Establish Your Target Audience
Measured Direct Marketing – Part II – To Target We Go!
In our first installment we considered the historical foundation of measurable direct marketing, and touched on the need to creatively test and track response. With the new found measured accountability direct marketers drove to find the most efficient means to target their appeal. In this issue, we will focus on discovering a target audience for a product.
Take for example, the direct sales efforts of the door to door vacuum manufacturer’s representative (one of the earliest forms of direct marketing). Let’s chart the exercise starting with a broad shotgun strategy and fine tune or target for a rifled approach to probable segments.
- Broad stroke question – household or place of business?
- Refined answer – Place of business
- Broad stroke question – Self maintained or hired cleaning service?
- Refined answer – Self maintained
- Broad stroke question – In town or in city
- Refined answer – In town
With this simple exercise the salesman has identified a target audience – something like a small retail business operating on main street in suburban town. As opposed to a larger firm located in a hi-rise building in the big city. Both may be worthy of a pitch but we have now identified two targets – that require two different styles of direct marketing.
If the salesman wants to sell units to individual retail businesses – he may be best served going door to door and pitching directly to the shop owner – who very well be the same person vacuuming the store. If, on the other hand the salesman wants to target the city dwelling building audience he will target the cleaning companies servicing that district of the big city. Herein lies the beauty of direct marketing, we have the ability to target or message to both audience segments simultaneously and track responsiveness. Refine and test and uncover other more refined targets.
The example given is simplistic yet the principles can be creatively applied to any product, service or appeal. Sometimes a fresh outside perspective is all that is needed to uncover hidden gems. Look to industry leaders in your marketplace to glean ideas on target audience practices – and start asking the questions!
