Remember that guy, Jack of All Trades, who was master of none? If your business tries to appeal to everyone, your marketing will suffer from a similar lack of focus. Without a clear picture of whom you hope to reach, you risk losing them to more attentive competitors who have mastered the art of reaching these lucrative targets.
Impossible Dream
Creating marketing pieces that appeal to everyone is impossible. Word choice and the stories you tell will resonate with some and alienate others. If you do not make a conscious decision to aim at your target audience, then you may end up creating a variety of marketing messages that dilute your brand and fail to connect with those customers you hoped to reach.
Every marketing campaign should begin by identifying a specific customer. With a clear picture of this person’s attributes, likes, and fears, your company can create blog posts and marketing messages that speak directly to this target audience. Once you connect with these ideal customers with a clear brand statement, they will go on to help spread your message beyond the original demographic.
Begin with the Basics
To begin, you will want to draw up an ideal customer profile including specific details about:
- Age
- Gender
- Income
- Education
- Family Situation
A forty-year-old man with a high school diploma and three kids has a different worldview than a twenty-four-year-old woman enrolled in law school. The language they use is different, and they probably do not have the same fears and dreams. When you create your marketing pieces, the language you use will attract one more than the other. This is okay as long as you have chosen the right target.
Filling in the Details
Once you have the basics established, you can further flesh out your image of your target audience with details about the types of entertainment and cultural experiences this consumer seeks. He may watch football on Monday nights. She may visit museums on the weekend. They both might benefit from your products and services, but they do not respond to same messages.
The more you know about your ideal customer, the easier it will be to find the stories and references that will attract this audience. Do you know who your target audience is? Start with the simple exercise mentioned above to better understand your target audience and begin developing a marketing strategy to reach that audience.
