For the best ROI on your marketing, get to know your ideal prospect
One of the most important elements of a successful marketing campaign isn’t what you say but who you say it to.
This applies to direct response, online marketing, content marketing… you name it!
Why is it so important to know who your ideal prospect is?
As marketers, our goal is to connect with our prospects on as many levels as possible. So our message must be highly targeted. Deliver that finely targeted message to the wrong group of people, and it won’t connect.
Imagine this scenario. Let’s say you sell consulting services to small businesses. You’ve crafted a persuasive direct mail package with all the trimmings (including a bulky insert to get them to open the package). But then you send your letter to a list of CEOs in Fortune 500 companies.
How many hits do you think you’ll get?
In order for your marketing to pull, you’ve got to get every element right: the message, the media and the market.
How do you find your ideal prospect?
If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you’re in luck. You can look at the data available on your current customers. If not, you’ll need to work a little harder. You may need to test different markets and concepts until you find the niche that’s most responsive to you.
Either way, however, it’s important that you develop a 3-dimensional portrait of your ideal prospect.
- Demographics. Age. Gender. Income level.
- Psychographics. Interests. How they spend money. How they use leisure time.
- Geographics. Where they live, and how that impacts their choices.
But don’t forget other details that could help you connect with your prospect. Look for common denominators. Does a significant number share similar occupations, hobbies or favorite magazines? Is a large percentage identified by a unique feature, such as spiked hair or a particular brand of car?
Why it’s so important to know your ideal prospect
First, in order to connect with your prospect, you need to tailor your message to him. You need to talk the way he talks and care about the things he cares about. So if you can develop a 3-D image of your prospect, you can talk his “language” much more fluently.
Second, in order for your ideal prospect to see your message, you have to put it in front of him. If you’re using direct response, you need a list of people just like him. If you’re placing an ad, you need to put it in the magazines he reads or on the Web pages he visits.
And finally, in order to get the maximum return on investment, you need to stop marketing to people who aren’t interested in your product or service. Don’t be afraid to clean up your list and remove names that aren’t responsive — especially if they don’t fit your 3-D image of the ideal prospect.
Effective marketing is about connect and communicating with the people who need (or want) the things you have to sell. Are you sure you’re marketing to the people who buy the most from you? How did you identify who they were? Write your comments below.
