Tip 190) Know thy customers!

While this seems like common sense, I've come to realise that sense is not always that common :-) (Members of The Bristol Small Business Network excepted of course!)
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One of the first rules of marketing is knowing your customers. Inside-out and back-to-front. When I ask most people who their target market is, they usually say something along the lines of "anyone with a pulse?". No, no, no!

The more specific you are about your avatars (just a posh word for perfect customers!), the better. Yes, you can have more than one avatar, but you will need to do this exercise for each of them. The more you know, the more you’ll understand how best to market to them.

Your marketing has to talk directly to them. For each perfect customer group, think about:

• ​How old are they?
• Are they male or female?
• What job do they do? 
• How do they spend their working day?
• What do they do on weekends?
• Where do they do on holiday?
• What books or magazines do they read?
• Where do they live? Do they own or rent? 
• What is their income?
• What is their disposable income?
• What do they do in their spare time for fun?
• What are their worries and concerns about life?
• Why do they buy your product or use your service?
• What need or desire are you fulfilling?
• What problem are you solving?
• What are their values?
• What are their goals and ambitions?
• What keeps them awake at night?
• What is their name?

If you’ve been in business for a while, look at your current customers for inspiration (assuming you want more of them!). If you are just starting out, think about who you’d want to work with. 

Only after answering the above questions can you starting creating marketing and copy that talks directly to your perfect customer. Businesses often make the mistake of trying to be everything to everybody. But 'everybody' is very difficult to market to. The more specific you are, the easier it will be to grab their attention.

Keeping you educated ;-)

Jo x
 
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