really value the benefit of not trying to be all things to many people. In marketing the key objective is to provide a product and or service to a particular person.

 Not sure who your ideal customer is? You’re not alone.

When I started my small marketing consulting business I did not have a really defined view of who my ideal customer was. Sure, I knew they needed marketing assistance, but that was about it. This approach saw me traveling all over Melbourne and meeting with all sorts of people. I remember one day going to Footscray to visit a tattooist who wanted help to market her business. I went in and did a consultation, spoke about their website, their signage, how to use local businesses and cross promotions other ideas. After the consultation I sent them my account. They decided not to pay it. This was a big lesson for me. She was totally the wrong customer. In fact it was the best lesson. Since that day I have been very careful about who I take on as a client and make sure we are a match.

I have even gone further. I have profiled my ideal customer. Where they are based (South Easter Suburbs). How much turnover they have, staff and more particularly if they are interested in marketing as a lead generation tool or a one off task. You see it is only by profiling my ideal customers that I can find them. It is only by writing a list of who aren’t ideal that I can narrow my focus.
Not only is this a more profitable way to work, it is more enjoyable. I only want to give my services to those who are particularly seeking them out and that is just not everyone.

How to profile your ideal customer?

So how do you narrow your focus to an ideal customer? It is really a simple exercise. Think about that customer that loves your service or product. The one that is happy to pay and raves about you.  For me this is Manager  in a professional service business that really wants to take a proactive approach to sales and marketing and wants a system in place long term They are generally not technically savvy but know they need to do some online marketing.

Questions should fall into some categories:

• Who they are?  Demographics
• How they think? Psycho graphics
• What they do? Behavioral
• Where they are? Environmental

Go Deep into a Segment

This year I started my business Beautybizmarketing.com.au. I knew I loved to work with businesses in the beauty industry. Salons, spas, hairdresser. This is a certain niche. The more I began to focus my efforts in this niche and finding out how to serve them best the more they sought me out. Now I have several clients from this segment and it is my most enjoyable work. There is also less competition in this segment because it is focused. This means I can maintain my pricing and value because I am an expert.

Is there a particular segment you like working with? Is it big enough to be the focus of your business? If so I encourage you to put your efforts there. It will make your marketing more affordable and effective and your business hard to replicate easily.

Look at my ideal customer template for tips on how to start marketing strategically and focus your efforts on your ideal customers not everyone with a pulse.

book to a selected audience and build your likes and a database.

Competitions work well to build a list of likes and using some great new tools you can also add a database link so that you capture names and emails so you can continue to build a relationship with potential customers. Unlike Google you can profile your potential customers by geographic, and some key demographics, age, income, martial status, and even interests. This sort of targeting allow you to advertise to those prospects that are most  interested in your product and service.

If you are interested in how you can leverage Facebook advertising look at our Digital Services page and contact us.

The new mediums to reach customers are:

• Search Engine Optimisation: ensuring your business comes up when potential customers search.To receive traffic from search engines you must be in the top 30 results. This is an ongoing investment to ensure your company is found by your ideal customers and involved Key word research, In-page and  Off page, strategies, Content authority, PR optimisation and Content Management evaluation.
• Pay Per Click Advertising: paying for words on Google and or Facebook so your company is positioning well when people search online. It is driving qualified leads to your site.
• Social Media Marketing: is important for a number of reasons. It assists with local search, it assists sharing of content can build links back to your site, it involves rating and reviews and reputation management. Ultimately it builds a community around your product or service using new tools.
• Local Search is all about finding those local search directories that your industry and customers use and making sure your profile is up to date and optimised.
• Conversion: on your website is a big indicator. If 80% of traffic is leaving before taking action then you have a conversion issue. Looking at how to improve your conversion involves a site assessment.

Make no mistake you still need to leverage traditional marketing if it makes sense for your target market but a online marketing strategy is now more important. The key question you need to ask your self is how do potential customers find my small business? Chances are most Google their problem or service they are seeking. Are you there?

For more on digital marketing services click here.

If not you should have a strategy. Learn more:

There are a few events in the calendar year that small business owners should be leveraging, especially you are in the retail sector. Mother’s Day is one of those key events, this year on the 13th May. Here are a few simple ideas that can really help increase your sales of products and or services when you market this promotional opportunity  well.

1. A special offer that is only available for mum. This works a treat especially if it is timely and it is what your customers want. It has to be of value. If you don’t know what they want then survey them. Sometimes it is not a discount, it may just be a value add. Extra 20 minute foot massage, coffee vouchers, Mum and Me offers, babysitting service etc.

2. Packaging up a couple of items to specific price points can work well for quick buying. This is enhanced if your customers and prospects can buy online! Build the packages around different mum segments, new mum, grandma, mum with teenager etc.

3. Create partnerships with like businesses to great really great offers. Morning tea at the local cafe followed by a spa treatment!

4. Reach out to the men as they are the ones usually buying the Mothers Day gifts. Build your database with a competition.

5. Communicate the offer in different ways: Email, SMS, flyers, on Facebook, Website and store signage. You need to start doing this a month before Mothers Day on your web and in-store with Facebook offers, Email and SMS closer to the actual date to capture those last minute shoppers.(normally my hubby)

6.Attract window shoppers with a great window Mother’s Day display!

You can create some really eye catching window displays and these can be enough to stop traffic and create some easy new purchases from passer bys.

7. Sponsor something that women care about.This goes a long way towards establishing a caring brand. It might be the Mothers Day fun run or another foundation. 

Linking to a good cause can also help build an audience and can be used to write some great PR stories to send traffic back to your website or Facebook page.

So if women are apart of your ideal customer audience how can you gain their attention this Mother’s Day? If you have a relationship with their partner in life or kids it could still be a way to provide them with a special offer.http://macinnismarketing.com.au/?p=1795 You have a choice to either create a web presence or be invisible. It is all about being online but more importantly being active and engaging customers. To do this effectively to need to manage your web presence.

1. You need to have a web presence that is easily found. This means knowing your target audience and understanding how they would search for your product or service. Once you know this (through some research) you can then put together some directory listings.

2. Directory listings on Google Places, Yellow Pages online and True Local will help you get found when your customers are searching online. However if you optimise your listing with key words and offers you can stand out from the pack!

3.Using social media to engage your customers and prospects is a must. Go where they are. Posting great information, resources, competitions and offers can all assist you build a loyal following.

4. Have an marketing strategy that uses your website, email and mobile to build a list to nurture is a very important objective. You can only build a relationship if people, know, like and trust you. It is all about pulling them to your service with great value.

To learn more about building a web presence visit our digital marketing page.

Peter Mason – CEO

Sophie Andrews – Owner

Sean Gallagher, Partner MarketCulture

Jamie Burmiester, Director

“I found dealing with Dan fantastic because of:

1. Your unwavering commitment to the best interests of my business and to me personally

2. The high energy attitude you bring to every meeting

3. Your in depth understanding of effective leadership and how to build high performing teams

4. The passion for good sales and marketing strategies you have

5. The way you can create and run tailored workshops to meet our needs

6. All the homework and research you do between meetings to find the best solutions for any issue we have.”