Reaching Your Target Market

Not knowing who your target market is and what they want is like doing business blindfolded. You must determine who you will be marketing to or attempting to "connect with" before you decide what message you want to send.

Start by asking "Who is likely to buy my product or service?" You can determine—and locate—this target market by gathering information from personal observation, government studies, chambers of commerce, trade associations, trade periodicals, libraries and the media. Carefully look at your target market’s characteristics, including descriptors such as age, income, education, marital status, employment, buying habits, lifestyle characteristics and location. Avoid telling yourself that “anyone might buy my product or service.” Yes, anyone might do business with you, but you must define who is most likely to. The biggest marketing mistake is to try to be all things to all people.

Determining What Your Target Wants
Next, determine what your target market is seeking in a product or service such as yours. Besides studying your market and your customers, study your competitors and your competitors’ customers. Observe and ask questions. Find out what customers will respond to in your type of product or service. What is most important to them? What would motivate them? Once you determine what’s important to your target market, be prepared to “talk” to them about it. Develop a message that reflects their needs and priorities. In your research, for example, you may have identified numerous qualities or features of significance. Rank these, and focus on the two or three most important motivators to develop a theme for communication with your market.

Turning Motivators Into a Message
From the motivators you’ve identified, start with one or two words you want to associate with your business. From these words, develop either a motto or a tag line for your business.

"Fly the Friendly Skies," "We Try Harder" and "Do It Your Way" are all well known tag lines.

Once you have matched the most meaningful benefits of your product or service to your target market, use this as a theme throughout your entire business. Make sure it is reflected in all elements of your marketing mix—from printed materials to how you answer the phone.

Barbara Cunningham, CunninghamB@missouri.edu
Business Development Specialist
Clay County, Missouri
University of Missouri Extension