What does your target audience desire? What kinds of products do they want? What type of services do they expect? These are questions every business wants to know.
Marketing seeks to find the answers to these questions. Marketing can concern itself with your target audience rather than directly with your products and services. What and how do they want products and services?
Be social
Do not be shy. Sometimes it is advantageous to get out in the public and ask them what they want. Are you a provider of
phone systems? Have you tried visiting businesses in need and inquiring what would work best for them? Businesses will be more than happy to tell you what type of products and services they want.
Be biased
Having a target audience means not all apply. Your target audience is comprised of people which your products and services are made for. Do you realize it doesn’t stop there? You can get even more specific. If you are a
search engine optimization company, is it possible to tailor your services differently to a t-shirt company and a financing company? Of course it is possible.
Description
How are you describing your products and services? A huge mistake made by companies is singing the praises of their products/services without having their target audience in mind. How will your product/service help the target consumer? You need to structure your marketing with the consumer’s needs in mind. If you are a
business consultant, you need to describe relatable scenarios which describe why the target audience would need consulting. You then would present your services as the solution to their problems.
The other guys
Pay attention to your target audience’s reaction to your competition. What do they like and dislike? If you are a
fulfillment company, you would want to pay attention to how your competition takes orders, stores products, addresses returns, etc. Can you improve upon what they do well and omit what they do wrong?
Become a student
How well do you know the behaviors of your target audience? Where do they shop? What radio stations do they listen to? What newspapers/magazines do they read? Businesses often think plaguing society with their ads will give them a good return on investment. You do not have to mass market; you only have to market where your audience is. An
IT service provider will be better off advertising in computer magazines than buying an ad in the New York Times.
