From Muse to Missed Opportunity: When Your Brand Strategy Ignores the Real Buyer
We’ve all been in those marketing meetings where the remit is to define your ideal customer and we lean into an idealised version of a customer. It’ll read something like “They’re 42 years old, have 2 kids and a dog, holiday in Tuscany, and follow Camille Charriere,” and we all leave the meeting feeling like we’ve nailed it. But in reality, we have created a total fiction which will lead to dodgy decisions in almost all departments, from buying to pricing and marketing.
In my corporate retail roles I was actively encouraged to think of a celebrity customer for each of the in-house brands I was buying for however instinct told me that this was too surface. Instead, I paired each brand with a real person that I knew well so that I could really ascertain whether they would buy that chartreuse silk scarf or pick it up and put it down thinking that the colour was too bold for them. Yes, it needs to be that granular. We are dealing with deep-rooted psychology here!
In short, this fictional character is a muse, not a customer. Defined as “an imaginary being or force that gives someone ideas and helps them to write, paint, or make music” a muse is there to inspire and direct the essence of a brand. Don’t let this fictional character sway your decision-making too far from the realities of running a business.
The more powerful way to define your customer is to use this muse as a jumping off point. The best way to think of it is that this muse is your ideal customer’s muse. Read that a few times so that it sinks in. Your brand muse has a role in your marketing and branding but it is NOT your ideal customer.
To truly know your customer you’ll need to go much deeper, scoping out their tastes, spending habits, motivations and objections to purchasing so that you can craft your product and marketing around them. Taking the time to define this will reap results further down the line as you’ll be able to assess trends, styles, colours, pricing, packaging, marketing messaging and content from a knowledgeable point of view ie your customers' point of view.
But how do you gather all that valuable customer intelligence as a small brand or solopreneur? The methodology and tools available to you might be surprisingly approachable and accessible. Here is my guide to getting to know your customers on an intimate level.
On-the-ground observations
Literally, go to spaces where your customer goes and observe them. It could be restaurants, museums, school pick, the tennis club, rugby matches, and concept stores. Anywhere where your customer goes is a gold mine of free information for you. People watch and analyse what you see people do, say, buy, hold, order, pick up and put back down etc.
Talk to customers
If you have your own boutique, attend pop-ups or sell on consignment, use those touchpoints to gain insights. Observe customers’ behaviour around your products and other brand offerings to see what is catching their eye, what they are passing by and crucially how they are spending their money.
Leverage your existing customer base
A brilliant initiative to get closer to your customers is to host a focus group. Whilst big brands may engage advertising agencies to run these events for a hefty price tag you can absolutely do this yourself. Simply invite a few customers to a gathering where you ask them strategic questions to gain insights. Be clear on your intentions at the invitation stage, host them nicely with a bit of coffee or vino (to make them feel relaxed and welcome) and give them something of value as a thank you (a voucher or freebie, whatever will motivate them more to attend).
Utilise online data
There are a few amazing tools that you can use to gain insights into what people are actually looking for and talking about online within your markets. The most comprehensive and easily accessible ones are; Google Analytics, Shopify data, Hotjar, Semrush
Turn your Socials in a Q&A forum
Most people love to share their opinions, especially online, and your social media channels have the perfect tools in place to gather this data. Post polls, sliders, “this or that” questions and open questions regularly. This signals to your customers that you care about them, value their opinion, are active and you also gain amazing first-hand data in a very quick timeframe.
Conclusion: Don’t Build for the Muse—Build for the Buyer
It’s fine to be inspired by a muse—but don’t mistake that for customer insight. Real growth happens when you dig deeper. When you build for the person who’s already shopping your brand, not the one who just fits the aesthetic.
Want to get clearer on your customer, your pricing, your range, and how to tie it all together into a smarter strategy?
Book a free 30min strategy scope call with CCConsultancy—we’ll help you get under the skin of your real customer, so every decision you make feels clearer, sharper, and more profitable.