HOW TO MASTER TARGET MARKETING – IN 5 EASY STEPS
Target Marketing is not just one of those overused corporate terms that should be put to bed. It’s used so often because it really is that important. It can turn your marketing from a diluted wishy-washy effort that wastes endless money, into a business-building machine. But people are often stumped at where to start, and are not sure how to become more savvy with their messaging.
It’s what the big businesses do, so why not apply these established techniques to your own business. Let’s begin.
STRIKE A CHORD
It’s all about striking a chord with your audience. So you need to be selling your products or services in a way that grabs their attention. You want them to think your products or services are exactly what they need or were looking for.
Where to start? It’s really not that hard but just takes a few simple steps to master according to SLC website design company.
AUDIENCE SEGMENTS
You can start with this mini exercise. First write down your different target audience groups, or segments as you may have heard them called before. If you’ve never done this before then you will be upping your game dramatically just by learning more about your audience.
Here’s an example; if you sell baby clothes online then your audiences might be: 1) Expectant Mums 2) New Mums 3) Proud Grandmas 4) Loving Friends. It won’t be the baby and it’s less likely to be men. Expectant mums and new mums are in very different stages and mindsets (as us mums know) so they need to be different segments all together.
If you can try and categorise your audiences into no more that 4 or 5 groups then you will be making your life easier already. Now we need to get into their mindset…
GET INTO THEIR MINDSET – 5 SIMPLE STEPS
According to companies like Victorious, this brief exercise will strengthen your marketing so quickly. All of a sudden you will understand the importance of, yes, you’ve guessed it, ‘Unique Selling Points’. And you will be able to start mastering ‘Target Marketing’.
Do this exercise for each of your different audience groups.
1) What is going on in your customer’s world that makes them need your products of services?
2) How can you help your customers achieve the above, or how can you solve their problems/needs (your unique selling points specifically for this audience)
3) What do we want our audiences to specifically think and feel about our business in order that they purchase from us?
4) How would we summarise our benefits to this customer segment in one sentence?
5) Where is this audience hanging out? Where can I reach them with my target marketing? Online? Social Media? Groups? Networks? Etc.
Here’s an example to help you get started. It’s based on our hypothetical ‘Expectant Mums’ audience segment:
What is going on in your customer’s world that makes them need your products of services? Really excited about their soon to be new born baby. Want to spoil them rotten. Want to care for their precious newborn skin. Want them to look adorable. Too exhausted to shop (it’s exhausting just before you give birth). Nesting and getting everything ‘just so’. Preparing for after the baby is born so they can concentrate on loving cuddles (not shopping). Sitting at home and waiting for baby to arrive – dreaming about what life is going to be like.
How can you address their needs/wants or solve their problems? A range of boys and girls baby organic cotton clothing. Order and receive within 48 hours and receive a free ‘new born organic nappy rash cream. Free return on all baby clothes. We care about your baby’s skin – enjoy our range of adorable organic clothing.
What do we want our audience to think or feel? That we care and are aware of how precious and sensitive new born babies are. That we source organic fibres to design beautiful clothes that are soft to touch and kind to skin.
How would we summarise our benefits in one short sentence or statement? Adorable organic baby clothing – soft to touch and kind to skin.
Where is the best place to reach this audience? Online shopping. Social media (pregnancy groups). Antenatal classes.
SUMMARY
So now you should have a feel about how you can create messages that target your different audience segments. You should also be better equipped to think about where you can market to them effectively e.g. online, via email, social media etc.
Do this exercise for each audience type and then start to implement these messages into your everyday marketing.
Don’t forget – if you are not targeting your different audiences with specific messaging then you are simply throwing mud against the wall and hoping some of it sticks.
Go forth and be effective – I know you can do it.
NEED HELP TO START YOUR TARGET MARKETING?
If you’d rather have a cuppa and a cake and let someone else do the leg work then get in contact. We would love to help.