Find your target market – the segment of the population that is most appropriate for your business and are more likely to purchase from you – is absolutely crucial to the development a plan (aka growth marketing plan). When I talk to small business owners, usually reluctant to start at the beginning, creating a plan. Many small business owners that all there is to marketing is getting the right ad in the paper, designing a creative piece of direct mail or the perfect Web site. While those things are certainly part of an effective marketing plan, none of this will be fully effective without a strategy to guide it.

Why what a target market?

When small businesses spend money on advertising without knowing they have to be publicized, what are you doing? In First, they are trying to be all things to all people and thereby diluting its core strengths. It makes them look and sound like everybody out there. Second, are throw a lot of money marketing to people who are not and will never be suitable prospects for your business. I do not know about you, but I have a budget limited marketing and spending money in never going to buy – or do not like to work with me even if they did, just not how I want to invest it.

So who is your target market? To answer this, let's talk about who is not.

Identifying a target market always appears in my conversations with small business owners and marketing. "Oh, I know who my target market is!" they proclaim. I ask, "How truth? Good for you! Describe your target market for me. "Her response?" Well, my target market is anyone who is _______ (fill in the blank) ": anyone who needs a new car, and anyone who needs a dentist, and who wants to buy a house, so your answer would be similar? If so, I regret to say "any "It is not a target market." Anyone who "buy houses and cars, or have teeth is not your target market," any person "who is not breathing necessarily the best choice for your business.

Why not "who"?

Let me explain: Say you own a clinic dental postcode 94,533. You may think that "anyone who" has teeth and lives in your zip code is your target market. To send a postcard to every Home – Let's say that 20,000 postcards of the 20,000 people, 30% have no dental insurance to cover. Another 15% have not been to the dentist in 10 years and not leave early. Another 20% work in another city and go to the dentist close to work. What does this mean? This means that 65% of people in your zip code are not candidates for your practice. This means that only sent 13,000 postcards or letters at all. This means you probably lost at least $ 6000 of marketing to the wrong people.

Yes, this is a very simplistic example of the danger of not identifying and marketing to your target market and the benefits are greater than just saving money. Find your target market also lets you separate your business, find a place to better serve and work only with individuals or companies that value what you do, work with clients who are the most favorable for basic products and services, and working with customers are more profitable.

Therefore, unless "any person who" goes something like this: "He who is female, between the ages of 35 and 45, have a college degree, 2 kids, a husband, owns from home, driving a car in 3 years, says Business Week magazine, has a household income between $ 80,000 and $ 120,000 and spent $ 4,000 on players last year, "you have to do more work in defining your target market. But trust me -" Anyone who is not true!

If you want to learn more hints and tips for small businesses check out my blog devoted to helping small businesses succeed: http://fortunemarketingcompany.com/marketing-blog/ You can also subscribe to our newsletter for monthly marketing tips and ideas: http://fortunemarketingcompany.com/

Author Carolyn Higgins is the President and founder of Fortune Marketing Company. Her personal mission is to help you stop wasting money on advertising and promotions that don’t deliver and help you implement an effective marketing system that will bring you more customers – consistently.

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