How to be a Market Sniper
No Comments// Posted in Uncategorized by admin on 08.30.10.
photo courtesy of peacoq’s
One of the most frequently overlooked elements of small business marketing is focus. Most small businesses are willing to take any customer or job that will bring in a little money. However, this often comes at the expense of the companies goals, and their brand image. Most small businesses take the shotgun approach to marketing and fire at anything that moves. Their shot may hit a lot of things but it’s not accurate, it’s not measurable, and therefore it’s never consistent.
The number one rule of success: focus. Focus like a sniper.
Managers and owners would be wise to do the exact opposite of this approach and shoot with sniper rifle accuracy. If you want to get your brand to grow (and have a specific place in the prospects mind) then you need to learn to focus.
How do you focus your marketing?
Zero in on your ideal customer – who do you want to be serving? Think about it. Better yet, write it down. Here is a list of questions to answer on paper.
Your Ideal Customer:
- What’s their name? (make one up)
- How much money do they make?
- What do they look like?
- What’s their demeanor?
- How many children do they have?
- Are they married?
- How happy are they?
- etc, etc,etc.
After you have created your core customer on paper, and have a perfectly clear vision of the person you want to be serving answer these four questions.
- What is their end goal; their long term goal? (If you know this then you can focus on how your product or service can facilitate that end goal)
- What do they want now? (With this knowledge you can focus on their base desires at the time of the purchase)
- What are they afraid of? (why would they be nervous to buy from you)
- What are they used to? (If your core customer is 70 years old then online advertising may not be the best direction. If your customer is a teen then social media may be the best place to advertise)
These are the types of sniper focused questions you should be asking. Then go create a marketing plan that fits this customer. A funny thing happens when you take this approach to attracting customers, not only will you attract this customer, but you will attract customers who want to be like your ideal customer. (think of the new oldspice branding)
When you take the time to think about this approach it’s rather amazing… you get to pick who your customer is! You pick how much money they make, how much they spend on your product, their attitude toward your product, etc. If you create a marketing plan in this way you will attract these like minded customers, and you will be amazed at how your business grows. Drop the shot gun and pick up a rifle.
- Stewart
