Identify Your Target Market and Ideal Client

If you have a private practice or conscious small business, it's important to identify your target market for the most effective marketing.

If you want to know why, I explain it and the definition of marketing here.

Let's start with the basics... What is a target market?

A target market is a specific group of the population... Most probably...

• This is a group of people you enjoy working with - possibly more than any other group of people.
• These people are more likely going to pay you for your services or product(s) when they learn about it.
• You can easily get your message to them.

You can define this group of people based on things like...

• Gender, age, location, income
• Type of work, interests, activities
• Personality traits like friendliness, level of motivation
• Problems they want fixed, goals they want to achieve

To identify your target market, begin by brainstorming. Write down every group of people you might work with.

Like... stressed out people, people who want to make more money, women who want to lose weight.

Next brainstorm what the need your service or product will meet for each of these groups. For example...

You might be able to teach stressed out people how to relax and create a balanced lifestyle.

Then brainstorm how you would get a message to this group of people... Here are some ideas...

• Can you purchase a mailing list they will be on?
• Do they go to a type of meeting or activity that you could go to and network with them?
• Is there a publication they read? If so, can you place an ad in it or write an article for it?

For more ideas about how to get your message out, go to marketing communication.

Once you've fully brainstormed all of your possible target market ideas, rate your different possible target market groups to determine which one is the best one for you to work with.

After you identify your target market, go to marketing communication to plan the next step in your small business marketing strategy.