Understanding your target market is an essential part of any effective marketing strategy. After all, these are the people who are most likely going to purchase your food products. If you want to make those sales, you need to know the best way of getting through to your potential customers.
This is perhaps especially important in the highly competitive food business. There’s only so much space on those shelves, so you need to do whatever you can to make your brand really stand out from the competition. By specifically tailoring your marketing strategy to your target market, you may be able to give your brand the leverage it needs to be successful in this cutthroat industry.
However, before you can tailor that strategy, you need to have a solid understanding of who your target market is for your food business. Learn how to zero in on that market below.
Step 1: Identify the Benefits of Your Food Product
What problem does your product solve? What need are you fulfilling?
These are the types of questions you need to ask when identifying your target market. For example, say you’re planning on bringing a new type of coffee to market. Coffee is typically used by adults who need a little extra energy throughout the day, so perhaps your target market is the 18+ crowd who are actively working or in school. Figure out how people are supposed to benefit from your food product, and you should begin to have a basic understanding of your target market.
Step 2: Narrow it Down
If you’re planning on tailoring your marketing strategy to fit your target market, then a basic, general understanding isn’t going to be enough. You want to really zero in on who your customer is if you want your marketing efforts to be effective.
There are four common ways to segment a market:
- Geographic segmentation involves location. What city do they live in? Is it a suburban, urban or rural setting?
- Demographic segmentation focuses on more personal details. How old are they? What’s their income? Gender? Education level?
- Behavioral segmentation is about their behaviors. What kind of activities do they do? What do they like to buy?
- Psychogenic segmentation looks at personality types and preferences. What are their interests? Values? Attitudes?
There are a few ways to gather this information. You can create a survey, host a focus group, or even just search around online. Once you’ve done that, you should be ready to create a buyer persona.
Step 3: Create a Buyer Persona
A buyer persona is like an archetype of your target market. When you’re creating a buyer persona, you’re essentially crafting a character based on the information you’ve gathered in the previous step. This should really solidify your understanding of your target market.
For example, let’s create a short buyer persona for our coffee business. John is a 35-year-old married man with kids and a full-time job. He loves spending time with his kids, reading, and playing sports. He currently drinks at least 3 cups of coffee in the morning so he has enough energy to accomplish his daily tasks.
Now that you have a good understanding of your target market, you can use it to inform your marketing strategy. Hopefully your product will have a prime spot on those shelves soon!
Need more help growing your food business? Book a free consultation with the greater goods today!