We may know that it’s not the most effective way to market to just try to reach everyone. The problem is, we just don’t know who are the right people for us to market to. How on earth do you figure out the best target group or groups for your business? Well, worry no more, because I am coming to your rescue ;)
The biggest clue to your ideal target group are your existing customers. Think hard. Who are your best customers? Which customers are a joy to work for, you love to work with and are great business. For most business you will find that 20% of the customers are their dream customer, and those 20% generate 80% of the income. Well, wouldn’t it make sense to find more of those?
If you are just starting your business, you may not know this yet. However, I am sure that if you think about it, you have some idea – and I can promise you, you will soon find out. Which people express more interest than others in what you are up to? Who do you think is likeliest to buy? Who would you love to work with?
Whichever way it is, try to think who are your best people and what they have in common. What identifies them. Then go out and find more like them :)
Irrespective of what business you are in, there are a few things that your dream customers will have in common:
- They have a need for your product or service and they realise that they have that need. It is not enough for you to think that someone needs something. If that person hasn’t figured it out yet, it is going to take quite a bit of effort to make them see it – so start with those that know it already.
- Find people that matter to you. It’s so much easier to market to people if you find that you care about them.
- Oh, and people that pay. On time, without hassle. Those are always good for business ;)
- If you have customers that buy a lot, or often, they’ll be a good target group.
- People that talk about you in a positive way are great customers. They will refer more business to you – and referrals are an extremely powerful marketing tool.
- You also want a target group that you can easily approach. Now this is twofold:
- You want someone that you can actually find and reach. Say that you figure out that someone who lives in a mountain cabin in the middle of the Amazon, with no internet connection and mail delivery every three months is hungry for what you offer, prepared to pay and loves to tell everyone they meet about you (even if they only meet a few monkeys in the forest :) … how on earth are you going to get in touch with them to communicate? OK, a bit exaggerated, but you get my drift ;)
- You also need to be able to speak their language. Not just literally, as in English, Spanish, French or whatever, but their lingo. If you are a 65-year-old male who has worked in a pin-striped suit at the bank all your life, chances are that marketing to teenage rappers is not a good bet (however, you may surprise me, and if you do, I really want you to tell me about it! :) I suppose you could say that this point is about finding “your kind of people” because they will be much easier for you to communicate with.
- Last, but not least, find people you love working with and love working for, because that is going to spread. Your customers will sense it and you will enjoy working with them. Everyone will be a lot happier.
Find the people that fit this criteria. You may only start with quite a small group, but it will grow fast because you’re talking to the right people, everybody’s happy, they will start to talk about you, others will hear about you from them and gradually the group will build and build and build. It’s going to spread, a bit like a virus.
Don’t make things harder for you than they have to be. Don’t try to talk to people who aren’t ready to listen. Find your dream customer, your ideal target group, and I’m sure you’re going to do well.
Who are your best customers? Tell me about them in the comments below :)