Who is your Core Customer?
Part 3 of the Value Proposition A, B, Cs!
Understanding your customers is important. If you don’t think about who they are, you won’t know how to reach them. And then how will they ever find you? Or know that your product is just right for them?
Many small business owners struggle with identifying their core customer - that type of customer that is most likely to need, want and pay for your products and services. It’s tempting to want EVERYONE to be your customer. You think that by narrowing in on one type of customer, you are saying “no” to potential revenue. But in most cases, this is not true.
You have a limited amount of time and money to market your products and services. By trying to appeal to EVERYONE, you can end up diluting your message, wasting precious marketing time and money, and lowering the perceived value of your business (by seeming to be less specialized!) Few things are meant to be sold to EVERYONE. And while you may have different customers for different products and services, identifying your core customer for your main products and services will help you reach those who most value what you do.
Now a few of you may have a mass-market product that everyone buys (but you probably don’t!) Few small businesses are in this boat. Most of us really do have something that fills a specific niche - a need or desire that a certain type of customer really wants.
So let go for a minute of the need to court EVERYONE, and let’s try to focus in on your core customer. Once you do this, you’ll be able to create a marketing plan that reaches exactly those people most likely to buy from you. You’ll be able to craft messages that resonate with your core customer, and strategize ways to be seen in exactly the places they are looking to find you. You may even be able to further enhance your products and services to have greater appeal to the things your core customer cares most about.
To get started, you need to create a list of characteristics that describe your core customer. Sometimes you can picture an actual customer to get started with this. Ask yourself a lot of questions (at Vertric Creatography we offer you lots of prompts as we work through this exercise with you.) For example:
Where do they live?
What gender/age/ethnicity…?
What do they do for work? For fun?
What do they like, value or need?
What do they fear?
How much money do they make or have?
What do they know? What do they read?
How educated are they?
How much do they spend?
Why do they buy from you?
When do they buy from you?
What are their preferences, habits, …. So many questions!
If you already keep track of data about your customers, this is the time to dig in and analyze your customers' buying habits. Who responds to your social media posts? What can you know or even speculate about those who most value what you do?
Pulling all of these answers together will begin to give you a picture of your core customer. You’ll have a list of characteristics that you can use to develop a concise, and clearer picture of your core customer. And by doing so, you’ll be able to strategically plan how to reach them and where to find them.
Your ads and posts will speak specifically to those who most need and value you, and because you’ve improved your focus, you’ll save time and money in the process by avoiding people who are just not your customer.
So while narrowing in on your core customer takes some hard work and effort, the return on your investment will be big. Knowing and speaking to your ideal customer will help you stand out and reach those who really will buy from you.
And once you define your core customer, you will have all the elements you need to begin developing your Value Proposition Statement. But before we go there, let’s spend a little time building confidence in how we communicate about our attributes, benefits and core customer. Stay tuned for some thoughts on the art of the narrative - ways to use the lists we are creating to craft compelling messages!