So many businesses make the mistake of never really identifying their customer. And your customer is not “everyone.” If it is, you are going to be wasting a lot of marketing dollars.
By identifying an ideal client, you can go after the most profitable customers. You do this by tailoring your message specifically to this ideal client and distributing this message exactly where your ideal client is.
Assuming you already have clients, make a list of your top 10 clients (top 10 most profitable clients that you enjoy working with). Questions to ask to help you identify your target market for B2C (business to consumer):
- Male or female
- Race
- Age range
- Income level
- Asset level
- Geographical location
- Other specific factors which may include school attended, specific groups, religious affiliation, occupation, etc.
The longer you are in business and the more you can analyze your client base, the better you will be at creating your ideal client. You may find something that is so unique that you make it one of the key criteria.
For B2B (business to business), a few criteria to help identify your ideal client may be:
- Industry (SIC code)
- Type of product/service
- Size of company (# of employees)
- Size of company (revenue)
- Geographical location
- Public or Private
As with B2C, you may create a more detailed customer analysis once you are able to really analyze your current clients.
No matter if you are Business to Business (B2B) or Business to Consumer (B2C), identifying your ideal client or target customer is your most important first step.