REACHING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

BUSINESS CHECK-IN

Having a target audience mindset is vital to any successful marketing campaign. These means that you are constantly thinking about what your customers want, who they are, and how you are likely to find them. Those working on the front lines and directly interacting with your potential and current customers must realize that they are the face of the organization, and often the only person that consumer will come in contact with. It is their responsibility to ensure they embody the mission of the organization and the image they seek to portray. These front line employees need to be trained not just on the process, but on how to properly interact and empathize with the patrons. Interaction is just as important for those dealing with potential clients.

Employees and management members must be constantly aware of the relationships they are building with those who are in need of our services. Customers need to see some type of benefit to choosing your organization rather than a competitor. The responsibility of demonstrating these benefits fall on the organization. This could mean ensuring you send out thank you cards, that you continue to offer them support and follow through with a service department, or possibly inviting them to an event in which you recognize and thank your customers. When customers feel recognized and appreciated it helps to strengthen the relationship they have with the organization. This improved relationship leads to referrals which we know are key to driving business and the lowest cost leads.

Give yourself a quick check to see if you have a target audience mindset. If you can’t answer these questions pretty quickly, you may want to spend some time thinking about them.

• Who is your ideal customer, your target audience? What group of people are you trying to reach to buy from your company? Are they young, old, singles, families, affluent or penny pinching?

• What is most important to my customer when they are buying what I am selling? What need, want or benefit does your product or service give them?

• Why should they choose you instead of your competitor? What makes you stand out from the rest? Keep in mind it doesn’t have to be something about your product. Is there something about your company, employees, mission or follow through that makes you a better choice or more in line with what is important to your customer?

Now check, is your current marketing going to reach that target group? Where are these groups looking and located? Are you there? If not it may be time to reevaluate your marketing plan. As a business owner from the top down we need to think like our customers and what matters most to them and focus on that.