KNOW YOUR TARGET MARKET

If I asked you “Who do you market to?”, “Who should you be marketing to?”, “Are they the same?”, what would you tell me? I’d imagine that many of you would say, “I don’t know”. A lot of my clients say “everyone” in our initial meeting. A lot of money is wasted on marketing because businesses don’t know who their most profitable customers are or what the best way to reach them is.

SO HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO TO TARGET?

1. Go back over your sales records and create a list of your current and past clients. This is your ideal target market – you simply need to get more customers like these! It really can be that simple. Are the male or female? Are they sole traders or businesses with greater than 50 employees? Profile your ideal customer from this list.

2. Everyone who inquires about your range or buys from you – put them on a list (name, address, phone number, date of purchase, what they bought, and email address, if appropriate) and use it to contact them on a regular basis. Profile the ideal customer from this list by identifying the difference between prospects and customers

3. Ask your existing customers for information on why they bought from you (via social media, in person or via email) And then use this information in your marketing material so it appeals to your target market (ie the same as your existing customers).

If your ideal customer is female, in her forties with children, then target your marketing message to appeal to her. Use colours, font and tone that she would like. Don’t have a message (or product/service) that appeals to the entire market. If you do, you’ll be a jack of all trades and a master of none.