Who are your Ideal Target Audience?

Narrowing your focus to one primary group of people is often difficult for small business owners. They want to help everyone and very often their product or service can help a variety of people.

It also goes against human nature to narrow your focus in order to grow a business. Common sense seems to tell us if we want to grow our business big, we need to appeal to more people.

In reality the opposite is true. When we narrow our focus to a particular group of people, we become an expert in solving their particular problems. We get to know them very well and we can develop additional products and services to fill their needs.

So how do you decide to whom to market?

Here are some tips:

1. Think about the type of people who can MOST benefit from what you have to offer.
2. Think about who you would most enjoy helping or working.
3. Think about the type of people who will be easiest to reach, AND who will be most receptive to what you are selling. These will be people who KNOW they have the problem you can solve and are LOOKING for a solution.
4. Know that just because you select a particular group of people to focus your marketing on, does NOT mean you can't help others who may come to you. It only means you are going to focus your proactive marketing efforts on the target group you select.
5. Lastly, don't over-think it. Listen to your gut, pick a group you feel you can really help, and proceed with the development of your marketing plan. Marketing is a fluid process. The important thing is to start. You can always refine your audience and your plan later as you learn more. 

Use our marketing kits to reach your target audience!

Marketing Effectively Even If No One Understands What You Do

So how do you effectively market your product or service when no one knows anything about them because you are in a new and emerging industry? How can you expect to get customers if no one understands what it is that you do?

If this is your situation then a big part of your marketing strategy will need to be educating consumers about what you do. If yours is a field that is relatively new, or perhaps misunderstood, adopting an education strategy can help consumers understand the benefits you provide and feel more comfortable with the idea of purchasing your products or services.

Educational marketing is best done through vehicles where you have space or time to fully explain your product or service and the benefits it provides. Or perhaps even to debunk some common misconceptions.

Publishing a newsletter, blog or ezine, and writing a regular newspaper or magazine column are great ways to educate and generate positive awareness.

Make sure your web site content clearly explains what you do. Provide free Special Reports so prospects can learn more.

Conduct free seminars or teleseminars, or provide consultations so prospects can meet you and hear more about how your product or service can help them.

Your marketing goal should be to get as much educational information out to your prospects as possible. Once they begin to understand what you do, they will be more open to your product or service.

They’ll also appreciate all the information you have provided. And, you will have earned their trust. People tend to do business with those they know and trust, or those who help them. So odds are if they are in the market for a product or service in your category you’ll be the one to get their business.