Defining your target market is not about excluding people

Marketers are big on target market definitions, customer avatars, segmentation targeting – whatever you want to call it.  What I find when working with people trying to define the target market for their business, is that they are so often worried about excluding customers if they make the definition too narrow.

Don’t worry about it! Always remember that the purpose of defining your target market is to give you a clear idea of who you are talking to when you are developing products and marketing ideas.  BUT this is an internal document, its just for you, and for those trusted souls who work with you on your business.  It is so that all these people have a clear and succinct picture about who your business is for.

This is the thing about target market definitions that you need to remember, to alleviate any concerns you have of narrowing down a definition:

1. It is only for you, it is an internal document and your potential customers don’t know about it and they don’t select themselves based on this criteria.
2. A target market is supposed to be aspirational.

 

So, what I mean by this second point is that even if you define your target market as a person in the age group 25-35, you are not going exclude a 45 year old.  A brand is meant to be an aspirational thing.  If I see myself represented in the brand, and I am 10 years older than who they are targeting, it doesn’t matter, the brand appeal has reached me and touched me and so I am drawn to it, when the time is right.

Your target market definition might be a middle to upper socio economic group, but if I am in the real middle middle socio economic group, and I can relate to your brand, it is something that I aspire too and the fact that I don’t fit a certain criteria that is written in a fancy internal document of yours, is not going to stop me from going after what I want – your brand.

Why it is important to have a clear picture in your head of who your target market is:

1. It is important that you have a clear vision of who is going to buy your product – that you understand who the market is, what motivates them, what they need, what they want, where they are, and whats important to them.  For two reasons.  Firstly, if you don’t know them how can you design a product or service for them and secondly, if you don’t know them you will not now where to find them, and if you cant find them you cant communicate with them
2. By having a clear picture in your head of who your person is, you should be able to identify when you, your business, you team is going off on a tangent that is not relevant to your customer.  It provides you with a clear focus and vision to lead you through the maze that your business can sometimes become.

 

And don’t forget – your target market is an evolving thing – its not set in stone.  When the time is right you can and should reassess.  Is your product actually attracting this person, is so – great.  If not, do you need to reassess the product or the marketing communications, or perhaps you need to make a shift in the target market.  Just keep an open mind, things will always change, including this!

Some thoughts from me to help you define who your much loved customer is.

Kate