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March 2008
Marketing Tips You Can Use:
Your Target Market
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Often when I ask clients who their target market is, they tell me, "Everybody!" But the truth is that most businesses should not be trying to market to everyone. It's much smarter to take time to figure out who your ideal clients or customers are so you can carefully target your marketing efforts. Figuring out your market niche is going to save you time, money and frustration.
Let's get started! |
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Targeting Your Ideal Client
Give each of the questions below some quality thinking time, and write down your answers. As you do, you'll see a picture of your target market take shape.
1. What group of people is in the most need of your services or products?
2. Who can afford to pay what you need to charge for your services or products?
3. Who is most likely to provide you with repeat business or refer you to other clients?
4. What sort of people do you most enjoy working with?
5. Where are you already known?
6. Where do you already have a lot of contacts?
7. Who are your current clients or customers?
Once you've answered Questions 1-6, define your target market by demographics. Consider each of the following, again writing out your answers.
- Age
- Gender
- Family Status (single, married, children, aging parents, etc.)
- Occupation
- Income Level
- Educational Level
- Location (how close to where you do business do they live?)
- Interests and Hobbies
By now you should have a pretty good profile of your ideal client or customer. You can use this information in all of your marketing endeavors--everything from brochure and website design to deciding which networking organizations to join. The better you get to know your target market, the more successful you will be.
For networking purposes, you should be able to describe your services and target market in just a few sentences or phrases. Here are some examples:
An interior designer: I provide staging services for home sellers and real estate agents selling luxury homes in the North County San Diego area.
Business coach: I provide coaching services for professional women who are starting new businesses for the first time.
Home Health Care Consultant: I provide families dealing with aging parents with advice and referrals for home health care services.
While you may not be able to narrow down your target market to one group of people, try to limit it to two or three niches. Of course you'll take clients or business from outside your target market, but focusing your marketing efforts rather than trying to market to everyone will maximize your efforts and resources. |
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Coming Next Month: Positioning
How do you stand out in a crowded field of people who do the same thing you do? Why should someone become your client or buy your products? Next month we'll talk about how to position yourself for success.
Wishing you a successful and creative month ahead,
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Serious about Marketing Your Business?
Join My Marketing Coaching Group! To help and encourage those of you who want to move forward in marketing your business, I'm going to start a weekly marketing coaching group. This will be a low-cost way to get help and advice as well as a way to network with and get the support of your fellow entrepreneurs. Time and place is to be determined. Space will be limited so I can provide you with as much individual attention as possible.
If you would be interested in joining this group, please reply to this email or call me at 760.436.8848. |
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About Excoveries
Judy Balian and her Excoveries team offer practical, cost-conscious marketing solutions for small businesses, consultants, holistic practitioners and inventors.
Our services include confidence-building business coaching, marketing strategy, copywriting, brochures, business cards, press releases, articles, websites, newsletters and logo design.
To contact Judy, email jbalian@excoveries.com or call 760.436.8848. |
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