No matter what business you are in, it is essential to know your customer. Who is buying your products or services? How can you help them? How do you market to them? If you don’t know your customer, it’s hard to generate leads and magnify your company’s profits, especially when using email marketing as a tool. If you’re firing all of your emails in the wrong direction, you’re missing the power of email marketing. However, when your email lands in the inboxes of the right people, you’re setting yourself up for success with increased leads, and ultimately, sales.
So, how do you decide who is the “right” audience? If you don’t know where to start, here are a few tips to help you discover your optimal target.
- 1) Know what you’re selling.
It is crucial to know exactly what benefit you offer to customers. When it comes to receiving emails, people always ask, “What’s in it for me?” The more you know, the more you can answer that question, and the easier it will be to figure out who/what kind of people need and find value in what you sell.
- 2) Who is currently buying from you?
- Age
- Gender
- Race
- Income
- Occupation
- Location
Looking at your current customers can tell you a lot about who is interested in what you have to offer. If you are able to analyze your current customers, you will probably start seeing some common denominators.
Start by looking at data such as:
Being able to pinpoint similarities in your current customers is another way to help you narrow down to whom your emails should be going. Plus, you can begin to categorize each customer into different demographics or segments, giving you the opportunity to improve your message to current customers. Win-win!
- 3) Know your competition. Another important aspect in helping you discover your target audience: Knowing your competition and their customers. It’s a sure bet that their customers are likely your customers. Plus, knowing what works and doesn’t work for your competition can help you make better decisions — learn from their mistakes and successes. It may help to subscribe to their blogs/newsletters, to keep you in the loop with what they are up to. Analyze what they are doing well, what they’re doing wrong, and whom they are targeting.
- 4) Look to related industries.
Once you have a better understanding of the demographics of your customers or prospective customers, keep a close eye on related industries, or industries that likely attract your customers. Similar to the reasons for keeping a close eye on your competition, this can help you find customers in other areas that may not seem entirely obvious at first glance.
Simply taking a step back to evaluate your efforts and your target is a small step that can yield big results. Use these tips as guidance to re-analyze your database. Sometimes, it’s not your messaging that’s off, it’s just that your audience isn’t quite right! If you find the people who need what you have to offer, that’s email marketing and lead generation gold.