How to Identify and Target Your Specific Market

By: Edison R. Guzman�
A&E Advertising and Web Design�

The number one mistake most business owners make when going into business is not targeting their specific market.

I’ve had clients complete my Marketing Audit Questionnaire only to learn that they have no clue of what a target market is, or how to identify it. So, let me explain what a target market is, and how you can identify it.

Last post, I explained what a Universe was and how it affected your marketing strategy. Now we must dig deeper and break it down even further into markets.

Let’s take the example of the shoe retailer. If the retailer specializes in orthopedic shoes for women, they should further break it down to the specific market the retalier will target. The exact market can be women who wear orthopedic shoes between the ages of 45 and 75, who have been to a podiatrist in the last 5 years, and live within a ten mile radius of their retail location. Naturally, because of the internet, this retailer no longer needs to only target locally, they can go world-wide, or at least within the United States or country they reside within.

Breaking it down as much as possible will help you target your market like a laser beam focuses on it’s target. So, how do you target your market like a laser beam does? You simply do so by addressing your advertising and marketing efforts to your market as opposed to the shotgun effect most businesses use today.

You see, most businesses advertise to the mass audience in the hopes that their intended market just happens to look at their ad and take it upon themselves to take some type of action. I hate to tell you, but you’ll increase response to all of your advertising and marketing efforts if you simply target your market.

I’ll explain: Using the same shoe retailer as an example, let’s say you want to attract maximum customers…wouldn’t it make sense to advertise in a publication that addresses women between the ages of 45 and 75 and had the possibility of visiting their podiatrist, rather than advertising in a generic newspaper that addresses the general public? Yes, it does. But which publications are there, and how do you find them is the question.

Off-line, you can consult your local yellow pages, or call your county’s Chamber of Commerce. You can also visit your local library and find a publication called the SRDS. This publication will reveal the publications that target your specific market. They cover traditional media – such as magazines, newspapers, television, direct marketing and radio. You can also find a list broker that can sell, or rent you a list that targets your specific market.

What if you don’t have a publication within your community that targets your market? You simply run ads in the most appropriate media and address the ad directly to your target market. For example, you can have a headline such as “If you are a woman between the ages of 45 and 75 and have recently seen a podiatrist…we have the perfect shoe for you”.

You can also say it like this, “Your Shoes Can Be Your Feet’s Worst Enemies”. Or how about, “Don’t Buy Another Pair of Shoes Until You Read This!”. Just make sure that the ad copy goes into further detail–addressing your targeted customer.

Advertising on-line will make your job even easier. You can create Google adwords, banner ads, text ads, Pay-Per-Click, or e-mail campaigns that address your specific market. But I’m getting ahead of myself. I will cover these strategies in much more detail in later posts.

There are many other ways to target your specific market and ways to identify it properly. You can visit www.HowToAttractCustomers.com for hundreds of tips on Affordable and Effective Ways to Attract Maximum Customers with Minimum Effort.

Now that you know how to target your market properly, In my next post, I will discuss How to Create Your Unique Selling Proposition in order to maximize your advertising message and company image.

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