One of the most important steps in marketing your small business is identifying exactly who your ideal customers are. Without a clear understanding of your target audience, you run the risk of wasting time and money marketing to the wrong people. Yikes!
Luckily, there are some simple yet powerful strategies you can use to get crystal clear on who your products or services are best suited for. Ready to find your people and stop shouting into the void? Let’s do this!
Get Specific With Customer Profiles
Start by getting clear on WHO is most likely to become a loyal customer. Are they male or female? A certain age range? Located in a specific area? What values and interests do they have? What problems could your business solve for them?
Creating one or more fictional customer “avatars” based on your ideal clientele will help you visualize and understand your target market on a deeper level. Give them a name and get as specific as possible!
Analyse Your Current Customer Base
Look at who your current customers are. What common demographics and psychographics do they share? Where did they come from? Do they represent your ideal clients, or are they more general consumers? Any patterns here will provide useful insights into your niche.
Conduct Market Research
Dive into market research to uncover data about customer demand, habits, and competitors in your industry niche. Useful resources include Google Trends, SEMrush, Social Media listening tools like Sprout Social, and good ol’ Google searches. Let the data guide your focus.
Ask For Feedback
Don’t forget the human element! Ask existing customers what they value about your business and why they chose you over competitors. Reach out to past leads or prospects who didn’t convert and ask why. Sometimes a quick targeted survey can provide market insights straight from the source.
Once you’ve analysed the data from multiple angles, you should start to see a target audience emerge. Refine your customer profiles based on these learnings.
Get Your Message In Front Of Your Target Audience
Now the fun part begins – putting your messaging and marketing in front of your niche! Here are some tips:
- Identify where your audience hangs out, both online and offline. Join related Facebook Groups, get advertising on niche podcasts, sponsor local events…get creative!
- Optimize your website content, SEO, and blog for keywords your niche uses in searches.
- Create specialized landing pages, offers, or packages tailored to your target customer needs.
- Develop targeted email lists and sales funnels to nurture leads from your niche.
The more precise you get with your marketing targeting, the better your conversion rates will be!
Focusing on a niche target audience may mean turning some business away, but it’s worth it. You’ll be able to provide tailored value to the customers you serve best. When you can solve a specific problem for a specific audience, your business becomes indispensable rather than forgettable.
Have questions on identifying your ideal target market? Reach out! I’m always happy to help small businesses thrive. Here’s to an outrageously awesome 2023!
