“The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” – Peter F. Drucker
Welcome to the start of our brand series that will give you an inside look at our internal process, the Mercury Method. We will be sharing the steps we take with our clients when branding or rebranding an organization which can serve as a guide for your own brand exploration!
The First Step Is the Most Crucial
As you start to shape your brand, you first must identify your target audience.
Ask yourself…
If you had to pick one, who is the most critical customer for your business, type of member for your association, or stakeholder of your nonprofit organization?
Who is it that you enjoy serving the most and that brings you the most joy and revenue?
The axiom “if you are speaking to everyone, you are speaking to no one” is correct. Aiming to please too broad of an audience is a recipe for failure. Prioritizing your audience, or determining who are the most important people to reach and please, helps focus your marketing. It also helps evaluate whether the products, services or value you offer is hitting the mark.
Audience Insights
Knowing your audience is just the first step. Now that you have narrowed in on the audience you will serve, it’s time to dig deeper to uncover their precise wants and needs. There are a few avenues you can take during your investigations.
Demographics
Who are they?
Age | Gender | Income | Occupation
You can get demographic information through a variety of cost-effective means, such as census data. The “who are they” is important and you can do that so easily with your team, looking at your audience, asking your team questions about who they are, what’s unique about them, or is consistent.
Psychographics
Why do they do what they do?
Attitudes | Aspirations | Values | Opinions | Interests | Lifestyles
Psychographics provide a much deeper understanding of what motivates your ideal client. One of the best ways to acquire this valuable information is by interviewing your existing clients. Keep in mind, using an outside resource to conduct the interviews will reap the most useful results.
Everyone in your organization should be having candid conversations with your customers. It may be a phone call or an email. Ask them how you are doing? What are their current challenges? Or if it is a returning customer, this is an ideal time to ask them why they returned. What is it that sets our organization apart? We guarantee you will get helpful insights by asking these questions.
Don’t forget to follow up with a thank you note, yes, a handwritten one, to share your gratitude.
Time to Talk the Talk + Walk the Walk
With this information, you will be better able to identify who will most likely benefit from your offering. You can then shape your marketing and promotional strategies to meet the wants and needs of that target group. When you know your audience, you know how to speak their language. All communication touchpoints throughout your organization should focus on connecting with that ideal audience and providing what they need – better than anyone else can.
Now is the time to prioritize your audience and ensure that your current offerings address their greatest needs. Get your team asking some of those key questions we provided above. Share with each other their responses. Need an outside perspective? Contact us to set up a call. We’d love to connect!
Resources:
The Importance of a Target Audience of Consumers
The importance of knowing your target audience inside out
The Importance Of Target Audience In Marketing (The Critical Key To Clarity)
Why You Must Define Your Target Audience and How to Do It
How to Use Psychographics in Your Marketing: A Beginner’s Guide
What Is a Brand Book
