hear them say about your products while they were shopping? 

You’re probably going to have a variety of customers, but we’re looking for areas where there are similarities and overlap for the sake of narrowing our marketing focus.  

For example, let’s say you make small quilts that are intended to be passed down as future heirlooms. Maybe your ideal customer is grandmothers who want a lasting, meaningful gift for their new grandchild, are comfortable spending the amount of money you charge for one, but don’t want to make the quilt themselves. They see the value in it and appreciate the level of care and quality you put into making each one. 

Now, if most or all of your selling happens online on your website or Etsy and you don’t get to see your customers in person, that makes this more abstract and can take a bit more guesswork, but we will use as much concrete data as we can to start. You can look at your shop’s analytics for details like geographic location, order size, repeat buyers, and to identify patterns in customer behavior.

If you’re on a platform where customers can leave a review, pay attention to what they are saying about your products and the transaction. Did they love the packaging? The quick ship time? Make note of what words they are using to describe your products so you can use those in your marketing. If there is a way to click on the customer’s name (like on Etsy) and see a profile about them, do that too and see what information you can find about other things they are interested in. Check out what other items they’ve favorited and get a feel for their style.

If you’re on social media, look at who is commenting on your posts. If you see the same person routinely, check out their profile and get a feel for them based on what they have been posting. Be sure to respond and engage with the people who are commenting on your posts. 

Another great tip is to identify three other makers or brands that are similar to yours and look at who is engaging a lot with their posts. This will help you understand where your people are hanging out online and what resonates with them.

This next part is for everyone, so listen carefully! People buy based on emotions. So think about why your work matters to someone. How does it make them feel? Why do they want your work?

If you make jewelry, maybe when they wear it they feel pretty, or it’s a talisman that makes them feel strong, or they feel cool because it’s following the latest trend. Does it remind them of something from their childhood? Do they feel good about buying a sustainable item made from recycled materials? Do they feel sexy when they wear it? Those are just some examples to get the wheels turning.

Think about their values, their hobbies, their aesthetic, and what is important to them. Here’s an example:

Maybe your customer is at the stage of her life where her identity as a mother is at the forefront. She likes a minimal, natural aesthetic (think lots of beige and naturally-dyed fabrics), and wants to buy quality non-toxic items for her children and for her home. She uses all natural cleaning products. She doesn’t want clutter and prefers to have fewer possessions, but likes the chosen items to be of a high quality. Family is very important to her and she spends time teaching her children to garden and to read. They eat organic produce, some of which they’ve grown themselves, and do a lot of cooking at home as a family. They shop at the farmer’s market and local grocery co-op. She doesn’t get a lot of time to herself, but when she does she likes to read and take relaxing baths. 

That example paints a pretty clear picture of what this person values, what is important to her, and what she would be likely to spend her money on. That example paints a pretty clear picture of what this person values, what is important to her, and she’d likely be spending her money on. You can use those concepts to help shape your marketing because you know and understand what really drives her decision making process, in terms of her buying.

Okay, so you’ve identified your ideal customer and you have an idea of where to find them. Now what are the best ways to start connecting?

🌐 Online

• Use your email list (or start one if you don’t already have one) to speak directly to past and potential customers. Build connection by emailing regularly, telling personal stories, ask them questions and encourage them to respond. Build a rapport.
• Email past customers directly with a thank you note and say something like, “I’d love to know why you chose this piece!”  
• Use the words and phrases your customers use to describe your products on your product sales pages, in emails, and in captions. This helps it feel like more of a conversation and less of a sales pitch.

📱 Social Media

• Share behind-the-scenes content that resonates with your audience’s values (slow living, sustainability, uniqueness)
• Use polls or stories to ask your audience questions and get feedback (Example: What do you love most when buying handmade jewelry—meaning, materials, or design?)
• Feature customer photos, stories, or reviews to reinforce community
• Use hashtags and keywords your people are searching (e.g., #cottagecorejewelry, #bespokebabygifts)
• Use your content to speak directly to your ideal customer: “This is for you if you…” It helps them feel like they are being seen and are in the right place.

🛍️ In-Person (Craft Markets, Pop-Ups, Events)

• Choose markets that align with your ideal buyer's interests (e.g., handmade-only, themed markets, art fair)
• Watch who stops, comments, or buys—take notes on their age, style, energy
• Listen to what people are saying in your booth
• Engage in friendly, authentic conversation to understand why they’re drawn to your work
• Encourage them to sign up for your email list and follow you on social media.

Quick Tips for Marketing to Your Ideal Audience

• Speak their language: Use phrases they’d say or connect with
• Show your work in real-life context—styled photos help them “see themselves” with your product
• Don’t be afraid to niche down. Get really specific on that one ideal customer, your favorite flower. Fewer, better-aligned customers are more powerful than a crowd of random browsers. The right people will see you when you stop trying to be visible to everyone.

Action Steps for This Week

• Identify your Ideal Customer or Create an “Ideal Customer Avatar”. If you want a quick and easy guide to help you with this, head over to heybeautifulcreative.com/ica to get a free worksheet!
• Rewrite your Instagram bio or next product description with that ideal person in mind
• Pick one place—online or in person—you can show up more intentionally this week and start making more meaningful connections with your customers.
  
  

Be sure to come back next week where we’ll talk about Crafting your Brand: How to Stand out as an Artist or Maker! Until then, keep making your work and putting it out into the world, Beautiful Creative!