Post 1 of 4 in our Target Marketing series
“How you think about your customers influences how you respond to them.” – Marilyn Suttle, Success Coach
You know that your business is great, but how do you convert interest into buying customers?
If you are confident that your company has services that everyone can use but are perplexed or intimidated about how to build your customer base, you’re not alone.
This series of posts are written to help inspire you to grow your business organically and better understand who your target customer is. I will teach you about what a target market is and help you to describe what it is that makes the services that you offer unique. Finally, after identifying your customer, I will talk about ways that you can communicate this message to them in a way that makes them want to use your service.
Carpet Cleaning and Restoration are services that many people are familiar with and use on a reoccurring basis. There are few people that haven’t enjoyed the work that a professional cleaner has done.
Because these services are so widely used it can be tempting when asked to say that your target audience is “everyone.” However, if this is your answer, you are making a serious mistake in your approach to how you do business.
Some of the information in these posts may seem fairly basic, but I promise you that if you stick with them that you’ll be rewarded with ways that you can improve your value proposition.
Growing Your Business through identifying a target market
To run a successful business means that you provide goods or services that generate a profit and bring in cash flow. To do this you must go beyond merely having a good idea or providing something that people need- you have to identify who it is that wants to buy what you have to sell.
A target market is a group of consumers that shares particular characteristics known as demographics (age, sex, gender, race, location), and has unique needs and a shared view of the world, or psychographics (likes rock music, sports fanatic, consumer behavior, etc.).
It is easy to overlook the difference that these factors make, but not recognizing their influence can cost you both time and money. For example, if you’re selling your carpet cleaning service, chances are highly unlikely that you would target a college-aged student that rents, and isn’t a homeowner. They aren’t in a position where they would use your services, and if you marketed to them, you would be wasting your time.
On the other hand, if you are selling to a stay-at-home mom with three kids and pets, there is a great chance that your message would be significantly more valuable. This household is full of kids that drop crumbs and food all over the floor, and it is likely covered in spots of urine. Carpets are too expensive to easily replace, and it is important for homeowners to make them presentable for when guests come over.
Why is identifying a Target Market Important?
Marketing guru Roy H. Williams, a student of human nature, said, "The first step in exceeding your customer's expectations is to know those expectations." Williams understood the importance of communicating value to customers by showing them that you understand their specific needs.
Similarly, you can make the best kid’s shoes in the world, but you aren’t going to sell them to single millennials in their mid-30s that don’t have children. In a similar sense, you can try to sell your premium homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream made with your grandmother’s secret recipe in subzero degree weather from the back of your trunk in Wisconsin, but it’s too cold outside for anyone to want any ice cream.
In order for these two products to sell, they must be marketed to the right audience, at the right time, using the right message.
It is important to identify your target market for similar reasons. When you identify all of the people that you want to do business with you are able to give them effective reasons for them to be your customer. Even more importantly, if you are specific about who your target market is, you are able to help differentiate yourself and help your customers understand what makes you unique.
At this point, you might be questioning if there is something that actually sets you apart in your industry. Trust me-- there is!
Even if you are unable to think of what sets you apart right now, you can be assured that there are differentiating factors that, when explained properly, will make customers want to buy from you. Over the next few weeks, we will help you to have a better understanding of what these are.
Stick around to learn these things during the rest of this Series
Building out your client base is hard work, but is immensely rewarding when done right. I will teach you what it is that you can do to improve your customer base or build one if you are new to the industry.
Over the following weeks you will learn how to:
- Do a self-inventory to assess the strengths of what it is that you have to offer.
- Identify target customers that will be receptive to a marketing message about your services
- Understand the appropriate channel to use, and how to craft a message that the customers you have identified will be receptive to
Taking these steps will be invaluable as you grow your business. As you implement them, you will find yourself in front of more people that are interested in what you have to offer, and build a loyal customer base.
For now, start thinking about who your customers are. Who are the ones that you have been doing repeat business with? What are they passionate about, and why do they feel motivated to continue using you? As you think about a couple of different customers, brainstorm if there are any themes that come to mind. If there are, write them down, as they will come in use later.