You’ve heard it time and time again: “You need an Ideal Customer Profile,” “Know your dream customer,” or my personal favorite buzzword of the 2020s, “Find your niche.”

The issue? This advice is often followed by vague tips like “Understand what they like,” “Know their aspirations,” or “Identify their use cases.”

But this surface-level approach leads nowhere.

As personalization becomes king in B2B content marketing, your message must connect with their individual online experience.

Why?

Because today’s B2B buyers explore platforms as consumers, not businesses. If you want to build lasting relationships with your ideal customers, you need to dig deeper.

This post is all about what’s missing from traditional Ideal Customer Profiles and how to leverage AI tools to build an ICP that stands out.

Whether you have a big team or you’re flying solo, this versatile approach will enhance every stage of your marketing strategy.

You’ll be able to craft messaging faster, scale cross-platform campaigns, and outsource content marketing tasks without sacrificing quality.

The framework we’ll explore has been passed down by expert B2B content marketers and has saved me countless hours as a B2B SaaS marketing leader.

Let’s dive in.

Defining Your Best B2B Buyer 

A common mistake B2B marketers make when building an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is overlooking the human behind the B2B purchase.

It’s easy to get caught up in job titles, pain points, and business objectives, but at the end of the day, your ICP represents real people with emotions, preferences, and motivations.

Meet Amy.

Amy is a VP of Customer Success at a FinTech company. 

She struggles with aligning team members with external departments. This leads to poor onboarding processes, disparate data siloes, and eventual churn – an overall poor customer experience.”

Amy needs software to better integrate with the sales team at the point of sale and leverage messaging from marketing campaigns to enable a seamless data-driven customer experience.

Our software will help Amy get deep insights into customer sentiment and BLAH BLAH BLAH, boring! 

This is the typical framework for most B2B campaign messaging today, and it stems from the same shallow ICP research.

Yes, you may have listed a few of Amy’s responsibilities and goals, but that only scratches the surface. 

A famous wizard once said, “It is not our abilities that show what we truly are… it is our choices, driven by passion and commitment.” — Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002).

To create messaging that resonates, you need to go beyond surface-level data and dive into what truly drives your audience—their passions, motivations, and the personal choices they make that impact their business decisions.

The best ICPs are built around understanding not just what your audience does but why they do it.

How to define Your Best B2B buyer the right way

You’re likely starting from one of two places:

Experienced Brand: You’ve already reached 50 to 100 (or more) customers. With a CRM at your disposal, you can analyze the top 20% of your customer base that’s generating 80% of your revenue (the classic 80/20 rule) to narrow your B2B buyer focus.

Or…

New Brand: You’re still in the discovery phase, learning more about who your ideal customer or audience truly is.

The good news? This process works for both scenarios. Whether you’re refining an existing strategy or building one from scratch, these steps will help you lock in on your most valuable customer segment (MVC!).

The Strategy

The goal of your B2B messaging strategy is to create an impactful content experience with minimal words (or media).

– You’ll scale faster.

– You’ll lower marketing costs.

– You’ll drive better results and higher ROI.

How? By ditching the generic, surface-level language that just repeats job descriptions and instead speaks directly to the human side of Amy.

Warning: Prepare a box of tissues, we’re about to go deep.

Here’s how to craft the ideal B2B Dream Customer ICP.

Start with the CORE THREE.

What’s the core three?

Everyone has career goals and core / personal desires. These are the hidden drivers behind every human action.

You don’t choose that specific dog food brand because of the fourteenth ingredient listed on the back—you choose it because you love your dog.

You want to give your dog the best nutrition within your budget because you care about their well-being – and your financial future at the same time.

Believe it or not, it’s the raw honesty in those last few lines that truly resonates. It sounds like something a real person would say.

Here’s what this brand is suggesting in three short sentences:

• We UNDERSTAND you want the best for your dog.
• We’ve FELT that good nutrition often seems out of reach for most budgets.
• So we’ve FOUND a way to offer the perfect balance.

This is the feel, felt, found framework—a simple yet powerful way to demonstrate empathy and connect with your audience on a deeper level.

However, many B2B marketers struggle to empathize with B2B buyers, defaulting to job descriptions instead.

Why?

As a B2B marketer, you’re often tasked with targeting audiences that are completely unfamiliar to you.

• They have different personalities and professional backgrounds.
• They speak in industry-specific jargon and navigate highly specialized markets.
• They engage in online communities you’ve never even heard of.

I faced this firsthand when I transitioned from Head of Marketing in FinTech to Head of Demand Generation in Cybersecurity—two very different audiences.

One was tech-savvy—the other tech-shallow.

