Todd Schnick, Intrepid Group, LLC

When you fire a weapon, it helps to aim at a target. The same applies to your marketing strategy. Who is your target market? Who are your customers? What do they want? What motivates them to buy? You cannot execute a marketing plan without knowing who your customers are, but almost as importantly, you cannot execute your plan without knowing where they are. Sadly, most small business owners have not given these important questions as much thought as is necessary.

But how do you begin? It is important to first understand that the key to marketing is to deliver your marketing message, your unique selling proposition, to as many prospects in your targeted market, as cost effectively as you can. Let's delve more deeply into finding the ANSWERS you need:

How does my potential customer normally purchase products or services such as mine? Are they buying from a bricks and mortar store front? Are they buying on the web? Or from face-to-face encounters? You need to know this so that you can be where the shoppers are!

Who is the main buyer? Who is influencing the buying decision? Who is the decision maker? Is it the top dog in the company? Is it purchasing? Is it procurement? Is it the husband or the wife? You need to know these things so that you can position yourself with the CORRECT decision maker!

Next, you need to understand what the buying habits are of your potential customers. Where do they get their information? What media do they listen to? Internet? Television? Direct mail? Referrals? Understanding this will help you choose the appropriate tactical marketing tools to deliver that information!

Lastly, you must find out your potential customer's motivations for buying. For instance, are they buying to make themselves look good? Are they in real pain? Are they looking to be healthier? Are they looking to get rich? Knowing what motivates your potential customers to buy helps you set the narrative of your message into the right context - so that you are fulfilling their need - or solving their problems.

Understanding your customer is a critical step in finding more qualified prospects. Knowing who they are, what they need, and what motivates them to buy will give you the answers to construct a marketing strategy that will allow you to find, keep, and grow your customer!