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So, You want to be an Entrepreneur - Turning your Idea into a Business - Part 4 Targeting Markets

I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post!  Thanks for following along with the "So, you want to be an Entrepreneur" series!  Today is Part 4, and in case you missed Part 1, Part 2 , and Part 3 follow the links!

Yesterday we talked about narrowing down your target market, and today we are talking about
marketing to the target markets you already know of and/or the target markets you can easily find.

Perhaps you are a teacher, and already know a large network of teachers, and provide a product or service that can be useful for teachers.  Adjust your pictures and text to target those markets you already have.

Think about the similarities that you have with existing friends.  Perhaps some of them would generously provide you with feedback on your items to give you new ideas or descriptive words that you can use to promote your product or service.

Think about your hobbies and other groups of people that you are already interacting with.  Is there a product or service that you provide that would be appealing to these people?  Are their rules and regulations on the groups that you are involved with against advertising?  If you are unsure, always ask about the rules before just posting advertisements or you may risk getting removed from a group that you enjoy being a part of.

Pay attention to magazines, groups, and other popular blogs that you already read.  Maybe your product would not be suitable for these people but think about how you found these groups to start with and how you can use those same techniques to find the target markets for your products and services.

When you target a market, you are paying attention to a set of people that you already know, or can easily find, and then telling them how they can use your product or service.  We are all targeted by products and services every time we browse the internet or walk into a store.  Pay attention to the ads and products that catch your eye.  Perhaps plan a special outing specifically for this and make notes about what techniques large companies are doing to get your attention.

Paying attention to markets that you can easily find, can provide valuable insight into how to find target markets.  Do not pay attention to ads that come up on places like Facebook but do pay attention to ads that are placed on blogs and online magazines.  Think of how your products, pictures, and verbiage would fit into these placements, and be realistic about the things that you need to improve.

Remember, you are a target market for thousands of products that you use, see, interact with, and are visually bombarded with every single day.   If you are still having trouble with coming up with a target market for your product, consider making a list of what qualities or interests that you have, that make you a target market for the products that you use and purchase.  Make a list of specific things about yourself.  Then, carefully review what you wrote down, and compare that to your products or services, and then re-evaluate your target markets again.

Comments

  1. This is my biggest challenge!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for reaching out! I hope the tips I gave were useful! Check back in with me soon and let me know how those things are working for you!

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