Target Demographics, The Sequel
I fully admit that I am writing this while casually sipping my third glass of wine, and no, it’s not from a box because Jamie bought it.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, we can move on to today’s lesson, which is really an extension of yesterday’s lesson. (I could just link to it with the “yesterday’s lesson” text, but then I wouldn’t have the opportunity to say “Identifying Your Target Market, Or Why I Don’t Want A Monster In My Pants” again. Since that’s probably the best headline I’ll ever write, I’m going to milk it for all it’s worth.)
According to a website which may well be my competitor, a demographic is defined like this:
The statistics describing factual aspects of a target market, such as age, sex, race, religion, income, special interests and geographic location.
When identifying your target – which will likely be one of the most difficult things you do as a part of your marketing campaign – you need to first identify their demographics. The most important part of this definition is: [cue big ass red text]
Factual
Long ago, I signed up for a market study. I had to watch a bunch of ads for NeoCitran. They weren’t bad, but the best part of the ad was the voiceover. I mean, damn. The woman’s voice was the most soothing thing I’d ever heard. I felt like I was two years old and cuddling with my Mom and my blankie. She made me WANT to have a cold.
When I got to the part of the study where they ask for any extra comments, I raved about this woman. This woman could get me to buy land in New Orleans. I raved, I raved, I raved. Worship would probably not be too strong of a word.
Flash forward several months and I see the ad on TV. It was the exact same. Except for the voice. Totally different person. No Mom, no blankie.
Why did this happen, you ask?
I am not NeoCitran’s target demographic. They need to survey everyone, but they really don’t give a shit what I think. I am about 15 years too young.
Here’s what NeoCitran – and everyone else in a marketing role – wants to know about me:
I am female.
I am 26.
I am the primary breadwinner in my household.
I am the primary shopper for groceries in my household.
I am the mother of two children – gender irrelevant – aged 1 and 8.
I have an annual household income of between $90,000 and $119,999.
I do not own a home.
I do not own a car.
I do not plan to purchase a home or car in the next 12 months.
I spend more than 30 hours a week on the internet.
I read Psychology Today, Self, and Oprah
With that information, the lovely folks at NeoCitran can figure out a lot of things about me. This is what you need to do with the target demographic for your home business.
An Exercise That Is Not Homework
I’m feeling particularly benevolent this evening (“benevolent” here is a euphemism for “tipsy”) and therefore don’t give a damn if you complete this exercise or not. You’ll probably want to, though.
Get in the shoes of your target demographic. (This, by the way, is very different from getting in the pants of your target demographic. That’s a different blog post. In fact, that’s probably a different blog.)
Really think about them. Envision them as real, breathing individuals. What do they eat for breakfast? How old are they? Are they Democrats or Republicans? Do they like their jobs? Do they like their spouses? How many bedrooms are in their homes?
This is what you need to know. Until you know this, you don’t know them. Until you know them, you don’t know anything.
Here are some examples:
The target demographic of McDonald’s is the mothers of young children. Yes, everybody goes there, but they really want the moms of the under-12 set. Note McNuggets for little ones and salads for the Moms.
The target demographic of Burger King is young men between the ages of 18 and 29. Note very large burgers for very low prices and a really lousy kids menu.
The target demographic of Wendy’s is health-conscious adults between the ages of 30 and 45, generally female. Note proliferation of salads and baked potatoes instead of fries.
These are facts. Ages, income levels, family sizes. These are what you want. These companies do not market to people who want a good burger for a fair price – we all want that. They market to cold, hard facts.
When you know the facts about your market, you know what’s important to them. When you know what’s important to them, you understand them. When you understand them, they grow to trust you. When they trust you, you can stop reading this blog because you won’t need it anymore.
Liked this? Subscribe here. It’s fabulicious.
***
Overwhelmed? Freaking out? Borderline hysterical? Click here to get your own micro-business marketing plan. It’s not scary, I promise.
Next Post: Attention: Marketing School Students
Wow – good article. I never broke down businesses like that before. I always thought that all the Fast Food Joints were competing on just taste and price. Mines better. No – MINES better…
It makes you think a different way here.
Naomi, your posts continue to be all kinds of awesome. Thanks for the mental kick.
@ Chris – It’s amazing how sneaky they can be. Very subtle.
@ Matt – Thank you for coming and liking and commenting. We’ll join eachother’s fan clubs. :)
this series so far has been worth typing in “ittyb” into my url … firefox handles the rest thank you .. not sure I could have made it another letter.
I wish I had something to add, but I’m not drunk yet.
so true. yet so hard to identify your exact customer. I like to say it’s someone like me but then again I’m unusual. :-)
@ Shane – please feel free to come back when you’re drunk.
@ Aruni – I think the “someone like me” issue is a good one. In my case, if someone doesn’t at least tolerate my sense of humor, they probably don’t want to work with me. If they share my sense of humor, I’ve just scored a client.
Great post!
“Get in the shoes of your target demographic. (This, by the way, is very different from getting in the pants of your target demographic. That’s a different blog post. In fact, that’s probably a different blog.)”
*snicker* As informative as the post was, this is my favorite part. ;)
P.S. Drink more wine – they say it’s good for your heart, after all.
awesome. i really had not thought to go that deep into it (and i’m a brunette, so that’s a little disappointing).
going past just the who and breaking it down into parts that make up the who. makes total sense. so simple.
have you thought about going for a nobel prize? “an inconvenient bottle of wine: the key to master marketing”
@ Sakura – I hate to say, it was my favorite part, too.
@ Erin – Shit. Now I have to write an e-book. Thanks a lot.
[...] Industry Go Big Or Suck: A Guide To Being Unforgettable Features Vs. Benefits – The Showdown Target Demographics, The Sequel Identifying Your Target Market, Or Why I Don’t Want A Monster In My Pants Marketing School, Day [...]
[...] —from Target Demographics: The Sequel [...]
[...] Slovenia were berry flavored. McDonald’s really does a great job tailoring their menu to the unique wants of each target market, while keeping things recognizable enough to avoid alienating international travelers like [...]
[...] you haven’t read Identifying Your Target Market or Why I Don’t Want A Monster In My Pants and Target Demographics, The Sequel, you probably [...]
[...] you haven’t read Identifying Your Target Market or Why I Don’t Want A Monster In My Pants and Target Demographics, The Sequel, you probably [...]
If you are targeting businesses, rather than individuals, what criteria would you use? Revenue, Location, What they Sell / Industry, Number of Employees?
It’s around this time I realize I spend more time chasing my tail and getting nothing done than I do coming up with a target market.
Chris’ question led me to think deeper about what this great post is asking, since my (current) client demo (individuals) ranges from ages 18 – 69, most countries, from broke to wealthy, etc. Since I have a decade of clients to analyze info from, I think I must look first at their common denominator. They’re all dreamers (first and foremost.)
My industry is legendary in it’s exclusiveness, but also has ‘outsider hits it big” lore, so my Potential Client’s demo is “Dreamer.” (This is not how THEY define themselves, that’s different, and often unrealistic.) SO I must tap that NEED they have to ‘fulfill their dreams’ and offer support in their quest.
I suspect this is different than assembling the stats that this post discusses, but it’s the first thing that seems to define my (existing) clients. If I were to aim for a new demo (like “industry execs in their first real job”) I would have to gather the stats, get in their over-priced shoes, and think about their fears, needs, tools, goals, etc. Oh right, I WAS them… will that make it easier or harder since the world has changed so much since I (and dinosaurs) roamed this town?
THANKS for the great brain teasers.