The 7-Step Roadmap to Understanding Your Target Market

Target market
Target audience
Customer Avatar
Buyer Persona

You may have heard all of these sayings, but they all represent:

Your tribe – the people you want to serve.

If you want a profitable and purposeful brand, your target market should be your BFFs. The Thelma to your Louise.

Because the more you know them inside and out, the easier it’ll be to reach and connect with them.

Why is knowing your audience important?

Because every killer message – the kind that resonates emotionally, builds real connection, and moves people to BUY is built on the foundation of KNOWING the audience.

So, let’s get to know your tribe on a deeper level by pinpointing their:

Fears
Desires
Goals in life

So, grab a Google Doc (or paper), follow each step, and jot everything down.

Full disclosure: I’ll use “she” throughout this blog, but this can apply to anyone.

Step 1: Start by picturing one person

Picture one person who would represent your tribe.

It could be the BEST customer you’ve ever had and you want more like her.

Or, maybe it’s someone you admire and would love to work with every single day.

Describe this person.

You want to be as specific as possible because it’ll give you a clear picture of who you’re trying to reach.

Write down her:

Age
Income
Marital status
Job title
Hobbies and interests
Favorite places to hang out (online and physically)
Family situation (does she have kids?)

Then:

Step 2: Picture who you DON’T want to work with

Put that dream customer aside and start thinking about the people you DON’T want to serve.

These are the people who you aren’t going to market to.

It could be:

The clients who were such a drag to work with (the pain in your keister)
The people who don’t need your offering

Why picture your dream customer and or not-so dream customer?

There’s a saying that when you try to talk to everyone, you’re talking to no one.

Seems backwards, right? But, it’s not.

Here’s why:

As a human, you connect faster to a brand when it feels like they’re talking directly to you – and only you.

But, when you’re trying to talk to everyone – no one answers your call to buy from you.

Here’s an example:

Let’s say someone is selling makeup and she markets it as the makeup for everyone!

You wouldn’t buy that. ‘Cause, you know nothing about it.

Why is it for me? 🤔 I’m not everyone… I’m me. Will it match my skin tone? Is it too bold for me? Is it going to make me look beautiful?

But, look at IL Makiage… Opens in a new window to IL MAKIAGE’s website…:

You know exactly who their makeup is for:

Strong, confident women who’ve got swagger

All of their copy is focused on women who’re bold and confident and their makeup only champions their high standards.

It ain’t for the faint of heart.

And that’s why I want you to picture your dream customer and your… not-so-dream customer.

When you have a clear vision of who you exactly want to help.

It’ll make it so much easier to create content and copy that’ll resonate with the right people.

Step 3: Get in your dream customer’s head

Once you have a good understanding of the people you want to serve, you need to dig deeper and go beyond the physical attributes – it’s time to get in your dream customer’s head.

Write down:

Her main goals and values in life
What keeps her up at night (what she’s secretly afraid of)

These don’t necessarily relate to your service or product.

The goal of this is to know your dream customer on a deeper level so you can put yourself in her shoes.

For example:

Let’s say you’re selling candles, and moms are your target market.

Picture this one mom.

A smelly home isn’t going to be the reason that stresses her out daily. It could be part of the problem but go deeper than that.

Maybe:

She’s secretly afraid of being judged as a bad mom. Her life is a chaotic roller coaster with all these priorities:

Taking care of her family
Having a career
Cleaning her home

Her goal is to be a supportive and loving mother who only wants the best for her children. (She’s secretly hoping her daughter will become the President.)

Can you picture that mom? Can you understand what’s going through her head?

Be blunt on what’s going through her mind. Don’t go PC on this. Spill it all out on the table.

Step 4: Figure out what’s stopping her

Now, you gotta know the WHY behind her inaction. Think about the doubts going through her mind.

What’s stopping her from taking action and facing her fears?
Is it an emotional or money reason?

Again, this doesn’t necessarily mean what’s preventing them from buying YOUR solution.

Go back to our mom:

Maybe she’s not facing her fears ‘cause she’s worried people will laugh at her. All the other moms make it look so easy with these huge smiles on their faces.

Step 5: Think about the solution that would get rid of that problem

What’s the solution that she would pay almost anything for?

This isn’t necessarily YOUR solution. It’s a general solution that’ll grant her wish.

How would she feel if you could magically solve that problem?

If she had a super-secret journal and poured out all of her feelings of this problem disappearing. What would it say?

Let’s check back in with our mom:

She would pay anything to clone herself or hire a nanny to clean the house – and hopefully get rid of that smell in the trash can.

This mom would finally get her home back.

She would write in her journal:

“I can take on the world and do anything. Those other moms would be so jealous of me, and finally, they’ll wonder how I can do it all.”

Step 6: Now, focus on the problem you want to help with

Once you pinpoint her secret fears and goals, dial it in more and focus on the problem you’re trying to help with.

What’s the problem?
What does she need, but isn’t getting it?

Let’s go back to our candle example:

Our mom stresses out about being considered a bad mom ‘cause she’s juggling EVERYTHING.

Now, while your candle business may not solve her overarching stress – what is a problem you can solve to help make her life a little bit easier?

Maybe:

Her life is so hectic – she forgets to do some chores (like taking out the trash).

Now, her house feels like a warzone – not a home.

Write down how she’s feeling

Get into your dream customer’s head and write down how she’s feeling because of this problem.

Paint a picture of all the emotions going through her mind. Be very real about it.

Let’s go back to our candle example:

Our mom is feeling overwhelmed. Her house is chaotic.

There’s food on the floor, the living room is covered in toys – there’s a weird smell coming from the trash bin… oh wait? She forgot to take out the trash. Ugh!

Step 7: Turn the spotlight on you

How does your product or service solve that problem?

Now, don’t focus on the features your product/service brings.

Focus on the “What’s In It For Me” factor.

Think about the tangible and emotional benefits your product/service brings to your tribe.

This will narrow the value you bring to your tribe.

If our mom purchased your candle, it would make her house smell like home, not a warzone.

Whenever she needs a moment to herself, she can inhale and smell the evergreen goodness and think to herself, “I’m finally home!”

The tangible benefit is getting rid of the smells
The emotional benefit is giving her the sense that she’s finally home

You have an understanding of your target market

Whew! That was a lot to cover, I know!

But, doing this exercise will help you immensely.

Because when your tribe feels like you GET them and you satisfy that deep human need to be understood, that’s when the magic happens and they become your raving, loyal fans.

Still unclear on your target market and dream customer?

If you still need help in pinpointing your dream customer, our marketing platform breaks down this entire process into simple steps so you’re effortlessly connecting with the people you want to serve.

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