Yet, by using this approach, I was able to make a similar impact within just a few short months.

The Core 3 Defined.

When humans set goals, we tie them to what truly matters personally. However, clearly identifying these goals can be challenging without using the Core 3 framework.

Here’s the key: goals are transient desires. They’re expressions of a desire to change or improve something.

The Core 3 concept is straightforward—every goal falls into one of the three “Core 3” categories:

• Be: Your identity—who you are or want to become.
• Do: Your habits and actions—what you do or want to consistently do.
• Have: Your possessions—both tangible and intangible (what you have or want to possess, or experience).

This framework helps simplify and clarify the goals that drive real change.

Here’s a common one:

“I want to be a millionaire“

So, the goal here is to identify as a millionaire—just like you might identify as athletic, non-athletic, tall, short, by ethnicity, race, and so on.

However, the law of the core 3 also states that if one is true, ALL 3 must be true, or the goal will fail.

In the millionaire example:

• To BE a millionaire (embrace the values, beliefs, and principles of a millionaire),
• You must DO what millionaires do daily (execute the habits and routines that generate this level of wealth),
• And HAVE what millionaires possess (the tangible and intangible assets that create and sustain wealth creation).

This is why goals are often set in the affirmative:

• I am calm.
• I can do this.
• I have what it takes.

Or in the form of SMART goals:

• “I will have a master’s degree from Berkeley by 2025.”

In reality, your micro-goals are to BE a Berkeley master’s student, then DO the coursework required within the set timeframe to HAVE or obtain the degree that confirms course completion.

For success, all three elements—Be, Do, and Have—must align.

I know that was long, but it’s important for the next part.

So how does this relate to B2B marketing?

Most B2B marketing focuses heavily on job descriptions and tasks (the DO and sometimes HAVE), but this approach overlooks a large segment of the market driven by deeper, intrinsic values.

Let’s combine the dog food example with our “Amy” experience to illustrate this.

Amy wants to BE a successful Customer Success leader.

But why? Let’s explore the risks, starting with the obvious, if she falls short:

• She could lose her job.
• Without a strong track record, she might never get a recommendation for another role or advancement.
• Losing her paycheck could mean falling behind on essential lifestyle expenses:
  • Food
  • Mortgage
  • School supplies
  • Car payments
  • Utilities
  • Entertainment
  • And more

We’re diving into some heavy territory here, and no one wants this to happen—but it’s the looming threat Amy thinks about daily.

From the moment she wakes up to the time she goes to bed, this is the real conversation in her head—not corporate jargon.

You win when your message aligns with the conversation already happening in your ICP’s mind.

Amy needs you, the B2B marketing messenger, to connect the dots. Show her how your product helps her protect her job, and ultimately, her home. That’s the level of messaging impact you need to aim for. 

The positive side of Amy’s story is just as powerful.

Ask: “What does Amy aspire to?”

She wants to BE an industry thought leader. So…

• What does Amy need to DO? And how can your brand help her achieve that better than any other option out there?
• What additional resources must she HAVE? And how does your product deliver those in a way that makes sense for her current situation? How can you make resources easily accessible for someone like her.

Now, your content calendar for Amy’s ICP could look something like this:

• How to BEcome an Industry Thought Leader: 10 Strategies from the Top 20 Customer Success Executives
• 9 Habits of the Top Customer Success Leaders in FinTech
• 6 Strategies [Well-Known Customer Success Exec] Used to Grow 3 Brands to a $1B Valuation Consecutively.

(Why wouldn’t Amy want to know these things?)

Do you see the shift? You’re now guiding her entire lifestyle and career growth, not just pitching a list of features that might solve one or two problems.

By focusing on her aspirations and aligning your content to help her reach them, you position your brand as a key partner in her life journey—not just another product.

This is how you get them HOOKED.

The message you’re sending to Amy is clear:

• “We’re your partner.”
• “We’ll help you get there.”
• “We’ll give you everything you need to succeed—all from a single sign-on platform.” (sometimes, you only need to highlight one key feature)

When you craft messaging with Amy’s goals and aspirations in mind, you’ll connect on a deeper level. She’ll engage with your B2B content, see the value, and even buy sooner than you expect.

It’s all about speaking to what truly matters to her – health, wealth, and relationships.

Health, Wealth, Relationships. 

These 3 benefit categories drive 80% of shopping behavior online:

1. Life and Vitality
2. Income and Wealth
3. Connections & Relationships

People are primarily interested in products that support one (or more) of these areas, which is why tying these benefits to B2B offerings can be tricky.

Most products fit neatly into one category, but a few can serve multiple.

