Ryan from "The Office" defined target markets as "a way of looking at subsets of a larger population in closely related demographic groups". And while I agree with the theory around target marketing, I feel like it's old news. It seems like a company selling a certain product 10-20 years ago could "target" the appropriate audience, and it was their best option.
Nowadays, it seems like a company can target itself right into the ground. By setting your sights too closely around a specified group, you have the tendency to lose track of profitable business outside of your scope. I think a better method today to reach the right customer, is with the right message to a much further expanded audience.
The right message should be targeted to speak to the type of customer your business serves. Not to be confused with "White, 40+, Farmers, Within the 55511 Zip-code". You can't target a message to that. The key, is to find the persona of the customer you want to market to. A persona should look like this, "Hard working, Internet challenged, Truck driving, Boot wearing, Thermos toting, Deer hunting, Bass fishing, Product loyal, Cash paying son-of-a-bitch."
That's the type of information a business can use to define strategy, concentrate distribution, develop creative, and purchase media. That's the type of information that let's you engage conversation with to your target, regardless of age, occupation or geography. And that, is how you grow business without over targeting.
If you want to learn more about doing this effectively, read this book.
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