You may have heard the term “target market” or “target customer” thrown around in marketing or small business circles. And you may wonder… who is that? After all, isn’t everyone my target customer?
Although it might not seem logical, the truth is this: the more narrowly you can describe your target customer, the more likely you will help them realize that you have a product designed specifically for their needs alone. And what customer wouldn’t want that!
As the saying goes, “when you market to everyone, you market to no one.”
Looking at your most profitable customer is the way to determine the characteristics that will make up your target customer. They are the ones who will provide the most sales, be the easiest to work with, and refer you to others.
Think of it like this: if you want to go fishing, you’ll first need to choose first what type of fish you want to catch. In your case, the fish is your best customer, the one most likely to buy. You may have heard the saying that 80% of sales will come from 20% of your customers. Look at that 20%.
So the first step is to put together a detailed description of the person or group of people you want to sell to–your target customer personas.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD A FREE TARGET CUSTOMER WORKSHEET HERE
Identifying your personas sounds like an easy step, so very few business owners actually take the time to write them down. But doing that step is valuable.
I know I was guilty of not doing it early in my business. But when I finally wrote out who my personas were, my marketing not only got stronger, I was able to figure out what not to do. For example, When I really took a close look at my target customers, I realized that they didn’t use Twitter very much, so I was able to take something off my daily to-do list!
I also printed off and posted my target customer persona profiles on the wall above my desk, where I could look at it when I wrote a blog post or shared something on social media, I was able to focus on exactly who I was talking to and the problem they have.
Developing my personas allowed me to talk to my audience members like friends, having a cup of coffee with me. It created a more personalized experience for my customers.
So don’t be tempted to skip this step! If you’re not talking to the right customer, it will throw off your entire marketing plan. Use the buyer persona worksheet to help you decide who your best customers are, then fill in the diagram and post it where you can see it when you’re working on any marketing-related activities. Share it with others in your business too.
The more details you can identify about this customer, the clearer you will be with all of your marketing.
A few notes: You should also develop a persona for each product line you have. You might have several personas, or you might just have one. And you will likely have to update your personas as you go along as you get to know your customers a little better.
Are you ready to dig in? Download the worksheet and get started!
