HOW TO REACH YOUR TARGET MARKET

Challenges are daily occurrences in the world of small business but each and every one of them has a solution. Today we are going to examine a rather unique situation. You know who your target market is, but don’t know where they are located and have no contact information.

You have generated a profile of your target market and have validated the need for your products/services. (Call me if you want to know how this was accomplished)Your value proposition is “spot on,” and now comes the creative part of finding your target market and making contact with them.

For this exercise, we will assume we want to reach a certain type of business, but we don’t know who currently is operating this type of business. The first step I always recommend is to reach out to your prime data base, tell them who you need to reach and ask for an introduction.

The next step is to identify common needs that these types of businesses have. For example, almost every business needs a bank, insurance, an attorney and perhaps a CPA. We know that some of your target market will or has already made contact with one of these. Since they know where our target market is hiding and how to  reach them, then it makes sense to develop a marketing campaign which shares your value proposition and how they can help their clients by referring them to you.

Strategic alliances can play an important role provided you select and form strategic alliances with other businesses that have the same target market as you do. If they are currently doing business with your target market, you can help them grow their businesses by combining your marketing efforts. There are many ways to accomplish this. for example, by calling one of their customers and introducing you they are doing their customer a favor, and they also have another reason to contact them.

Notice that I am looking to develop contacts with those that are in a position to put me in front of a lot of my target market. In this particular case, my case study person needs a large volume of customers in order for his business to grow.

These are additional sources that can help reach, identify and provide contact information. Chambers of Commerce; a LinkedIn group formed specifically for your target market. Blog about the benefits you provide. Reach out to trade or other associations in which your target market is likely to participate in; write a “benefit talk” and post it on sites like “meetup”.

With a little out-of-the box thinking, this list can be expanded. This exercise will help you start your marketing efforts. The hard work still has to be done, but at least a direction has been established.  The secret to success is consistency in your outreach program. Remember, it takes at least 9 touches before a sale is made.