Narrowing your market is a scary prospect. Why? You probably already know who your customers are, and the more people you reach, the more you sell. Here lies the rub. The broader your audience, the broader your messaging becomes. Your bandwidth needs to be able to handle all sorts of clients from all walks of life and realms of expertise. Because of all this, your leads end up taking a little longer to come in and the experience you want to provide isn’t what you’d like it to be.
When you focus your energy on targeting a narrower audience, your message can be more customized. Customized messages are the ones that get the real engagement, and when that happens, there is a higher chance they will trust you understand their needs. They will know you are a good fit for them.
As you consider who exactly that narrow audience is, consider:
- Are they buying for themselves or someone else?
- What are their biggest problems or desires as it relates to your business?
- Where do they get their information as it relates to your business? Social media? Google search? Asking friends or colleagues?
After you’ve answered those, it’s time to refocus and zone in. Here are the top 3 areas of focus when determining how to narrow your target market.
How to Narrow Your Target Market in 3 Steps
1. Focus on Desired Outcomes
Your clients come to you for the benefits, not the features, you offer…so promote them. Instead of talking about what your business does, discuss the outcome or emotion your clients will get after working with you. Will they acquire more security in the financial realm? Feel more confident when preparing for mediation? Leave with lasting family memories? Whatever business you are in, reminding your audience what you can provide them with is what will get them interested, and get them at your proverbial doorstep.
2. Focus on Customer Experience
When you are pulled in multiple directions, it gets increasingly difficult to juggle all of the needs and desires of your clients. With a more specialized, narrower audience, you are able to customize your client experience. When you understand your client’s needs so well, which is far easier to do when you narrow your market, you make it easier for them to say yes. They are reassured you can do what they need with minimal effort. That in itself is a huge selling point.
3. Focus on Acquiring Trust
When you keep your focus on a very specific market, the reviews your business receives will also be specific. Your narrow market will find comfort in seeing themselves in those reviews, increasing trustworthiness within a market. Prior to even contacting you, they will feel confident in your expertise.
Narrowing your target audience helps you create customized messages for the right audience. This, in turn, will shorten the sales cycle and lower the barriers they may have to get to you. They’ll benefit from your specialized knowledge of their area, and you’ll benefit from the lower cost of focusing on a smaller market.
Do you need help identifying how to narrow your target market in your specific industry? Contact our team for more insights!