Getting To Know Your Target Customer

By Ken Leonard Jr.,
KLJ Online,
West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A.

http://www.kenleonardjr.com

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So you want to work out of your home, and kiss that job goodbye. You want to use your computer and the internet to make your living. Before you decide what product or service to sell on the web, there must be a customer to sell it to. Pretty straight forward. But that customer must want what you are selling, and be willing to pay for it. That is the key, finding that "perfect customer" to be the target of all of your marketing efforts.

To find them, you must know who they are, and what they want. Define the perfect person that would buy your product. This is the first step to getting to know your target customer well. To make your marketing efforts as effective as possible, you must be specific in your definition. It is virtually impossible to market a product to everyone on the planet. It is very possible to be able to market to one particular type of person. The one who wants to buy your product. The internet lends itself to "target marketing" with the popularity of search engines to define interest in a certain subject. All this while being the largest, totally global selling and communication medium in existence.

Understanding what it is that your customer really wants is the ultimate goal of someone selling a product. When you get that, you've got the sale. A good way to start your research is just by asking them. If you have a website or newsletter, invite your readers to send in their feedback on items you discuss. Ask them, and they'll tell you. It's as simple as that. You can use a poll of some kind, www.SurveyMonkey.com is a good online option. You can try it for free. There are simple scripts that can be installed on your website host's server to perform the same function, too. Many are free, and most are easy to install.

Now you have to figure out how to reach your perfect customer. Learning their habits and how they spend their time can teach you a lot about what they want, and can show you some ways to market to them. What sites do they visit online? Do they post in forums or blogs? How can you reach them through these? What do they do offline, in the real world. Where do they shop, what activities do they participate in. What other interests does your perfect customer have? People do have other interests besides computers and the internet. How can you learn about them or reach them with your offer, considering these other activities?

There's an old marketing saying, "Be The Customer". It still holds true today. If you can think like your target customer, you can figure out exactly what they want, and how you need to offer it to them. Think like them, and learn to understand their wants (notice that I didn't say "needs"), and you will be on your way to really becoming your perfect prospect.

You know all about your target customer. You know where they hang out, and what it is that they want, badly. Now it is up to you to give it to them. For every feature the buyer will receive, ask yourself "What's in it for me?". Make this benefit exactly what the customer wants. This makes for a happy perfect customer, that will come back to you again and again.

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