Let’s face it—most of us think we want our business to cater to a broad audience, but that’s not always feasible, effective, or even desirable. We’ve given you three reasons why everyone is NOT your customer, so who IS your customer then?
The reality is it may not be who you want, or who you think it should be. Sometimes, the people you envision as your ideal customers might not be the ones lining up to buy your offerings. For example, imagine you’re a personal fitness trainer specializing in high-intensity interval training. While you might imagine your target audience as young professionals aiming to get ripped, it could turn out that your most loyal clients are middle-aged folks looking to improve their overall health and mobility. Understanding this distinction can significantly impact your marketing strategy and overall success.
How do you really know who your customer is?
STEP 1: Identify your target audience
When you understand exactly who you are targeting with your products and services, you can give them what they’re looking for and increase your chances of making a sale.
Here’s how to get to know your target audience:
- Research: Gather insights from various sources, including marketing data, website data, customer data, online forums, and social media. Pay attention to common traits and behaviors that emerge.
- Engage directly with your past and current customers: Gain insights that go beyond surface-level data. Conduct surveys, host focus groups, or even pick up the phone and have a conversation—the more you understand your audience, the better equipped you’ll be to meet their needs.
- Test: Once you have a hypothesis about your target audience, put it to the test. Introduce your product or service to a select group and observe their reactions. This feedback will help you fine-tune your understanding of your target audience.
- Don’t stop at initial testing: Keep the conversation going with your customers. Actively seek feedback and listen to their needs to adapt and evolve your offerings to better serve them over time.
REMEMBER: While demographic information is valuable, it’s only part of the equation. To truly connect with your target audience, you need to delve deeper into their needs, preferences, and pain points.
Get some direction with our Digital Marketing Strategy Questions.
STEP 2: Create buyer personas
Buyer personas are fictional characters that represent your ideal customer, providing a deeper understanding of who your customers are and what they want. Ideally, these personas are based on the real data and insights gained from your existing sales and customers in Step 1.
Depending on your business, you’ll want to note characteristics like:
- Age
- Gender
- Marital status
- Geographic location
- Living situation
- Occupation
- Stage of life
- Education level
- Company size and type
- Values and fears
- Challenges they face
- Possible objections
- Goals
- Where they get their information
- Media they consume
- Income/budget for your services
Next, go beyond general demographic and descriptive information by thinking about the problem you’re best at solving for your audience. It may differ for each persona. If you run a dry cleaning shop, one persona may value your flawless work, while another appreciates quick turn-around times. The more specific you can get about the problem you solve best for your ideal customer, the stronger your marketing messaging as you show you understand what your customer cares about.
Once you’ve developed your personas, you can tailor your marketing efforts to resonate with these folks on a personal level. For instance, if you’re a software company targeting small businesses, your buyer personas might include “Savvy Startup Steve” or “Entrepreneurial Emily,” each with distinct needs and pain points that your product addresses.
STEP 3: Create a compelling value proposition
Armed with a clear understanding of your target audience, it’s time to craft a compelling value proposition. Highlight how your products or services address the specific needs and pain points of your target audience. Articulating the unique benefits you offer helps you differentiate yourself from competitors and attract loyal customers.
Here’s how to define your value proposition.
Do you feel like you know who your customer really is?
As we’ve said time and time again, success in business is not about appealing to everyone—it’s about connecting with the right audience in a meaningful way at the right time and in the right place. If you need help developing a digital marketing strategy that meets your ideal customers where they are, we’d love to hear from you.
