Connecting With Your Customer: Finding Your Target Customer

You’re pretty good at what you do, right? That’s a big reason why you went into business. No reasonable person starts an accounting firm if they struggle with math or opens a computer repair shop if they don’t know the difference between CMOS and a C prompt. 

You need to do more than just be good at something to stay in business though. You have to let people know that you’re good at what you do, and more importantly, that you’re good for them. In our series on Connecting with Your Customer, we’ll look at a number of ways you can form a strong, authentic bond with potential customers. The first step, of course, is to find said customer. And not just any customer either. You want to find your target customer.

Why not just target everyone? After all, the wider you cast your net, the more fish you’re likely to catch? It’s a wonderful idea, but your marketing budget isn’t unlimited. Like it or not, you’re going to have limited resources (time, money, energy, etc), and you must use them wisely. Targeting is the best way to ensure you get the best return on investment. The more specific you can make it, the better. Don’t just say you’ll target stay-at-home moms. Instead target stay at home moms with an income level at $50,000 or more who are interested in fine art. 

The first (and easiest) thing to do in order to narrow your focus is to look at your existing customers. Who are they? Do they have any common characteristics? Age? Income level? Education? Do they have any common interests? Why are they buying from you? What is it about your company that keeps them coming back? Of these people, which ones are your best customers? What do they have in common? It’s a good bet that there are more people like them, and now you have a good idea where to focus your marketing. 

Next, cross reference the characteristics of your desired market with your product list. You have a good idea of what these people want and how they like to buy. Which of your products best suits their needs? How can you package them to make them more attractive to these potential buyers? What types of appeals will best persuade them, and where do they get their information? You don’t want to spend a ton of time on an email campaign if all your customers are hanging out on Facebook.

There is a fine line, of course. You don’t want to narrow your focus down so much that no one fits your criteria, but you do want to be selective. The larger your marketing budget is, the wider you can cast your net, but there’s no sense throwing money away.

There are a number of ways you can find this valuable information. In addition to getting feedback from your existing customers, you can also check the online results from surveys others may have done of your target market. You also won’t be the only one after your particular market. Take a look at your competition and see how they’re going about pulling in their desired demographics.

Finding your target customer can be challenging, but once you do it makes the rest of your marketing strategy that much easier. You’re good at what you do, so use these marketing tips to let your ideal customer know. They won’t know unless you tell them.