How to Identify Your Core Customer Base
Have you ever told a joke that didn’t quite land?
Maybe you made a “monster-in-law” joke at Thanksgiving dinner, and you’ve been shunned by your extended family. Or perhaps it was a “perpetually single” joke in a room full of blissfully happy couples.
That staggeringly awkward silence could have been avoided if you only knew your audience.
Well, the same concept applies to branding. Your marketing plan is useless if you have no clue who you’re marketing to. So keep reading for everything you need to know about identifying your core customer base.
How to Identify Your Core Customer Base
There’s a lot that goes into a marketing plan. You need to decide on which marketing channels to focus on, the tone of your copy, and your digital presence, among other things.
None of the above can be accomplished without first determining who your core customer is. This person’s behaviors and desires will shape every marketing move you make. Finding your target audience is near the top of the list when it comes to brand building tips.
Plan The Basics
It’s always a good idea to start with basic demographics like age, sex, location, and income. Usually, you have some idea of who your product or service is already.
However, building your digital presence around basic demographic information isn’t enough. Write down this basic demographic information to create a broad idea of your target market. Then, work on refining this target market to a single core customer.
Meet Joe
You need to go a bit deeper into your ideal customer’s needs, wants, desires, likes, and dislikes. This will allow you to tailor your marketing strategy to a very specific ideal or core customer.
So, we recommend going to the drawing board and mind-mapping your ideal customer. Use descriptive words and imagine a day in the life of this person. Give them a back story. Give them a name. Call them Joe. The more detailed, the better.
Once you have a good idea of this core customer, you can begin to see how your product or service fits into their life. Now when you’re crafting a marketing strategy, you can go back to your fictional core customer and ask yourself whether this strategy speaks to Joe. Does it meet Joe’s expectations? Does it sell your product or service to Joe in a way that they would relate to?
Keep Refining
Now that you know who you’re speaking to and how you’re addressing them, it’s time to introduce some data to the mix. Don’t panic, this won’t get too complicated. All we’re suggesting is that you use data gathered from social media and customer feedback to your advantage.
Once your marketing strategy has been set in motion, use your social media strategy to know your real core consumer. Comb through comments, tally up the likes on each post and see what’s working and what isn’t. Social media data can provide some valuable insights into who you’re marketing to, so make sure you pay attention!
Play to the Right Crowd
Knowing your customer base might be the most important part of crafting your brand and developing a solid marketing strategy. Knowing your ideal target market starts with putting yourself in your core customer’s shoes and building ideas from there! For more tips, tricks, and savvy business advice, check out our business section.