Before a new business can set up a marketing strategy, the very first thing it must do is determine who its target customers are, else, all of their efforts in their upcoming marketing campaign will be for nothing and gather next to no results. While it may seem simple to pinpoint your ideal customer, sometimes you can end up making assumptions that aren’t actually true, and if you don’t get your target customer base right, your marketing efforts will be focused on the wrong people.
Fortunately, there are some tried-and-true ways for a business to determine who its target customers are. Here are seven effective strategies for identifying your target customers.
1. Consider Product Popularity
One of the best ways to determine your target audience is to look at the popularity of your products or the demand of your services. If you have an online pet store for example, and over 60% of your sales are cat-related products, then you just learned a valuable piece of data about your target audience. Examine your sales and feedback reports to see what kind of products people like and how you can exceed their expectations.
2. Use SEO Tools To Analyse Site Visitors
Search engine optimisation (SEO) tools can tell you a lot about the people visiting your website. You’ll learn about the keywords and phrases that people online use when they land on your site. You’ll also get related questions that tell you what people are thinking. An added advantage of using an SEO platform is that you can analyse your competition too. Do an analysis of their website and learn about the keywords they rank for and what pages get the most views. You’ll get valuable information about your customers, their needs and how to help them with better content.
3. Leverage Customer Data
If you already have existing customers, you can use their data to determine your target audience and learn more about who you’re marketing to. You can use a customer relationship management system (CRM) to store and analyse user data and keep it organised (this is what we do!). Some of this data includes names, email addresses, phone numbers, previous purchases, previously viewed items, opened emails and much more. The more customer data you collect, the easier it is to identify your target market so you can improve your campaigns and content.
4. Get Your Product In Users’ Hands
Get your product into the hands of your customers for small sales as profitable lead magnets. It may sound silly, but selling products on eBay, Etsy and Amazon is an incredible way to figure out who your target customers are while leveraging the platforms to get your brand in front of eyeballs and in customers’ hands. Getting your product in the hands of end users, keeping them happy and welcoming feedback will help you design and market products specific to the large organisations they work for, and your products can end up supplying thousands of large businesses.
5. Check Out Your Competitors
Visit a competitor’s store or website to learn about their target audience. Who are your competitors targeting? Who are their current customers? While that will give you some idea of who your audience is, it will also give you an idea of who they are missing. You might be able to find a niche market that they are overlooking. You’ll also be able to see what areas aren’t working for them. Ask how you can improve it. Look at their social media platforms. Examine what type of people like their posts and what type of content attracts a lot of attention. Keep in mind that your audience is not static. Your target audience will evolve as the economy, technology and your company grow. While you don’t want to stalk your competition, be aware of how they are changing in light of these factors.
6. Listen To Social Media
A good way to learn more about your audience is to look at the questions they pose on social media and forums. It can tell you a lot about their pain points, why they need help and their overarching goals. You can identify your target market based on their needs rather than a demographic factor. You learn best from listening closely and learning what people are saying online.
7. Create Buyer Personas
When identifying your target audience, it’s important to create customer profiles, or buyer personas. These profiles include crucial information about your customers, such as buying habits, age, location, pain points, education, income level, lifestyle and more. When you’ve compiled a few customer profiles, you’re able to get a clearer picture of who they are and how your business can tend to their needs. You also learn more about their interests so you can continue to create relevant content, products and services.
Here at Alpha Response, we follow all of these steps to ensure your direct mail campaigns are delivered with efficiency and effectiveness. Be sure to contact us today for more information or for a free quote.
