The better you understand your target market, the faster your business will grow. But maybe you’re confused about what you should research. Or you have basic demographics and personas but it’s not translating into more sales.
Whether you’re an online business owner, startup founder or marketing VP of a Fortune 500, you’re immersed all day in your business. This can make it a struggle to gain an outside perspective on your customers.
Does Your Customer Want What You Have to Offer?
Developing and promoting a product or service without understanding your target market costs a lot of time and money. It’s also easier to satisfy a need that people are already willing to pay for.
That’s why it’s essential that busin
esses decide who their potential customers are before creating a product or service.
You could save yourself from a rude awakening if no one actually wants what you’re selling.
Understanding your target market also helps you refine your product, so you can serve your customers better. This builds long-term relationships that equal repeat business.
It's much easier to sell to an existing customer than a new one. Click To Tweet
Are You Being of Service or Self-Serving?
One of the most common mistakes businesses make is trying to sell to everyone. If you try to serve everyone with your business, you’re essentially serving no one.
“Your products might appeal to a large group of people, but it doesn’t make sense to try to market to everyone.” Adrianne Glowski, Technori | @adrianne
Many businesses worry about limiting their audience if they only speak to a specific segment. But why try to talk to people who aren’t interested in what you have to say?
You can communicate and engage on a deeper level with those who want what you have to offer.
And when you see your customers as a faceless crowd, it’s difficult to nurture an authentic relationship.
Copywriters have one particular person in mind that we’re writing to. And you should too. Imagine your target market as an individual with specific worries and motivations.
Make your ideal customer come alive in your mind and your marketing will be more persuasive. 
Another big mistake businesses make is wasting time talking about their company and their product, rather than the solution their customer cares about.
If you’re customer doesn’t have a high level of awareness of your product, they may not see how you can help them.
One simple way to notice this, is to examine your current marketing and see how many times you say “we” instead of “you.”
How to Become an Expert on Your Target Market
So exactly how do you research your target audience beyond basic demographics and broad personas?
Here’s some ways you can get a deep understanding of who you’re selling to:
- Meet with your customers
“Put down the persona doc, go out and meet your prospects in person.” Doug Kessler, co-founder & creative director, Velocity Partners | @dougkessler
Talk to your customers and find out from them what they want. Spend some time listening to their frustrati
ons and challenges.
If your budget allows, setting up focus groups is also an effective way to learn about your target market.
Besides asking directly, discover where your customers hang out and eavesdrop on the language they’re using and what pains they discuss.
Online you can monitor blogs, social media, forums and review sites like Amazon to see what’s resonating with your customers.
Apps like Mention will even send you a notification whenever someone mentions your company, product or service.
Gathering insights into where your target market hangs out also confirms that you’re delivering your marketing to the right places.
Maybe your customers are checking their email inbox or Facebook feed throughout the day. If so, this is where you’ll want to make sure they see you.
- Survey your customers
Another way to find out what your customers are thinking is to survey them. It’s simple to add a survey to your website with tools like SurveyMonkey. Make sure that it’s quick, easy-to-complete and lets your customers know how they’ll benefit from filling it out.
You can also create polls on social media or email a customer satisfaction questionnaire and reward people for responding.
- Visit your sales reps
Besides your customers, listen to what your sales reps are saying about the sales objections and concerns they face.
Go on a listening tour with one of your sales reps at their next client meeting. Get a first-hand perspective of your customer’s reaction and feedback.
- Analyze keywords
To deeply understand your target market, get beyond demographics and personas to check out what your customers are searching for online. Discover the keywords they’re using and choose topics and phrases accordingly for your marketing messages.
Keyword research can also help you gauge the awareness level of your audience.
For instance, are they searching specifically for your brand or are they entering solution-based words? If they’re looking for solutions they may be less aware of what you have to offer than someone directly searching for your business.
Monitor your analytics
Review your analytics and see what content gets the most shares, visits and subscribers.
Then use that data to create more of what’s working for your marketing.
Split-test various options on your website to discover what engages best with your target market.
- Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
Look at your product/service from your customer’s mindset. Ask yourself “what’s in it for me?” because they certainly will when they’re deciding if they want to buy from you.
It’s a simple technique but it’s surprising how many companies don’t realize how much they can learn from thinking like their customers.
When you reach out to get to know your customers better, they’ll feel like their opinions matter. Not only will you get profit-boosting insights, you’ll establish trust in your brand — and that’s priceless.
What other strategies have you tried that helped you connect with your target market?