For B2B, it’s mostly about wealth—your product helps people keep or excel at their jobs, and “job” mean income. The key is positioning your product to solve their most important and urgent professional goals.

Now, here’s the fun part—let’s build one together.

1. Building Your ICP’s Core Identity 

Now that you understand what a core identity (BE) is, let’s dive into what shapes that identity.

Your identity is influenced by three main forces (there are more, but these are key for marketing):

• Values: Ideas you prioritize (e.g., “honesty”).
• Beliefs: What happens when those ideas meet reality (e.g., “People are dishonest” or “People are trustworthy“).
• Principles: Rules you follow (conscious/subconscious)  based on your beliefs (e.g., “Don’t trust anyone” or vice versa).

As you can see, while many of us share similar values, our experiences with those values are unique.

The same applies to your ICP—understanding these nuances helps you connect with them on a deeper, more authentic level.

The Steps

Picture your ICP as this circle.

At the center of that circle lies a core set of values, including:

• Empathy
• Customer-Centricity
• Adaptability
• Communication
• Proactivity
• Problem-Solving
• Leadership

These are just a few examples, but they form the foundation of an individual’s identity and drive their actions. When you understand these values in your ICP, you can create messaging that aligns with what truly matters to them.

Now just outside of that core is another Core called BELIEFS,

Beliefs are formed when your values meet real-world experiences. These experiences shape how someone interprets the world, ultimately influencing their decisions. 

For example:

• Value: Empathy
  Belief: “The more I understand someone, the better I can help”
• Value: Customer-Centricity
  Belief: “Putting the customer first leads to success.”
• Value: Adaptability
  Belief: “Flexibility is key to thriving in a changing environment.”

Example: “As a seasoned VP of Customer Success with these core values, here are some positive beliefs I’ve developed over my career:

• Customer Success Drives Growth: Happy customers are your best marketing tool. When customers see value, they stay, expand, and advocate for your brand, fueling long-term growth.
• Listening is Your Superpower: The deeper you listen to customers, the better you can anticipate their needs, resolve issues, and deliver value.
• Proactive Support Prevents Fires: Reacting to issues is costly. Proactively addressing concerns builds trust and reduces churn.
• Data is a Critical Tool: Customer success decisions should be driven by data. Metrics like NPS, churn rate, and product usage offer insights that shape strategy.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration is Essential: Customer success doesn’t operate in a vacuum. Close partnerships with sales, product, and support teams create a cohesive customer experience.
• Consistency Builds Trust: Consistent experiences—whether in communication, onboarding, or support—reinforce trust and long-term loyalty.
• You Can’t Please Everyone: Not every customer is the right fit, and it’s okay to let go of those who don’t align with your company’s vision or value proposition.
• Invest in Your Team: Empowering and motivating your team ensures your customers receive top-notch service. Leadership is about enabling your people.
• Customer Success is About Relationships: Beyond transactions, long-term success depends on authentic relationships built on trust, respect, and shared goals.
• Every Customer Interaction is an Opportunity: Even negative experiences can become positives if handled correctly—each touchpoint is a chance to learn and grow.

“Here are some negative beliefs I’ve developed as a seasoned VP of Customer Success:

• Not All Customers Want to Succeed: Some customers resist change or lack internal alignment, making success efforts feel futile despite your best attempts.
• Overpromising Leads to Misalignment: Misaligned expectations—often set by sales—create friction that’s tough to resolve. Setting realistic goals from the start is critical.
• Change is Constant and Sometimes Chaotic: Customer needs and market conditions are always evolving. While adaptability is key, constant change can strain teams and processes.
• The “Squeaky Wheel” Gets Too Much Attention: The loudest customers often receive the most focus, leading to the neglect of loyal, lower-maintenance clients who also deserve attention.
• Success Doesn’t Always Equate to Satisfaction: A customer might be getting value from your product but still be unhappy due to factors outside your control, like internal politics or conflicting priorities.
• Internal Politics Can Undermine Success: Organizational priorities or resource constraints sometimes clash with what’s best for the customer, leading to challenges that are difficult to navigate.
• Burnout is a Real Risk: The constant pressure to maintain customer happiness, manage escalations, and hit KPIs can lead to burnout if not carefully managed.

“These beliefs—formed through experience—have helped me refine strategies, set realistic expectations, and build a more resilient and successful customer success function over time.“

Leveraging out-of-the-box GPT, you can generate some strong ideas, Hooks/Headlines, and mental conversations to shape the language for your copywriting strategy. It provides a solid foundation to craft messaging that resonates, aligns with your audience’s beliefs, and can effectively drives engagement.

