by Natalia Jones

Created on: January 25, 2010

Core customers are also sometimes referred to as a target market or a niche. These are the people that are genuinely interested in your product or service. Because of this they are the individuals that you should focus your marketing efforts on.

The following tips can help any small business to identify their target market efficiently and effectively.

Identify your Unique Selling Point

Every business should have a unique selling point. This is the characteristic that differentiates it from other businesses in the industry. For instance, one business might make home deliveries while another doesn’t, but the delivery service would be a unique selling point because it makes it easier for customers to get the product or service since it can be brought to them. Figure out what your unique selling point is by comparing your business to your competitors.

Create a Character Sketch of Your Ideal Customer

Many entrepreneurs never take the time to do this but the process of defining exactly who your ideal customer is can be extremely helpful to your marketing efforts. The more detail you can include the better this will work. You can describe everything from age and sex to more specific details like attitude to health and fitness, hobbies and income. When you are done you will have a blueprint for your perfect customer which makes it a lot easier to identify them at a glance.

Brainstorm How Your Ideal Customer Can Be Reached

After completing the character sketch of your ideal customer, you should be able to list lots of ways that your customers can be reached. For instance, let’s assume that your ideal customer is a college educated female, between the ages of 25 to 35 who is as interested in career advancement as she is in starting a family. You may be able to narrow this demographic down even further using income levels and hobbies. When this is done, you can assume that your customer will be accustomed to searching the internet for information so a website or blog is a good start. She is also more likely to tune in to the television in the evenings after work so advertising spots can be selected on this basis. The list can go on along these lines.

Plan to Meet Them on Their Turf

All that is left to do when you have done your customer research is to find ways to market your product or service where they will see your message. You should also factor your customer’s likes and dislikes into how your advertising comes across.

Identifying your core customer base helps to make your marketing efforts both focused and efficient. Time spent on this activity can drastically reduce advertising costs and increase the value for money earned on the dollars that you do spend. 

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