Target customer research is one of the most important processes of building a solid marketing and advertising plan for your business. You not only need to thoroughly understand who your audience is but their needs as well.
Not knowing who your target customer inevitably leads to wasted time, effort, and money. While it’s nice to think that every customer could benefit from your product or service, the simple fact is that this isn’t true.
Don’t focus on getting attention from consumers who will never become customers. Instead, figure out who wants, needs, and could benefit from what your business offers and run targeted marketing campaigns to reel them in.
What is a Target Customer?
Many businesses focus on identifying their target market, which is a broader group of customers defined by various factors, such as age, gender, or geographic location. While it’s crucial to know what your target market is, it’s even more important to know who your target customer is.
A target customer is a person that has been identified as someone likely to purchase your products or services. Unlike a target market, a target customer is much more segmented.
Target consumers have a huge impact on your business’ marketing plans. When businesses design campaigns to increase brand awareness and reach, it’s important to build them around your target consumer.
How to Identify a Target Customer
When identifying your business’ target customer, certain criteria must be met. For example, your target customer should have the buying power so that they can purchase your product or service.
Other important criteria include:
- A preference for your product or service
- A desire for your product or service
- An unmet need that your product or service fulfills
There are also specific attributes that you’ll want to understand about your target customer, including things such as demographics, lifestyle, and routine.
The bottom line is that your target customer should benefit from your business’ offering. It should also be a group that can afford your product or service, which in turn boosts sales and profits.
The Benefits of Knowing your Target Customer
Marketing campaigns aren’t cheap. After putting in the time, effort, and money, you expect a good return on investment. But no matter how catchy your marketing campaign is, if you aren’t reaching out to the right people, you’ll see little to no impact.
Not only do you want to reach your target customer, but you also want to do it in a way that resonates with them. For example, if you know that your target customer often uses Instagram, it wouldn’t make sense to run a campaign on some other social media network.
By knowing who your target customer is, you can expect successful marketing. This in turn means higher sales and profits. It also means increased brand awareness and reach.
If you have a general understanding of your audience or even if you don’t, Fat Guy Media can help you create targeted marketing campaigns that will deliver the best results. Contact our team of experts to guide you through the process!