How Well Do You Know Your Customer?

Marketing to consumers is challenging, that goes without saying. Because of the challenges we as marketing professionals face in an evolving industry, it’s important to find ways to be effective with a brand’s messaging and marketing strategy.

Our question to you today is this: how well do you really know your client base or customers?

Finding new opportunities to reach customers has become a higher priority than ever, particularly with the rise of the digital marketing age. Now, brands have even less time and space to work with when it comes to connecting with consumers.

Consider the example of a millennial woman, the target of many brands hoping to sell everything from makeup to dental care. How does this millennial woman spend her day? What are some opportunities to connect with her that competing brands may be missing? Spending time in this type of customer’s shoes, so to speak, can help illuminate new ideas for a brand to spark the creative process.

Many individuals read their email before checking in to work, catching up on the day’s news or any newsletters they’ve signed on to. Do any popular email newsletters within your company’s niche have openings for advertisements?

Other users may utilize public transportation to get to and from their place of work each day. What about finding ways to reach these users via billboards or display advertising in public transportation modalities?

Your target user, this millennial woman, might listen to her favorite podcasts during her commute to and from work, or perhaps while she’s at the gym or out walking her dog. Have you researched advertising or collaboration opportunities with podcasts or other forms of media?

Many millennials are turning to services such as Postmates or meal kit deliveries such as Hello Fresh. Inside each Hello Fresh box that’s delivered, there are several coupons and promotional materials for partner brands that the user may find useful. Is something like this a good fit for your brand?

Chances are, the opportunities named above may be something that a brand’s marketing coordinator hasn’t thought of. Perhaps the millennial woman isn’t your target demographic — and that’s fine! This is just an example. What behaviors does your target audience display?

We’ve talked before about audience personas and thinking like a consumer. Knowing the everyday habits and usage of your target audience can help identify these other opportunities that otherwise may have been missed. And with creativity being as important as it is in the marketing industry, any advantage can easily be turned into a big edge over the competition.

Not sure where to start in understanding consumer behavior? It’s as simple as starting with yourself, or someone you may know. Find an example of a person who fits into the brand’s target audience and take the time to learn about their habits and behaviors. Write them down. Find more people whose habits you can observe. Pull these observations together and identify the places that may be utilized to connect with that consumer.

Often we forget how important it is to really know our audience. Rather than simply pushing out content and ads at an audience that’s become jaded on being sold to at every corner, find new ways to attract their attention and create longer-lasting customer relationships.