Starting a business can make you feel like you’ve got never-ending checklist of tasks to accomplish. You might be tempted to skip a few steps to get your business off the ground, and while that might work in the short term, you’ll find that certain tasks have to be accomplished to ensure the longevity of your business.
One task you need to prioritize is creating a marketing plan. Here’s how to focus on your target market and create content that connects with them.
Consider demographics and personalities
Take a look at your product and think about who you picture buying it. If you’re looking to sell supplements from a supplements manufacturer, maybe your ideal client is runner. Consider your ideal client’s age, gender, relationship status, and location. Then think about the lifestyles and personalities of your potential clients.
Are they active or sedentary? Do they purchase online or ? You should be able to picture your ideal client and understand what he or she is looking for in a store. This potential client will help you envision how to proceed with your marketing plan and content.
Examine the competitors
Most likely, your ideal client is already purchasing your product from someone else. Why is that? Does the competitor offer a lower cost? Do you have any physical competition, or is the current market only online? If you realize that your ideal customer will most likely leap at the chance to purchase your product in person, you’ll know how to market your business.
If you see that you have one major competitor in the area who offers subpar customer service, you can make sure your potential customers know that customer service is a priority of yours. You can make an online survey to determine what your competitors do or do not have and use that information to create a plan.
Create a content goal
Once you’ve analyzed your potential customers and the current competition, you can create a goal for your content. There are a few different things you could attempt with your content, so make sure you know the purpose. Are you trying to gain subscribers or new customers? Are you hoping to spread awareness of your brand or upsell your current services?
This is a crucial step, because without this direction, your content will not connect with your audience. You need to make sure everything you share from your business is serving the purpose you desire. This helps build a clear message about what you’re attempting to accomplish.
Be consistent
You’ve established your audience and you’ve decided how you’d like to target your content. What next?
Now it’s important that you remain consistent in your marketing. Create a calendar for yourself and stick to it. If you post a customer profile every Wednesday in an attempt to create customer conversation, you have to make sure you continually do so. If you skip a week, let your customers know why and offer an exciting alternative, like a giveaway.
Consistency is key in marketing, so make sure you have a plan before you start posting or creating content. If you know it will be hard to stay consistent with all your other responsibilities, assign a member of your team to manage your social media and website. You can even hire someone specifically to manage these tasks. Don’t underestimate the importance of marketing; staying consistent and targeted will help you accomplish your goals.
Starting a business doesn’t have to be scary if you take the time to examine your target market and your content creation. Set your goals and you’ll find you’ve reached them in no time.