Why your B2B ICP is probably wrong (and what the Savannah Bananas got right)

We live near Grayson Stadium — home of the Savannah Bananas.

If you’ve somehow missed them: they’re a baseball entertainment team that’s become a full-blown cultural phenomenon. Viral videos. Sold-out tours. A waitlist so long it’s basically a joke.

We’ve been lucky enough to go a few times (tickets are nearly impossible — we always get ours through a school fundraiser). And every single time, I leave thinking the same thing:

“These people know exactly who they’re for.”

Bright yellow tuxedos. Trick plays. Dancing. A time limit on the game. All-you-can-eat food that’s actually good. Clean bathrooms. Easy parking.

Every detail signals the same thing: we built this for people who want a great night out — not a traditional experience at a ballpark.

That clarity isn’t an accident. It’s strategy.

FIRST, A QUICK MARKETING TERM WORTH KNOWING

In B2B marketing, we talk a lot about your ICP — your Ideal Customer Profile. It’s a detailed picture of the specific type of customer you’re best positioned to serve.

But here’s where most companies get it wrong: they define their ICP by demographics — industry, company size, geography, job title.

The Bananas could have said their ICP is “families.” And sure, there are a lot of families in those stands. But there are also retired couples, groups of college friends, solo fans, and corporate outings.

Defining by demographics would have missed the point entirely.

Their real ICP is defined by psychographics — what their customer wants and values:

• People who want live entertainment that happens to be baseball — not baseball fans who tolerate entertainment

• People who want the whole experience to be frictionless and fun

• People who don’t want to sit through a 3.5-hour game most of us don’t fully understand

Once they got clear on that — the mindset, not the demographic — every decision became obvious. The trick plays. The time limit. The all-you-can-eat buffet. The clean bathrooms (yes, that’s a marketing decision).

THE B2B VERSION OF THIS MISTAKE

Most B2B companies define their ICP the Bananas’ way they almost got it wrong: by firmographics.

“We work with mid-market manufacturing companies in the Southeast.”

Okay — but which mid-market manufacturing companies? The ones with a VP of Sales who’s been burned by three agencies and is finally ready to fix their messaging? Or the ones who think they just need more ads?

Those are completely different customers. One will get results and refer you to everyone they know. The other will turn churn in six months and blame you for it.

The firmographic ICP doesn’t tell you that. The psychographic one does.

WHAT A REAL ICP LOOKS LIKE

A strong ICP answers:

• What specific problem are they trying to solve? (Not the surface problem — the one keeping them up at night)

• What have they already tried? (And why didn’t it work?)

• What do they value in a partner? (Speed? Expertise? Someone who just handles it?)

• What does success look like to them? (And are you actually set up to deliver it?)

When you can answer those questions clearly, your messaging writes itself. Your website speaks directly to the right person. Referrals happen naturally because people know exactly who to send your way.

THIS WEEK’S REALITY CHECK:

How does your company define its ideal customer? If the answer is mostly firmographic — industry, size, location — go one level deeper.

What does your best client believe about marketing that makes them a dream to work with? What had they already tried before they found you? What were they frustrated about?

That’s your real ICP. And it’s worth getting on paper.

Reach out if you want to think through it together. It’s one of our favorite conversations to have.

→ Book a discovery call: [schedule here]

Talk in two weeks,

Emma

Currently:

🍌 Cheering on the Bananas (if you ever get the chance — go)

🏟️ Genuinely proud to live in a city where this is our local team

📋 Helping clients get past the firmographics and find their real ICP

P.S. The Bananas didn’t get famous by appealing to everyone. They got famous by being everything to a very specific someone — and being ruthlessly clear about what that person wants. There’s a lesson in there for all of us.