5 essential steps to uncover your true customer

I was chatting with a marketer friend the other day and he said to me “Who has time to actually build out the funnel and create personas?”

This got me thinking about what marketers are up against today. We're all living in a fast-paced world that's always changing, and often, marketers are faced with unrealistic expectations about what 'marketing' can and should do for a business. Targets are often far out of reach which causes burn out and frustration amongst teams. We don’t have a magic wand we can wave to magically change the business… unfortunately.

This also got me thinking about my background as a marketer, and call me old school, but I love doing the work. I enjoy discovering the emotional connection between a brand and their customers.

If you can grow your brand through emotional connection - values and relationships - rather than just continuously asking for money, you will win. But we need to do the work first. We cannot completely discount the core fundamentals of marketing because this will lead to wasting your money and your time.

Understanding exactly who you are talking to is not just beneficial, it’s essential. Generic campaigns fail more times than not and knowing who you are selling to will help you tailor your marketing and brand messaging.

Today, I’m diving into the tactics that I use to help nail down your ideal customer and sharpen your marketing efforts. 

Let’s get back to basics -

1. Define your ideal customer Building a detailed profile of your ideal customer is the first step toward targeted marketing. Start by analyzing demographic factors like age, gender, income level, and educational background. But don't stop there; dive deeper into psychographics, including their interests, buying behaviors, values, and lifestyle choices. This comprehensive understanding will guide every marketing decision you make.

• Action item: Create a detailed persona document for each segment of your market. Include demographic details, personality traits, preferences, and pain points. I use this free tool HERE

2. Analyze your current customer base Understanding who currently interacts with your brand is crucial. Use Google Analytics or your CRM software to gather data on your existing customers. This data can reveal patterns and trends in purchasing behavior and engagement. You can then build out customer segment groups based on each behavior to tailor your messaging even more as well as create custom audiences for your paid media campaigns.

• Action item: Review your sales data and social media analytics monthly to understand who your current audience is and how they interact with your brand. Create 3 distinct customer segment groups.

Here are three examples of distinct customer segment groups:

1. Young Professionals: This group could include individuals aged 25-35, who are early in their career, have a higher education level, and are interested in career advancement and personal growth.
2. Busy Parents: This segment could consist of individuals aged 30-50, who have children, are balancing work and family life, and are interested in time-saving and family-oriented products or services.
3. Retirees: This segment could include individuals aged 60 and above, who are retired or nearing retirement, have more leisure time, and are interested in hobbies, health, and financial security.

(HINT: Get creative with the naming conventions of each customer segment and tailor these to your products/services)

3. Conduct market research Nothing beats direct feedback from potential and current customers. Use surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one interviews to gather valuable insights directly from the people you want to reach. Use primary and secondary research to understand your customer base and identify potential new markets or customers.

• Action item: Launch a customer satisfaction survey via email or on your website. Aim to discover what drives their purchasing decisions and any pain points they may have. (HINT: Don’t just ask questions that YOU believe will benefit your business and don’t try to sway answers. You want your customers to be as honest as possible)

4. Monitor industry trends Keeping up with the latest trends in your industry is extremely important, especially in our fast-moving world. It can help you anticipate shifts in customer preferences and spot emerging patterns. This proactive approach allows you to adapt your marketing strategy to meet the evolving needs of your market.

• Action item: Subscribe to your leading industry publications, set Google Alerts for relevant keywords, and join professional groups on LinkedIn to stay informed.

5. Test and refine The real test comes when you apply what you've learned. Run targeted marketing campaigns to the different segments of your audience to see which messages resonate the most. You can use email marketing, paid and organic social media, and SMS for example.

• Action item: Choose a small segment of your audience and run a pilot campaign. Use the results to tweak your broader brand marketing strategies.

(HINT: Testing and refining is an ongoing activity. Be sure to document any tests that you run. Go deep with tests and get beyond the basics of just testing a button color to truly understand what your customers want)

Why does this matter? Each of these steps will bring you closer to understanding your target audience. By constantly refining your approach and staying informed, you can ensure that your marketing efforts are as effective as possible.

Hands to keyboard - By doing the work upfront you will save more time and money in the long-run. Use this system and document your finding.

Understanding your audience isn't a one-time task—it's an ongoing process that can significantly impact the effectiveness of your marketing. Start with these actionable steps, and refine as you learn more about who is most receptive to your offerings.

Let’s keep the conversation going - Ready to dive deeper into knowing your audience and receive personalized marketing strategies? Leave a comment below or contact me directly—I'm here to help you make your marketing better.

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