Targeting Marketing Messages That Hit Home

I live in a downtown condo. If a landscaping ad lands in my mailbox, I categorize it as junk mail from an undisciplined marketer. People with front yards need landscaping; people with cement terraces don’t. If a landscaper mails to high-rise buildings, the message is off target. The same goes for preschools that run ads in publications primarily read by retirees, or fine-dining restaurants whose ads reach dollar-deprived college students.

Such marketing materials really bug me, because misdirected marketing wastes the consumer’s time and the marketer’s money.

So how do you target your messages to the right audience — and make them effective? You compile facts about who is likely to buy from your business, how you’re most apt to make contact, and what message is likely to hit home. Here are some pointers to get you on your way:

Step 1: Identify your true potential customer
Don’t market to everyone; market to those who are likely to actually buy what you’re selling. Start by studying those who already buy from your business, since your prospects are likely to resemble your established customers unless you’re expanding into a new marketing niche.

To profile these potential customers — called “prospects” in the biz — marketers use three terms:

- “Geographics” refer to where they are.

- “Demographics” define who they are in terms of age, gender, income level, marital status, household composition, education and lifestyle.

- “Psychographics” tell what moves them based on their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors.

Step 2: Map your market
Pinpoint your market geographically so you know where to direct your efforts. Study customer lists, invoices and addresses on checks. Ask customers their ZIP codes. Note area codes on incoming calls. When you run ads, track the addresses of people who respond.

Also, think about where your customers aren’t, so you don’t waste money marketing to unlikely prospects. For instance, if customers arrive on foot, your market probably doesn’t reach beyond the perimeter of the circle they’re willing to walk — nor should your ads. If customers arrive in cars, the distance they’re willing to drive probably limits your market radius. For example, for years I helped market a ski resort. We called the area within a three-hour drive the “rubber-tire market.” Outside that distance we either didn’t market at all or marketed packages that included airline tickets.

Even if your customers buy online or from a distance — and may live anywhere — you’ll still benefit from learning where they concentrate, since that allows you to target awareness and message development.

Step 3: Profile your prospects
Compile demographic facts about your prospects so you’re clear about which people within your geographic marketplace you want to reach. That way, instead of marketing to everyone in your region, you can zero in on those who are actually apt to buy from your business.

Here are some questions to ask:

- Are customers male or female?
- How old are they?
- Are they students, college grads or Ph.D.s?
- How do they earn a living?
- What’s their income level?
- What do they do in their free time?
- What kinds of homes do they live in? Do they own or rent?
- Are they single or married? Do they have children living at home?
- What is their nationality, ethnicity, language?
- Are they members of professional or other groups?
- Do they align with certain kinds of lifestyles?

To gather information, observe your clientele. Ask questions. Collect information. The more you learn, the easier it’ll be to target and reach prospects. If they’re technophobes, bypass online marketing. If they’re country music fans, don’t run ads on the classical station. If they’re high-rise dwellers, rule them out as landscape prospects.

Step 4: Find out what moves your market
Psychographic information — about attitudes, beliefs, purchasing patterns and behaviors — helps you determine what to say to grab prospects’ interest.

- Do they buy on impulse or after careful consideration?
- Are they cost-conscious or driven by quality or prestige?
- Do they buy frequently or rarely? Do they buy in bulk?
- Are they loyal or do they shop around?
- Do they shop online?
- Do they rely on recommendations? Do they buy through agents or advisors?
- Do they have strong social, religious or political affiliations?
- What do they value?

Now, apply your knowledge
Once you’ve followed the steps above, you’re ready to create a marketing message that will truly hit home. You’ll know where to market, to whom to market, which marketing tools make most sense, what to say, and how to say it to get the very best return on your marketing investment. Let me know how it goes!

Barbara Findlay Schenck is a small-business strategist, the author of “Small Business Marketing for Dummies” and the co-author of “Branding for Dummies,” “Selling Your Business for Dummies” and “Business Plans Kit for Dummies.”