How to create an ideal customer profile (ICP) in 2025

Being on social media and the internet often makes us feel like brands can know everything about everyone – after all, the data is right there, right?

Marketers know better. Humans are complex, their choices, sometimes a little unexpected. In other words: people, or customers, are more than just the sum of their data.

That’s where an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) comes into play.

An ICP isn’t just about gathering all the data out there; it’s about identifying the types of customers who bring the most value to your business, no matter how you measure that (although usually, it’s in hard cash). 

Creating an ICP is a strategic approach that helps you get closer to the accounts or individuals who are the best fit for your product or service. You’re focusing on the most promising opportunities, maximizing your ROI.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to create an ideal customer profile that goes way beyond the surface, and gives your team critical cues for successful marketing campaigns, sales tactics and product development.

What is an ideal customer profile?

An Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) outlines the characteristics of the perfect customer for your business. It is used primarily to identify the most promising consumers, accounts, businesses that your company should target, in terms of profitability, Lifetime Value or annual contract values (ACV). It’s especially helpful in account-based marketing, but also makes sense for any other type of marketing plan.

An ICP isn’t a fictional concept, based on what you want your ideal customer to look like – it’s based on data that mirrors real customers.

You can use an ICP to give your sales reps and marketing team insights to sharpen their focus, ensuring that their efforts are directed towards prospects who are most likely to convert and bring substantial value to your business. This helps you boost both efficiency and effectiveness in your outreach.

What is the difference between an ICP and a buyer persona?

The terms ICP and buyer persona are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing.

The difference between an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and a buyer persona is all about the scope and application.

An ICP focuses on the ideal business or account type that would benefit the most from your product or service. Who this ICP is, is based on several data points. For B2B and B2C solutions, they look different:

For B2C (Business-to-Consumer):

• Demographic information: This includes age, gender, education level, and marital status, and any other more basic data.
• Income range: Economic status impacts purchasing power and can determine the price points that are most appropriate for your target market.
• Buying behavior: Patterns in how consumers choose and use products, including brand loyalty, product usage frequency, and preferred shopping channels.
• Geographic location: Like in B2B, where a consumer lives can influence product choice due to cultural, climatic, and economic factors.

For B2B (Business-to-Business):

• Company size: Depending on what’s most relevant in your industry, this could involve the number of employees, revenue size, or the scale of operations.
• Industry: Different industries have different challenges and needs, which can influence how your product or service fits into their operations.
• Geographic location: The region or market in which a company operates can affect their needs, especially if there are regional regulations or economic conditions at play.
• Decision-Making Unit (DMU): These are the roles or stakeholders that are typically involved in purchasing decisions (and often lead you to your buyer persona).

Sales teams and marketers use ICPs to target people or businesses that make ideal customers, which helps them streamline their efforts towards the most lucrative opportunities, which often is directly related to revenue (but it can be for brand building or brand awareness as well).

So how is that any different from a buyer persona? A buyer persona is a more detailed creation that represents specific individuals, either as stand-alone consumers or within the organizations of your ICP, if your business is in the B2B sphere.

There is some overlap in the information used for buyer personas and ICPs. Buyer personas are also based on demographic and psychographic details such as age, job role, personal motivations, and pain points. Marketing teams craft content and campaigns that speak directly to these personas, making marketing efforts feel personal and tailored.

Essentially, while an ICP identifies the “who”, buyer personas dive deeper into the “why” at an individual level, describing the human elements that motivate purchasing decisions. This distinction helps businesses create layered marketing strategies that address both broad targets and individual needs.

For more insights into how these concepts integrate into your broader market research efforts, learn how to conduct a market analysis.

Create an ideal customer profile (ICP)

Creating an ICP is more than a data collection exercise. It’s a strategic exploration into the core of your market, related to your own KPIs, in terms of revenue and sales. Having a well-defined ICP transforms all the efforts related to that, from marketing messages to sales cycles. Here’s how you can navigate the complex terrain of customer data to find your ICP.

Step 1: Gather comprehensive data

Kick off your ICP development by collecting a wide array of data, from the past, the current, and if you can, the future.

Run consumer profiling

Get to know your target customers inside-out, so you can make decisions that turn them into loyal fans of your brand. Using the data you get from consumer profiling research, you can build tailored ICPs for you and your business to use across all of your marketing, product and sales activities.

Qualitative data

Get this by directly engaging with stakeholders through interviews and focus groups. Here’s whom to speak to, and what you’ll want to know.

From your sales team: They’re on the front lines, talking to prospects and customers every day. Ask them about common pain points, objections, and what convinces customers to buy, and how they’d segment these customers.

From customer service/success: This team knows the good, the bad, and the ugly. Use their feedback to understand how different types of customers use your product and the problems they encounter.

From marketing: They have their finger on the pulse of how your brand is perceived in the marketplace. Get insights into brand perception and customer sentiment from their campaign results and market research, based on various segments.

Quantitative data

If you’ve already been selling, it’s hugely valuable to dive into historical data from CRM, ERP, and other systems to analyze customer interactions, purchase history, and other firmographic, environmental, and behavioral attributes. Look at how different segments have performed in terms of LTV and ACV.

