Marta Kopyl
- Jul 22
- 5 min read

Steps to creating a customer profile for successful social media marketing

Understanding your target audience is very important for business. This is where creating a customer portrait comes in - a kind of "X-ray" of your customer, allowing you to look deeper into their needs, motivations and behaviour.

Imagine trying to open a door without a key. The chances of success are slim, right? It's the same in marketing: without a clearly defined image of your ideal customer, the chances of your marketing efforts resonating are significantly reduced.

In this article, we'll look at what a customer profile is and why you need to create one, where you can find information about customers, and a step-by-step guide on how to create one, as well as examples.

What is a customer profile?

A customer portrait, or customer profile, is a detailed view of a typical buyer of a particular product or service. It contains key information that helps companies better understand their target audience and create more effective marketing strategies. This information includes demographic data (age, gender, place of residence), psychographic characteristics (interests, values, lifestyle), behavioural aspects (buying habits, interaction with the brand) and customer needs and pains.

So, it's a kind of template through which you pass real people, and you can definitely say whether they are your target customer or not.

Why do you need to create a customer profile?

Firstly, customer portraits allow companies to better understand the needs, desires and problems of their target audience.

This helps to create products and services that best meet customer expectations, which increases customer satisfaction and builds loyalty.

Secondly, customer profiles help to segment the market more effectively.

This means that companies can identify different consumer groups and develop targeted marketing campaigns for them. This approach allows them to more accurately identify the target audience for specific products or services, as well as develop more personalised and relevant advertising messages. As a result, it increases the effectiveness of marketing efforts and reduces advertising costs.

In addition, customer profiles are the basis for developing content strategies.

By knowing what your audience is interested in, what topics are important to them, and what content formats they prefer, you can create posts that resonate with your customers. This helps to increase brand engagement, increase engagement, and ultimately increase sales.

Another important aspect is the ability to improve customer service.

Customer portraits help businesses better understand service expectations and provide support that best meets their customers' needs. This can include personalised offers, quick response to queries and seamless communication.

Finally, customer profiling helps companies to be more competitive in the market.

A deep understanding of your audience enables you to stay ahead of the competition by offering unique and more valuable products and services.

What does a customer profile consist of?

Creating a detailed customer profile helps companies target their marketing efforts more accurately, develop products that meet customer needs, and communicate effectively with their target audience.

B2B (Business-to-Business)

A customer profile is created for companies or organisations that buy your products or services. It has its own specific characteristics:

Demographic data of the organisation:

Company size (number of employees)
Industry
Location
Company revenue

Role and job responsibilities:

Position of the decision maker (C-level, managers, purchasing department)
Departments that may be interested in the product

Psychographic data:

Corporate culture
Company values and priorities
Goals and objectives of the company

Pain points and needs:

Problems the company is trying to solve
Challenges faced in business processes
Needs for products or services to achieve efficiency

Purchasing behaviour:

Decision-making process (who is involved, how long does it take)
Budgetary constraints
Preferences in suppliers (e.g. local vs. international)

Goals and objectives:

What the company is trying to achieve with your product or service
What business results are expected

B2C (Business-to-Consumer)

A customer profile is created for individual customers who purchase your products or services for personal use. It includes the following characteristics:

Demographic data:

Age
Gender
Education
Income
Marital status
Place of residence

Psychographic data:

Interests and hobbies
Values
Lifestyle
Personal traits

Pain points and needs:

What problems is the customer trying to solve
What motivates them to buy
What emotions play a role in decision-making

Behavioural characteristics:

How often do they buy the product or similar products
What channels are used to find information about the product
What factors influence the purchase decision (reviews, price, branding)

Goals and objectives:

What the customer is trying to achieve with your product
What benefits and advantages are expected

Buying behaviour:

Purchase method (online vs. offline)
Time of purchase (time of day, days of the week)
Favourite communication channels (social media, email, websites)

Sources of information about customers

Collecting customer information is a key step in the process of developing customer profiles. Let's take a closer look at each of the sources from which this information can be obtained:

Social surveys

This method uses structured questionnaires or questions posted on social media or specialised platforms. They allow you to collect a large amount of data about demographics, preferences, consumer habits and attitudes towards products or services.

Questionnaires

This method is used to collect detailed responses from participants through standardised or individually designed questionnaires. It provides specific data on preferences, purchasing potential and other aspects of consumer behaviour.

Interviewing

This method involves face-to-face or virtual meetings to gain an in-depth understanding of consumer motivations and needs. Interviews provide detailed insights that cannot always be gathered through standardised questionnaires or surveys.

Personal experience and observations

The first-hand experience of using products or services provides a unique insight into how customers interact with a brand. This method provides an indirect but valuable insight into consumer needs.

Professional advice and training

Consultations from experts in marketing, behavioural psychology and other specialised fields provide valuable insights from professionals with practical experience. This method allows for a deeper understanding of the factors that influence consumer behaviour.

Social media

Consumer activity on social media can be used to analyse their opinions, impressions and reactions to products or services. Monitoring comments, reviews and discussions allows you to understand public opinion and interaction with the brand.

How to create a customer profile?

The following steps to creating a customer profile can be identified:

Identify your target audience

This is the first step in creating a customer profile. You need to clearly define who you want to attract as customers. Consider their main characteristics, needs and problems that your product or service can solve.

Collect the data

Use a variety of sources to gather information about your audience. This can include surveys, customer interviews, your website analytics, sales data, as well as focus groups or social media.

Analyse demographic data

Assess the basic demographics of your audience, such as age, gender, place of residence, income, education and marital status. This will help you better understand who you are dealing with.

Identify psychographic characteristics

Learn about your target audience's personality, values, interests, lifestyle and beliefs. This will provide you with more context on how your product can influence their needs and preferences.

Explore behavioural characteristics

Study how your customers interact with your product or service. Consider their buying habits, frequency of purchases, how they use the product or service, and their online activity.

Create personas

Based on the information you've gathered, create 2-5 typical customers that best represent your target audience. Give each persona a name, add a photo, and tell their story.

Segment your audience

Divide your target audience into groups with similar characteristics. This will help you better customise your marketing strategies for each segment.

Update your profiles

Remember that your customers may change over time. Update your customer profiles regularly to ensure they reflect the most up-to-date information.

Examples of customer profiles