James Montgomery Bailey jokes, "A blunderer is a man who starts a meat market during Lent." This rings true for the countless ideas that maintain their place on their dusty shelves due to poor marketing. Bailey hints to a similar philosophy which states, "You can't hit a target that you can't see." Although cliche, it is good to keep this in mind to avoid aimlessly casting your nets and waiting to see what you catch.
Targeting your audience is vitally important in enjoying the success of your idea or product. I'm not speaking of targeting your audience in terms of finding potential victims of pushy high-dollar sales campaigns. Instead, I'm talking about tried-and-true effective marketing efforts where you can create the best possible product for your readers, or simply stated, "Get the most bang for your buck!" How's that for cliche!
So what is marketing and what does it entail? Marketing, simply put, is the technique of promoting and distributing your idea or work. It is important to know who you are targeting your product to during the beginning of the process so that, by the completion of your product, you are not basing your success on luck. Let's run through a general list of things to think about when exploring the characteristics of your audience/readers and how to market to them.
First off, identify the Who, What, When, Where, How and Action points. (Action points are the "actions" that encourage the buyer to buy).
Below is a list of other questions to think about:
Identify the Content
-What is your idea or product about?
Identify the Buyer
-Who would buy this product? What age group? What gender?
What activities does the Buyer participate in?
-Does the Buyer enjoy the outdoors? Does the Buyer play indoor/outdoor sports? An activity could also be cooking, handywork, taking care of the home, health/fitness, etc.
Does the Buyer shop at retail or online stores?
-Does the Buyer shop at specialty stores or all-in-one stores?
What purchasing habits do they have?
-Does the Buyer purchase based on convenience, service, brand name, quality, etc.?
What other books does the Buyer read?
-If there are similar books to yours on the market, go out and do some in-store market research. Take note of their use of artwork on the cover, fonts, words on the back cover, etc. If you can't find a product that exists like yours...congratulations, you may have stumbled upon a goldmine. (and if you do, call me...ha!)
The more you zero in on your audience the better you can tailor your product to meet their needs. Take a moment to write down your own list of questions and answers. The more creative your questions are, the better chances you have at successfully launching your efforts in the right direction.
Remember that although you are trying to reach as many people as you can, you do not want to target your audience so specifically that the only person you end up developing your product for is your neighbor Joe. Have fun with this exercise and find someone you can show your list to that believes in your idea as much as you do. Often times, the saying, "Two heads are better than one," is a cliche you can count on benefiting from!
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