Define your Target Market
Americans are bombarded with over 30,000 advertisements and logos a day. Yes, a day! Think about it. Just driving down the interstate you often see thousands in a matter of an hour. Mercedes, Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, Audi, McDonalds, Wendys, Burger King, Shell, 7-11, Gas-Mart, Wal-Mart, Sony, Bose, XM Radio, Sirius Radio, Samsung, Apple, Mac . . . the list goes on and on. Turn on the radio, television, or laptop and it’s a blizzard of advertisements.
Clearly, small business owners can’t compete by simply advertising. However, you can compete if you market directly to your target market. But you must first define who they are. What is their gender? Women are most often the decision makers in child daycare. Where do they live? Is your product or service available in a certain demographic? How old are they? The geriatric physician should market to a different target audience than a pediatric dentist. What form of media do they use? Does your target audience read the newspaper, use the phonebook, research information on Google or Bing, or use social media to make buying decisions? It all goes back to knowing who your potential customers are and then deciding how you will reach them.