How to speak directly to your target market

Every business needs a strong marketing strategy. But before you plunge into creating one, you should think carefully about your target market. A blanket messaging approach, through which you try to appeal to everyone and anyone, is a waste of resources unless you’re a global company with instant recognition and a universally attractive offering. For most businesses, it pays to be specific.

And we mean this literally. Knowing and honing in on your target market can save your company serious money as it will help you to strip out any wasted spending on unfocused advertising that might fall on deaf ears. Speak directly to people who are actually interested in what you’re doing and you’ll find you get better results in a shorter period of time.

In addition to this, knowing your target market inside out makes it easier to build a powerful connection with your customers, who will feel seen and heard in a positive way. In return, they’ll reward you with increased engagement and, ultimately, higher levels of customer loyalty.

So how do you connect with your target market? Just follow these steps:

1. Identify your current customer

It’s tempting to focus all your attention on new customers, but don’t neglect the ones who are already with you. Use tools like Google Analytics, social media analytics, online reviews and customer feedback to really get to know who is buying from you right now and why. This information can help you build opportunities to up-sell and find lookalike customers.

2. Focus on the problem

The next thing you need to ask yourself is: What problem am I solving for my customer? By considering what your customer needs and wants, you’ll be able to figure out if you’re providing them with the right product or service. Is it possible to tweak your offering or re-think the way you deliver it to encourage greater engagement?

3. Find your benefits

Take some time to do an objective review of your product or service and consider what you’re offering your customer using what you discover in the first two steps as a basis. Are there ways to adapt or expand your offering to improve the way you’re serving your current customers and solving their problems? How are you appealing to new customers?

4. Look for new markets

Don’t restrict yourself to the obvious. Think outside the box and explore any possible niche markets that could work for your product or service. Get creative and see if you can find ways to adapt your offerings to appeal to underserved markets – you might find yourself opening the door to unexpected future sales.

5. Consider your competitors

Knowing what you’re up against is essential in the business world, and any good marketing strategy should contain a thorough assessment of the market. Work out who else is doing what you do (or something similar) and who they’re targeting. Then figure out your point of difference. Maybe you do it better, faster or in a slightly different way. Whatever it is, it’s important to have a clear understanding of where you stand.

6. Work out your target customer

Finally, using all the information you’ve gathered above, put together a profile for your target customer. Consider all factors including their age, gender, lifestyle, location, income bracket, social media habits, media consumption, hobbies and interests and shopping habits. You can use this customer profile to create your marketing strategy, brainstorm creative concepts, target relevant audiences via paid media, and create community care guidelines. The more you know about the customers you want to speak to, the more successful you’ll be.

This might seem like a lot of steps to follow, but each one is essential to help you successfully target the right market for your service or product. And you don’t need to do it all alone. Our team at Awaken are experienced at helping our clients identify and effectively reach their target markets – and we would be delighted to help you. Get in touch with us today and we’ll set up a time to talk.