Identify your target market
Everybody is not a target market.
If you are asked who your target market is, and you find yourself using the word ‘everybody’ anywhere in your response, then this post is for you.
Without question, the most successful businesses that we speak to are the ones that really understand, know and love their target market.
Your target market are the people whose particular need you are fulfilling with your product, service or business.
These people, who are for the moment, potential customers, share one or more characteristics that identify them as having the kinds of needs that your business can solve a problem for, or provide a product or a service that adds value to them in some way. They may not even be completely aware that they have this need, yet.
What was your starting idea? What inspired the product or service and became the purpose of it’s existence? Chances are, it solved a particular problem or filled a need - potentially even a gap in the market.
So why can’t ‘Everybody’ be a target market? Perhaps you have the ultimate product - one that crosses all the usual boundaries of gender, age, geography, usage.
Take toothpaste for example.
You’d think that would definitely have a target market of ‘everybody’ wouldn’t you? Well, no. Next time you visit a supermarket, take a look at how much diversification in product you get, even within the same brands, (not to mention the competition!) for this seemingly, straightforward, functional product that everyone should be using. What do I mean by diversification? I mean there is a toothpaste for all kinds of people, as opposed to everybody.
There are fresh breath toothpastes, toothpastes for sensitive teeth, coloured stripes, tartar control, whitening, stain removing, dentures, natural, fluoride, gum protective, different aged children’s toothpaste, flavoured toothpaste, all in ones, small, medium or large sized toothpastes, toothpaste pumps ...and so the list goes on, and so it will go on as long as the manufacturers identify slight differences in what people want and need in a toothpaste.
Everybody does not need your product and service. Someone needs it.
Someone who is of a particular age, mindset, experience, with certain kinds of income, and quite possibly in a particular geographic area. They may be experiencing a particular life event, have family, or none at all. They use specific kinds of transport, do a certain kind of work, and enjoy some form of entertainment or leisure. And that’s just scratching the surface. What do they think and feel? What is their world view? How do they like to buy products and services? What other kinds of things do they buy? Do they travel? How will they use your product? What kinds of after-sales service will they need? There are infinite questions you could answer to learn more about your ideal customers, and every single answer defines your audience more clearly.
Don’t be tempted to answer ‘who is your target market? or who do you sell to?’ with a sentence beginning with ‘everybody...’.
Be specific. You don’t even have to be niched, although that makes finding your customer even easier. Just know why your ‘toothpaste’ exists - it is bought by a somebody who wants those particular features and benefits that suits their needs best.
Name your somebody. Draw a picture of them. Know them, love them. They are your current and future customers, and if you understand what they need by learning more about them, chances are they will be loyal to you and your products too.
Bronwyn Durand writes Marketing Voodoo for JupiterJasper, the Marketing Mentor for small businesses.
Before entering into any marketing campaign, there are several questions we ask our clients.
The two most important are:
What is yout target market?
What are your campaign objectives?
It helps us craft effective messages and helps ensure their success.
Besides, if everyone really is your target market, imagine how big your budget would have
to be.
I like comment about the size of your budget relative to the size of your target market – you’d think it was obvious, but I think that is a useful reality check for any business not being very specific about their target market. Good one, thanks.
I see this point of “Everybody is not a target market” as being one of the hardest to grasp for small business’s that are focused on numbers. The moment you achieve being able to describe your target market constructively, you move close to understanding your potential client base, knowing what they need and how they should go about getting it. Saying “Everybody” is liking throwing a blunt dart, its bounces of more often than not, be sharp about your target and you will hit the make more often. Good article Bronwyn, definitively worth a Tweet.
Thanks David! Great comment. The lure of the numbers is a challenge we frequently come up against. Particularly when it comes to things like mailing lists – the idea that it is critical to email, mail or telephone as many people as possible in order to get sales is just plain wrong. If your list is all based in the wrong geographic area, or the address is directed to someone that isn’t the right decision maker – you may as well have thrown away your money. There is a entire school of thought that has evolved around what percentage of misses are acceptable. Why have them at all? Start with the ideal target market, and you’ll discover ways that you can reach them particularly and successfully.
So true! And really well described. I recently led a seminar with the Bra Lady network about marketing. Some are focusing on pregnant & breastfeeding Mums, others on ladies who’ve had a mastectomy and/or older ladies who may be house bound.
Even though they all said “Oh yes!” when I said it was unlikely the ladies in nursing homes would find them by searching google, they got the point!
We may well be selling bras4all, but each bra is suited to a different niche.
I’ll be passing the BraLady team this way to read this to reinforce our seminar! Thank you 😉
Thanks for your comment. So true – and with bras, many of the ladies in your target audience niches may not even realise that they could have the convenience and luxury of attention in having someone come to their home to fit and select the kind they like. Going in store can be such a pain – battling to find the right size, design, and even then you may not have a particularly helpful bra fitter. All of which must be all the more frustrating if you battle with mobility. I imagine there are all sorts of ways that the Bra Lady network would have to discover to reach ladies discretely and confidently – from the W.I. to local or community media. Nicely made point about Google – not everyone is search-happy, yet.
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Before entering into any marketing campaign, there are several questions we ask our clients.
The two most important are:
What is yout target market?
What are your campaign objectives?
It helps us craft effective messages and helps ensure their success.
Besides, if everyone really is your target market, imagine how big your budget would have
to be.
I like comment about the size of your budget relative to the size of your target market – you’d think it was obvious, but I think that is a useful reality check for any business not being very specific about their target market. Good one, thanks.
I see this point of “Everybody is not a target market” as being one of the hardest to grasp for small business’s that are focused on numbers. The moment you achieve being able to describe your target market constructively, you move close to understanding your potential client base, knowing what they need and how they should go about getting it. Saying “Everybody” is liking throwing a blunt dart, its bounces of more often than not, be sharp about your target and you will hit the make more often. Good article Bronwyn, definitively worth a Tweet.
Thanks David! Great comment. The lure of the numbers is a challenge we frequently come up against. Particularly when it comes to things like mailing lists – the idea that it is critical to email, mail or telephone as many people as possible in order to get sales is just plain wrong. If your list is all based in the wrong geographic area, or the address is directed to someone that isn’t the right decision maker – you may as well have thrown away your money. There is a entire school of thought that has evolved around what percentage of misses are acceptable. Why have them at all? Start with the ideal target market, and you’ll discover ways that you can reach them particularly and successfully.
So true! And really well described. I recently led a seminar with the Bra Lady network about marketing. Some are focusing on pregnant & breastfeeding Mums, others on ladies who’ve had a mastectomy and/or older ladies who may be house bound.
Even though they all said “Oh yes!” when I said it was unlikely the ladies in nursing homes would find them by searching google, they got the point!
We may well be selling bras4all, but each bra is suited to a different niche.
I’ll be passing the BraLady team this way to read this to reinforce our seminar! Thank you 😉
Thanks for your comment. So true – and with bras, many of the ladies in your target audience niches may not even realise that they could have the convenience and luxury of attention in having someone come to their home to fit and select the kind they like. Going in store can be such a pain – battling to find the right size, design, and even then you may not have a particularly helpful bra fitter. All of which must be all the more frustrating if you battle with mobility. I imagine there are all sorts of ways that the Bra Lady network would have to discover to reach ladies discretely and confidently – from the W.I. to local or community media. Nicely made point about Google – not everyone is search-happy, yet.