If you have ever watched a basketball or football game, you know that certain plays are reserved for certain times. A coach won’t tell the quarter back to run the same play over and over again. Instead, they need to understand the other team and figure out what will work best. The same is true about the marketing tactics you want to use to score the winning goal for your business.
Don’t invest energy and resources into too many marketing tactics
To score that winning goal, you need to be focused. That means being picky about which marketing tactics you decide to invest in. When clients come to us ready to put thousands of dollars into an email campaign, influencers, social media ads and the like, we hit the “PAUSE” button, take a breath and ask this important question: “What does your target market want?”
The most successful entrepreneurs ask themselves this question before every big decision. Afterall, you don’t want to blindly feel around for your target market amidst the growing ocean of consumers. (Or at least we hope not.) It is vital to understand your target market inside and out, which means where they are hanging out on the internet and what they are likely to engage with, before investing any more of your hard-earned cash.
The detail-oriented process most business owners despise
Let’s face it … target market research isn’t fun for about 90% of the population. If you find it satisfying, then hats off to you! (We do too, so we are there with you!) For others, it feels overwhelming and complicated and downright impossible to pin down their customers. It takes diligence and, honestly, a time commitment that is difficult for anyone trying to start or grow a business.
The good news? There are a few “hacks” that can help you discover a ton of info about your target market and, therefore, which marketing tactics will work best to get you in front of your audience:
- Analyze your current customers by reading the measurable data on the back end of your website, social media channels and more
- Conduct focus groups with existing customers
- Check out the competition
- Consider your brand: who you want to serve, who would benefit from your product or service and who your brand speaks to
From there, you can create a character or persona on paper, someone who encompasses your target market. Once you have an idea of who you want to reach, you can have a better understanding about which marketing tactic will work to help you reach your specific goal. Start with one focused tactic and you will find much better results.
A word about channels vs. tactics
Wait! We aren’t done yet! Before you and your marketing team run off into the sunset, remember that there is a big difference between marketing channels and marketing tactics. Both are important but they will give you different results.
A marketing channel refers to the different tools or methods you use to reach your audience, such as social media, websites, emails, etc.
A marketing tactic is a carefully planned action to achieve a specific goal.
Your chosen tactic helps you create channel experiences for your target market. For instance, social media is a huge channel that most businesses and consumers are using; your channel choice is determined by the demographic-/socio-profile of your target audience. (i.e., if you’re trying to reach a “Boomer,” you’d likely use Facebook and not TikTok or X.) A successful tactic for a social media channel, (also depending on your audience) might be forming a collaboration with another influencer or business. Or maybe your audience would respond well to you hosting webinar to answer questions or give information. Certain target markets engage well with video, so maybe it is time to sink your teeth into reels, stories or live casts.
The options abound, which is part of the problem for many business owners. Still need help settling on the best tactics for your target market? Contact us to learn more about how outsourcing your market research and campaigns will help you successfully reach your business goals in 2025 and beyond.
