An exercise in getting to know your target audience
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Many small business owners struggle with promoting themselves. They know they need to get the word out so they start to think about advertising. There are so many options when it comes to promotions. Where should you advertise? Print? Online? On the side of a bus? The key to answering these questions lies with the answer to another question……Who is your target audience?
Let’s use an example and say your target market is moms. Well, a mom can be many other things. This is a large and diverse group of people so let’s try to break it down further. Let’s pick one mom to be your ‘ideal’ customer.
Where does she live?
What kind of income does her family have (remembering she often controls the family income)
What kind of house does she live in? Does she rent or own?
When she gets dressed in the morning what does she wear?
Where would she have bought those clothes?
What does she make herself for breakfast? Does she make a big family meal or just have coffee while trying to get her kids out the door. Or maybe she prefers to drink tea?
When she piles the kids in the car what type of car is it? A minivan? Crossover SUV or is it a 1989 station wagon?
Once the kids are at school where does she go? Home, work or to a yoga class?
Ok, so I think you see where I’m going with this. In order to reach your target audience you need to get inside the head of your ideal customer. Think about the places they go, the magazines they read and the websites they surf.
If she owns her home, wears sweats and drives that 1989 station wagon then I doubt she’s reading the newest issue of Vogue so don’t worry about how you’ll afford to advertise there. Maybe the local paper would be a better fit so she sees your ads while placing a classified to get rid of her wagon.
If she wears a dress suit, drives an SUV, works full time and grabs a Starbucks on the way she may be reading that issue of Vogue on her lunch break. That’s a pricey publication to get into so think about some alternatives. What about putting up a flyer at her favourite lunch stop (she likely eats out instead of brown bagging it) or sponsoring her daughter’s soccer team?
If you’re thinking it’s all a bit stereotypical then you’re right, it is. Being too narrowly focused isn’t right either but, it’s a great starting point. Once you have a feel for your ideal customer you can branch out a little to expand your audience. This will give you a bit of room for error and hopefully your message will reach its target and you will begin to see a return on your investment.
H.E.Eigler also blogs at Maternal Spark - a blog for creative moms.
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What a timely article! I am researching some fall/winter advertising opps. Thanks!