Have you ever been talking to a friend, and they say exactly what you were thinking? You instantly feel a deeper connection like they understand you. Can you imagine if you were able to do exactly this with your target market? Talk about engagement.
When you research your target market instead of just answering some demographic questions about who you want to reach, learn to speak their language and understand their pain. Not only will you reach them, you will build an unshakable relationship rooted in common ground.
Every article I see on how to do target market research is only advises on how to answer basic questions about your future customers. Get their demographics, what are their interests, what feature benefits them most. Yes, these are all important things to know, but instead of knowing what, we should be looking at why. This is very similar to building a product, knowing what features people want is nice, but knowing why enables you to solve their problem and that’s where the magic happens.
How do you find out why?
In fact, there is a wonderful story about milkshakes you need to hear.
A fast-food chain wanted to increase milkshake sales. So, they segmented their markets by demographics and asked the target market to list ideal milkshake characteristics. They did, the company responded, yet milkshake sales did not improve.
Then, they hired a consultant who asked the customers why they were buying milkshakes. A surprising answer came out, customers wanted milkshakes for their morning commute because they were clean, long lasting, and filling enough to make it to lunch. Now the company knew how to connect with a larger target market. The idea is called “purpose branding,” YUMMY!
What is next to get on target with your target market?
Where do your customers hang out? Is it at an online forum or a coffee shop? Wherever it is, go there and start mingling. Talk to them, listen to them and find out what life is like. Why are they doing what they are doing in the first place? Do not study your market from a far. Get your hands dirty.
If all we need to do to increase conversions and gain traction with our target markets is to hang out with them, its best you get to it. Start asking them why in living color.
Have you ever found out a surprising fact about your target market that demographics could never tell you?
