Who do you need to talk to?
Contrary to popular opinion, your target market is NOT everyone. Can this really be true? How much time and money will it cost to reach ‘everyone’? At best you would probably end up with a message too general to be relevant to everyone, so you’ll end up with no one!
It’s better to think about your ideal customer. Look at your best customers and ask:
- What industry are they in?
- Where are they based?
- What problem do you solve for them?
- How much do they spend?
- What do they have in common?
With answers to these questions, you can start to target more of the same. Be as specific as you can. It will pay for itself in the long term as you will avoid wasting time and money on “spray and pray” marketing.
It is good to target a company, but really you are looking for one person – the one who has the authority and budget to buy from you.
Once you understand whom you are targeting, you can be specific about your message and tailor it for the individuals you want to work with. Define your target market as closely as you can and it will cost less to reach them and your message will be appealing, dynamic and relevant.
With a pen-portrait of your ideal customer, it’s time for Stage 3: Making a list of prospective targets.