Now let’s build the Principles.

“Based on my core values and beliefs, here are 10 principles that guide my decision-making in both professional and personal life:

1. Value Over Noise
   Focus on what truly brings value instead of getting lost in distractions. Whether it’s with customers, team initiatives, or personal goals, I prioritize efforts that lead to meaningful impact.
2. Consistency Builds Trust
   Consistency is essential in both business and personal relationships. Reliable follow-through, transparent communication, and steady performance are the foundations of lasting trust.
3. Solve Problems, Don’t Avoid Them
   Problems are inevitable, but they’re also growth opportunities. I address challenges head-on with a solution-oriented mindset rather than avoiding or delaying tough decisions.
4. Listen First, Speak with Purpose
   In conversations with customers, colleagues, or family, I listen more than I speak. When I do speak, it’s with intention, ensuring my words add value to the dialogue.
5. Relationships Are a Long Game
   Whether in business or personal life, relationships are built over time. I invest in people, knowing that trust and loyalty are cultivated, not rushed, through consistent actions and care.
6. Measure Twice, Cut Once
   Planning and preparation are crucial. Whether executing a customer strategy or making a major life decision, I gather the necessary information, consider alternatives, and move forward only when I’m confident in the path ahead.
7. Balance Pragmatism with Optimism
   I make decisions with a practical lens, balancing realism with the belief that positive outcomes are possible. It’s about staying grounded while holding onto hope and ambition.
8. Empower Others, Don’t Control
   Leadership isn’t about micromanaging; it’s about empowering others to take ownership and grow. I focus on guiding and supporting others to be their best selves, whether with my team or in personal relationships.
9. Integrity is Non-Negotiable
   Whether in business decisions or personal conduct, I act with integrity. Honesty, fairness, and doing what’s right—even when it’s difficult—are principles I never compromise.
10. Adapt, but Don’t Lose Your Core
    Life and business are full of change. I stay adaptable and open-minded, but I never lose sight of my core values and guiding principles. Change is best navigated when it aligns with who you truly are.

“These principles keep me aligned with my values and beliefs while providing the flexibility needed to handle diverse situations across my professional and personal life.“

Prompt: Now include a few more principles to govern how you approach learning about, considering, and buying support tools and software to make your job easier, more effective, or supercharged.”

“Here are a few additional principles that guide how I approach evaluating, learning about, and purchasing support tools and software:“

11. Prioritize Scalability Over Short-Term Fixes
    I focus on tools that can grow with the business. I avoid quick fixes that work now but could become roadblocks as we scale.
12. Focus on Integration and Ecosystem Compatibility
    A great tool isn’t useful if it doesn’t integrate well with our current systems. I look for solutions that seamlessly connect with our tech stack, enhancing efficiency rather than creating silos.
13. User Experience Matters—For Both Teams and Customers
    Even robust tools fail if they’re hard to use. I prioritize software that’s intuitive for my team and delivers real value to customers.
14. Data-Driven Decisions Beat Gut Feelings
    I rely on data and analytics to guide decisions when considering new tools. I seek out evidence, reviews, and case studies that show measurable results rather than being swayed by hype.
15. Vendor Partnerships Should Be Collaborative, Not Transactional
    I prefer vendors who are invested in our success. I look for partners that provide strong support, listen to feedback, and show a commitment to growing with us.
16. Pilot, Measure, and Then Commit
    Before fully adopting a tool, I run pilot tests with clear KPIs. This helps validate its value and measure success before scaling further.
17. Cost Isn’t Everything—Value and ROI Are Key
    While cost is a factor, I prioritize long-term value and ROI. A higher upfront cost can be worthwhile if the tool drives efficiency, retention, or growth.
18. Avoid Feature Bloat—Focus on Core Needs
    More features don’t always mean better outcomes. I focus on tools that solve specific pain points effectively rather than being drawn to overloaded products with extras we don’t need.
19. Continuous Learning and Adaptation
    The landscape of tools is constantly changing. I stay updated on new technologies and regularly attend webinars to keep improving our processes.
20. Involve the Team in Decision-Making
    The best choices come from those who will use the tools daily. I involve key team members in evaluations to ensure their insights are reflected in the final decision.

“These principles help me ensure that any tool or software investment aligns with long-term goals and enhances our capabilities rather than being a short-term or trendy fix.“

Now, no one is perfect.

But you can assume your ICP aspires to these principles, guiding their decision-making when choosing the right solutions for their business.

2. What do they DO?

This part is straightforward—it’s all about gathering job descriptions, which are easily accessible online.

LinkedIn is my go-to resource for this.

