Aim for the bull’s-eye to hit the target
22-Sep-2011
As any good shooter knows, if you want to hit the target consistently
you need to aim for the bull’s-eye every time. If you take the wider
view and aim at the whole target, you are likely to miss the target
completely.
The same principle applies to marketing. If you identify who (or what)
your bull’s-eye customer is, and take careful aim at them, you are far
more likely to hit something.
It’s a simple concept, but it’s seldom done well. We see far too many
companies who have not clearly defined their target market customer.
They try to be “all things to all people” with limited success. These
companies fear that by narrowing their focus, they might be limiting
their opportunities in some way.
The solution is counter-intuitive. You must “delight the few to attract the many”.
You must figure out and narrowly define the type of customer who sits
right at the center of your bull’s-eye. Who can you delight and excite
the most with what you offer? When you aim for that type of customer,
chances are you will still pick up the customers who sit in the outer
rings of the circle – but at least your shots will land now – and not
miss the target completely!
You bull’s-eye target customers may not even make up the majority of
your sales volume - but when you take direct aim at them your marketing
suddenly becomes far more powerful. Your product and service design has
more clarity and focus, because you know precisely who you are building
it for. Your marketing communications become more effective, because
you know exactly who you are talking to.
Seth Godin once said. “A product for everybody is a product for
nobody”. You need to tailor your marketing to a specific “someone”.
Don’t cater for the masses - cater to your ideal target market customer.
When you get this concept right, your target customer will intuitively
know that you are speaking to them. You are no longer just a generic
functional solution – you become a meaningful brand to them – one that
they are willing to identify with and spread the good word about.
Yes, you can still “sell” to the masses if they want to give you money.
But your marketing will only be successful if you aim for a clearly
defined target market.
Focus on less to achieve more!
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