Know Your Customers

The previous blog discussed how to create an online marketing plan for your business and identifying the competitors in the market. Through the research and analysis of these other companies it was then possible to begin building your own online marketing strategy.

How Do I Know Who My Customers Are And What They want?

The second part of your business marketing plan, once your knowledge and overview of the competition and the market has been established, is getting to know your customers.

Find out why they buy, what turns them on, what turns them off and build a firm understanding of who your customers are. The use of quantitative research versus qualitative research is essential.

If you have a reasonable budget for creating and implementing your online marketing plan then it is recommended that you make use of a market research agency or independent online marketing specialists. As in the previous blog, with the research into competitors, expert advice and analysis will benefit your business no end. They take your product, business and/or service, uncover the right target market for you, conduct the research in all of its forms, calculate the results and return detailed feedback on the research undertaken.

They address demographic specifics such as;

• Age
• Gender
• Income level
• Location

And ask questions such as;

• What motivates your target market to buy?
• What would persuade them to come to you rather than to the competition?

This research can be quantitative (e.g. questionnaires) or qualitative (e.g. focus groups); providing you with statistical coverage and/or the motivational factors and attitudes of customers.

From this research you can develop strong ideas about what people like or prefer to pay for products and services, and then begin to structure what your charges will be accordingly, factoring in what your target market wants with what is economically viable for your business.

This research is instrumental in shaping your marketing campaign because by the time you have gathered all the materials and established the answers to all of the questions you had at the start; you can begin setting about creating the campaign itself, courting customer interest, making it a user-friendly experience, and successfully stealing the attention away from your competitors’ businesses to focus on the finer qualities and better customer experience with your company.

This is what you are building towards; establishing your business as a leader in its field with an innovative, successful search engine marketing and SEO strategy working in accord to reflect that fact.

Paul