Here’s the process:

1. Go to LinkedIn.
2. Click the “Jobs” tab at the top.
3. Search for the job title of your economic buyer or another ICP on the decision team (e.g., “VP of Customer Success”).
4. Copy 3-5 relevant job descriptions and paste them into GPT. Be sure to include key sections like:
   • Job Description Overview
   • Requirements
   • Responsibilities
   • Qualifications
   • Salary Range

When building your content calendar, you’ll combine these job descriptions with your ICP’s core beliefs to create messaging that speaks directly to both their role and deeper motivations.

Now prioritize them:

3. Now, what do they need to HAVE?

Next, let’s spotlight the tools, software, skills, abilities, and experience that would make this person excel in their role.

Hint: Your services should enhance or empower one or more of these areas.

Here’s how to proceed:

(Chat GPT)

• Within the same LinkedIn search, look for common tools and skills listed across job descriptions.
• Note the specific software or platforms frequently mentioned (e.g., CRM systems, analytics tools, project management software).
• Identify key skills and abilities that align with the role (e.g., leadership, communication, data analysis).
• Pay attention to the experience required (e.g., years in the industry, prior leadership roles, familiarity with scaling operations).

These insights will allow you to position your services as essential solutions that directly support and elevate these core competencies.

To dive deeper, you might ask GPT:

• “What tools, software, and skills are critical for a VP of Customer Success to succeed?”
• “Which of these skills and tools can be powered or enhanced by our service?”
• “How can we align our messaging to highlight these strengths?”

By integrating these elements into your content strategy, you’ll be speaking directly to your ICP’s needs and aspirations.

4. Putting it all together for your B2B content marketing campaign.

Now, you’ve built a well-structured outline of your ICP:

• You understand their values.
• You know their beliefs.
• You recognize their principles.
• You’re clear on their job requirements and responsibilities.

Master Your Ideal Customer Profile

Fillable PDF Worksheet

Build Your B2B ICP Worksheet

It’s important to highlight that this approach is proactive. It’s not based on SEO research, trending hashtags, or the latest analytics tools.

Reactive brands rely on those tactics—they follow trends but rarely lead the conversation.

This strategy is all about positioning you as a forward-thinking guide who anticipates your ICP’s needs, interests, and motivations before they even search for answers. It’s a thought leadership approach that sets you apart and keeps your brand ahead of the curve.

So, how do you use all this information in a B2B Go-To-Market strategy?

You now have a treasure trove of content ideas that could fuel your messaging for the next year and beyond.

But if your brand isn’t yet well-established, you’ll need a strategic approach. 

Here’s how you can start:

1. Create a Series of Posts Addressing Negative Beliefs to Drive Brand Awareness
   Use the following formula:
   “(Negative Belief) sucks, but here’s a simple way to solve it in 10 minutes or less a day.”
   Combine the negative belief with a desired outcome in your headline to show why addressing this belief is crucial—and how your tips provide a practical solution.
2. Challenge Common Beliefs with Attention-Grabbing Headlines
   • “Why 80% of (Job Titles) Think (Negative Belief)”
   • “Why 80% of (Job Titles) Are Wrong About (Negative Belief)”
     These headlines spark curiosity and encourage engagement while positioning your brand as a thought leader.
3. Design a series of “How-to” Guides
   Structure these guides to help your ICP overcome their negative beliefs step-by-step. This positions you as a valuable resource and solution provider.
4. Curate and Rank Industry Resources
   Create lists of resources that help your ICP upskill in their industry. Ranking these resources by effectiveness (with a touch of controversy) can drive discussion and engagement.
5. Build an Educational Platform Centered on Required Skills
   Develop a learning hub focused on the essential skills for their role. Incorporate your software as the tool that streamlines and enhances those skills.
6. Interview Thought Leaders in the Industry
   Offer free branding and promotion to attract thought leaders for interviews. Use their insights to create content that challenges your ICP’s current beliefs, habits, and circumstances while building your brand’s credibility and reach.

These steps not only create content that resonates but also build a proactive content marketing strategy that positions your brand as a trusted guide, thought leader, and solution provider in your industry.

Summary.

Remember, B2B buyer engagement isn’t just about bottom lines and efficiencies. People want to advance their professional careers, and they’re looking for consistent guidance along the way.

BEcome that reliable source of enterprise guidance by understanding your audience personally.

Want to learn more about leveraging your ICP to build the ultimate content platform that attracts, nurtures, and turns your audience into loyal brand evangelists?

Follow Us on social media and Subscribe to our newsletter and join our community! We share actionable insights like this every week to help you master the art of B2B content marketing and building an unshakable brand.