Predictive data

This step is optional, but if you have enough data, go for it. Use predictive analytics to assess large datasets, both internal and external, and uncover patterns that predict high-value customer attributes, which will directly point you into the direction of your ICPs.

Step 2: Analyze the data to identify key attributes of your ICP

Now you have all the data, it’s time to bring it together. Make sure you are working with tools that help you analyze and visualize the data. Here are some top tips:

• Use data analysis tools to spot patterns and key customer attributes. Ideally, one tool that brings everything together, so you don’t have to hop between tools and manually transfer data.
• Visualize this data with charts and dashboards that make trends stand out more clearly, and to communicate with stakeholders.
• Bring in your cross-functional teams—sales, marketing, and customer service—to validate insights and highlight what’s actionable, and what is irrelevant.

Step 3: Segment your ICP, for tailored strategies

Now that you’ve got your insights, it’s time to put them to work. Break down your customer base into segments based on their potential value—think high, medium, and low tiers. Use key metrics like Annual Contract Value (ACV) and Lifetime Value (LTV) to guide this process.

For each segment, craft tailored strategies: create targeted offers, align account teams, and fine-tune your engagement plans.

High-value segments might get the fancy VIP treatment with dedicated account managers and premium offers, while lower tiers can be nurtured through automated, scalable solutions. The goal is to deliver the right experience to the right audience at every touchpoint.

Step 4: Get cross-functional buy-in for your ICP

Don’t turn your ICP into just another document collecting dust. It needs to be actionable across the whole company. Your North Star, if you will, but one to actually follow.

That means you should share your ICP insights with all teams, not just your sales and marketing teams. Everyone will benefit from being on the same page as to ”who they’re working for” in their day-to-day — the ICP.

You’ll even want to encourage collaboration—sales might tweak their outreach, marketing can refine their targeting, and customer service can personalize support. The more aligned everyone’s approach is, the better.

Step 5: Monitor and update your ICP when needed

Your ICP isn’t a “set it and forget it” tool. Whether you’re in B2B or B2C, just know that your ICP is always evolving. Which doesn’t mean you have to go through the whole data gathering and analysis process every month — it simply means you need to keep a close eye on relevant changes related to your ICP.

That means you should regularly track market trends, gather customer feedback, and keep an eye on key performance metrics. This ongoing data is going to help you to refine your ICP, making tweaks as needed to stay aligned with shifting market conditions and internal changes.

Ideal customer profile template

An ideal customer profile template takes the guesswork out of defining your ICP. It gives you a structured approach to follow that ensures you cover all critical areas—like demographic details, business needs, pain points, and buying behaviors. Having a structured format helps you systematically gather and compare data, and makes it easier to identify patterns and refine your profile as you go. It saves you time, and keeps you on track.

Explore how our ideal customer profile template can simplify, speed up and enhance your ICP creation process.

How to use an ICP in your marketing strategy

So, once you know who your ideal customer is, how can you turn that into a successful sales strategy — or better marketing efforts? You can use your ideal customer profile in a couple of different ways, let’s look at some of the best ones.

Refine targeting and personalization

With an ICP in hand, it’s easier for marketing teams to fine-tune their strategies, channel selection, and messaging. You’ll know exactly why you’re reaching out to these ideal customer profiles, which means you can tap into their needs and pain points quicker.

Optimize sales strategies

For sales teams, an ICP is a true must have that never goes out of season. Every ICP will have a slightly different sales cycle, meaning the way they target accounts should always be different. The more they know about how the buying process works at their targeted companies and ICPs, the sooner they can close in on the deal. But it helps in other points of the funnel as well: it’s the starting point for qualifying leads based on common attributes, and sending each ideal client to the sales rep that has the biggest chance of turning them into customers.

Enhance product development

Enough about sales and marketing for a second. Your ICP is also a game-changer for your product development teams. They can use the knowledge from your ICP to refine features, adjust pricing, or even develop new offerings that are even better aligned with your most valuable customers’ needs.

Improve customer retention

An ICP doesn’t just help you attract specific customers—it helps you keep them. By knowing the attributes and expectations of your most profitable customers, you can develop retention strategies that make them stick. Think loyalty programs that feel personal, targeted customer support, and product recommendations that seem almost too perfect, and perfectly timed.

Drive content marketing

Your ICP is a content marketer’s best friend. It guides everything from blog topics to social media posts. With an ICP in mind, they’ll never have to write another ‘generic’ piece of content again, but instead can jump in at different stages of the sales funnel with content that drives your ideal buyers forward. It’s not the goal to create more content, instead, you’ll be able to create better content.

Streamline budget allocation

Knowing your ICP means knowing where to put your money. By focusing your budget on channels and campaigns that reach your ideal customers, you reduce waste and boost ROI. Align your budget with where your ICP spends their time, and your marketing efforts will go from good to great.

For more strategies to get the most out of your ICP, explore these brand growth strategies.

Ready to level up your marketing with precise, data-driven insights? Check out Attest’s market research solutions for marketers to get started.

Attest’s Customer Profiling Tools

Attest’s customer profiling tools make it easy to dig deep into your existing customer base and craft detailed profiles for your ideal customers. Learn all about our consumer profiling services and see how data-driven insights can power your growth.