Target Audience Definition

Many businesses find it quite difficult to clearly state who their customers (current and potential) are and use a very loose description.  Why does it matter?  Because knowing who they are, what they like along with their needs and desires will feed into what you sell and how you sell it.

Magazines in particular are very good at defining who their readers are so that potential advertisers have a clear idea who reads the magazine.  Marie Claire magazine (http://www.marieclaire.co.uk) gives an overview of its readers on its rate card aimed at advertisers.      Have a look for yourself - http://www.ipcadvertising.com/resource/rz4ksj85kcxcpyz0p2rjo8li.pdf

-  68% ABC1 (this is the socio economic group)
-  Median age – 33
-  Appearance conscious
-  Spend a lot of money oh clothes, toiletries and cosmetics
-  Cannot resist expensive perfume/aftershave

Action Points

For your business, find out more about your customers/clients so that you can make sure that your products and services meet their needs and that your marketing is appropriate for that group. 

1.  For example, send a questionnaire to your customers/clients and find out more about them – how old are they, their age, gender, where they live etc.  Define who your customers are in general and/or for specific products, services or ranges. 

2.  Create a profile or a pen portrait describing who they are, their lifestyles, their social groupings, where they live, what they want out of life and the challenges that they face.

3.  For business clients, include additional factors such as sector, location, turnover, job title/function, number of employees etc

4.  Review your products and services - are they aligned with your actual and potential customers?  Make changes where necessary i.e. target your existing products/services to a new target audience or create new products/services for your existing target audience.   

5.  Examine the marketing and advertising activity that you currently use.  Do the media tools used for your advertising and marketing fit with the customer profile that you have created?  If not, research alternative media that is more suitable.

Opt In Email Marketing

Some businesses think that it is more important to have a bigger mailing list when in reality, it is the quality of the list that is most important. 

An element of quality can include spamming rather than getting permission.  The mistake that many small businesses make is to continuously send out emails without taking the time to ask the recipient if they actually want to receive them. 

Also, the source of the email addresses might not be from an authorised source and can be from unregulated direct marketing companies.  There are businesses that use dubious direct marketing methods and make spamming their business.

Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and clients, what scenario would you prefer? 

a)  To receive unsolicited information from a business that you have never heard of regarding a product or service that you have no interest in.

OR ….

b)  To ask to be sent information because you are interested in what a business has to offer or may have done business with them in the past and are interested in their future activities. 

How you choose to interact with potential and actual customers/clients has a direct correlation with the perception that they have of your business and brand.  Someone receiving spam email is less likely to open your email and if they do, will not be very responsive. 

So –

1.  Make sure that you get your email addresses from a reputable source.  The Direct Marketing Association has details of members who sell access to email lists in the UK - www.the-dma.org.uk

2.  If you use an email list that you have compiled yourself using public sources, ask the recipient to opt in to receive future emails.  Even if you have to ask more than once, just make sure that they do not receive emails on an ongoing basis if they have not explicitly agreed to it. 

3.  Make sure that you provide an option for recipients to ‘opt-out’ (stop) receiving emails from you.  Many businesses that spam do not provide any method or contact details for this to happen. 

4.  To save time, use an automated email service such as Aweber (www.aweber.com) or the UK based company Sign Up To (www.sign-up.to).   These services allow recipients to confirm their opt-in to receive further information along with clear links to opt out at any time.

Anticipating the Changing Needs of the Marketplace

It is a difficult predicament when the products and services that you successfully sold in the past suddenly become unwanted by your target market.  Many businesses keep doing the same thing but the needs of their customers have somehow changed.  This is a problem if you do not notice what is going on around you.

A booming market can disguise the fact that your share of the market is in fact in decline if you only measure your success by the revenue that your business generates.  If you have a desire to grow your business you must measure how well you are doing compared to your competitors and the size of the market as a whole.

Taking Woolworths as an example.  Most of us have childhood memories about buying something from that store – for me it was the pick and mix.  At its best, Woolworths was kind of the ‘go to’ store where it was possible to buy a range of items for the home or family.

But Woolies lost its way.  Many of its stores were unprofitable and Woolworths as a brand had no point of difference and no definable position in the market. 

Woolworth’s sold the same things as its competitors but was beaten on price by the veracious £1 stores found on every high street.  Products were often priced relatively high but Woolies could not compete with other aspirational brands.

Finally, a lack of specialism in any one area, which was key to the success of Woolies soon became one of the reasons for its failure.  Over time, an insufficient number of customers chose Woolworths as a destination point.

What Can You Do?

Spend a little time finding out what your customers and clients actually want and need and integrate it into your marketing strategy.  Don’t guess or assume – ask them.  Telephone them, send an email, send a questionnaire or use an online survey form.  Use the information that you gather to help to determine your next steps.