Customer Targeting Marketing

Become a specialist!
Do not trying to be everything to everyone (mass marketing).

To meet the needs of specific groups of consumers more effectively. Marketers have to do something called market segmentation (division of the total potential markets into smaller, homogeneous segments).

Consumer Markets consist of buyers with similar needs. For instance, consider the market that need to meet the following needs: Taste, Image, Living, Leisure, Social Group, Learning. As you see, such markets would be very broad and suitable for mass market targeting.

Customers are not the same in a market. For example, within the market to provide meals, customers differ in the:

• Benefits they want
• Amount they are able to or willing to pay
• Media (e.g. television, newspapers, radio stations) they see
• Quantities they buy
• Time and place that they buy

It therefore makes sense for marketers to segment the mass market and to target specific segments of a market so that they can sell the right products or services to the right buyers at the right time in the right place; cost effective selling.

They must decide whom to direct their marketing mix (money) towards and fine tune the target market strategy: the buyer or the user, sometimes it is the person (influencer) who influence the buying decision (an example is: kids products) which of those categories your product or service is the solution to, and be prepared to market it accordingly.

If all consumers are alike: they all have the same needs, wants and desires, and the same backgrounds, education and experience...then mass marketing would be an appropriate marketing strategy.

Customer Targeting Marketing can help sellers find their marketing opportunities more efficiently. Instead of spreading their promotional cost, marketers can adjust their marketing mix to reach each target market efficiently.

A market segment can be defined as follows:
A customer group within the market that has special characteristics which are significant to marketing strategy. Segmentation is most often applied to markets, but it is equally relevant to distribution channels and customers. However, similar principles of how to segment apply to all three.

Overall definition of segmentation:
Segmentation involves subdividing markets, channels or customers into groups with different needs, to deliver tailored propositions which meet these needs as precisely as possible.

Customer Targeting marketing is the group of buyers selected for marketing purpose. You need to segment your market into sub-segments, then apply different target markets to each segment.

Customer Targeting Marketing Influencers
In addition to targeting innovators and early adopters, finding the innovators and early adopters among the influencers of your market is important for a marketing plan with a limited budget.

Example - Target Marketing Your Music
Many bands begin in the college market. Why? College students are target market influencers, and many fit the definition of early adaptors and innovators.

How to find out your profitable customer targeting marketing segments? What is niche marketing? How niche should niche be?

Customer Targeting Marketing - Targeting Online Customers by Geoff Caplan
"...Most of the time, targeting means targeting customers as a whole group, whereas real targeting is based on online market segmentation. It is always important to consider targeting market segments instead of the whole market.

I often see web marketers evaluating web sites to assist in targeting customers through online demographics. Unfortunately, targeting customers online through demographics is often not an ideal situation. First, ask yourself these questions:..."

Customer Targeting Marketing is the only magazine to provide direct marketers, catalogers, corporations, small- and medium-size businesses and non-profit organizations with hands-on, how-to information on direct marketing.

Customer Targeting Marketing internet web marketing strategy promotion public speaking...

A good article - Proactive Customer Targeting Marketing: Rethinking Your Business Strategy - by Joe Jolet.

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