We are defining our ideal customer profile in our V/TO marketing strategy, but AI is shifting which types of clients actually need our services. How do we identify our target market when technology changes our clients' internal capabilities?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

As AI becomes more accessible, many of your traditional mid-market clients may start building simple automated solutions in-house, which means they will no longer need your entry-level technical services. This shift requires you to re-evaluate your target market, or the "Who" on your V/TO®, to focus on clients who face complex, high-stakes challenges that automation cannot solve.

To identify your future ideal customer, start by looking at where AI adoption creates new bottlenecks for businesses. Many companies are overwhelmed by the massive amount of draft content, raw data, and uncoordinated tools they have deployed. Your target market should be the organizations that have the technology but lack the strategic leadership to align those tools with their business goals.

Bring this issue to your next quarterly planning session. Use your leadership team's collective experience to define the demographic, geographic, and psychographic characteristics of these high-value clients. Your ideal clients are no longer those looking for cheap production. They are the owners who value sophisticated guidance, strategic oversight, and risk management.

By shifting your target market toward businesses that require high-touch, human-led advisory, you protect your company from commoditization. Update your V/TO® marketing strategy to speak directly to these sophisticated buyers, ensuring your messaging highlights your ability to turn raw AI outputs into real, measurable business results.