Written By Ashlee McNicole
(http://ashleemcnicolbooks.com/)


Imagine this: you are a new business owner getting ready to spread your wings. Your products and services are ready for the public eye. You’ve been through all of the fundamental processes of business development and have your social media accounts created. For the first time ever, you promote your product on social media. But wait – why is no one responding?

Figure out the market

Here is the thing. People love to buy, but they hate to be sold to. You know how the saying goes. Not to mention, not every one person wants to buy the same thing. Everyone is different. Each household has different needs and desires. People are different ages with different backgrounds and appreciations in life. So, you can’t expect that promoting your product is going to make everyone want to buy it. The truth is, that’s not realistic, and even if it was, don’t you want a loyal fan base who is going to not just stay for one product that looks “cool” but is going to come back for more? That, my friends, is where marketing begins. One of the most important steps in creating an effective marketing strategy is to identify and research the target market.


 The target market refers to people who want to learn about and purchase your product. Arguably, while this is just one piece of the marketing campaign, it is among the most crucial because knowing and reaching out to your target market is what is going to lead to loyal fans and sales. If you want to make a living full-time from home, these logistics are important. To best assess your target market, think about the following questions:


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What industry does my product fall into?
Who would want to buy my product?
What are the main characteristics of the people who would buy?
Where do they spend most of their time?
What do they do for a living?
What are the most popular topics they read about?
What does my target audience want?
What kinds of things does my target audience like?
How will I connect with my target audience?
How do my competitors reach the same target audience?
Have I let anyone try out my product yet?
Are there any seasonal trends that may impact purchasing?
What does the current market look like?
What does my target audience use to connect with their friends and family?
Is my target audience more visual, kinesthetic or audial?
Why do I want to reach out to this target audience?
What makes this group different from others who may enjoy my book?
Where could I host an in-person event where my target audience spends time?
How can I make them loyal fans?



Those questions are a good starting point to help you determine how you are going to reach out to the target market, how you are going to stay connected with them, and how you intend to keep them coming back. Truth be told, there are so many audiences out there who may be interested in your product, but the one audience that matters most is the one that is going to be loyal to your work.< strong>Research the market In terms of researching, there are a lot of things that you can do to keep up-to-date on the audience. Google Trends is a great way to see what is trending throughout the world. See what your audience is interested in based on general analysis doing that. Using an Excel spreadsheet, you can jot down places that you may find the audience in public. If you are dealing with young adults, some common ones include: schools, cafeterias, cafes, bookstores, parks, libraries, arcades, entertainment parks, video game stores, gyms, skateboarding parks, and college campuses. If you are marketing to moms, the venues are going to be totally different. The secret is: be specific. When defining your target market, try to get it down to age, occupation, and time they have to invest into your product. Making your target market that specific is going to help you better define and plan your promotional strategies. Not to mention, by having that information, you can research things that group may be interested in such as commercial products, websites, vacation destinations, and goals. It’s a lot easier to plan your strategy around your target market rather than to try to squeeze in some promos to a market that isn’t interested in the slightest. Figuring out what online platforms your group is apart of will make the promotions significantly easier for you, as well. There’s no need to post fifty times per day or befriend the whole world to make sales. Through your research, determine the specific online social media groups your target audience favors and direct your efforts there. Just remember, it’s more beneficial to you to have your hands in multiple cookie jars, so be prepared to change this up every so often. That keeps fresh information consistently going out to your audience without overwhelming an already saturated market. The most important thing to remember about finding a target market is using it to help build your platform while simultaneously building relationships.


Tips for Succes


Ask questions to your audience.
Give just enough information to spark curiosity when making queries and reaching out to people.
Don’t overwhelm people with too much information.
Consolidate information where possible.
Get creative with your efforts. Not one single strategy will work the same for everyone.