You can’t be all things to all people. Only a limited number of people will want or need what you have to sell, share… or even give away!

To reach the right people (your Target Market) the key is to clarify:

• Who you are
• What it is you want to sell
• Who you believe wants or needs your special product, service or message
• How you can best serve them (meet one of their needs)

Individuals purchase products or services for three basic reasons:

• To solve a problem
• To satisfy a basic need or want
• Emotional reasons (i.e. makes them feel good)

Corporations, unlike individuals, buy products or services for three basic reasons:

• To increase income
• To maintain the status quo
• To decrease expenses

If you don’t carefully and consciously choose who to reach (target), then you are probably casting too wide a net.

To determine who your ideal client or customer is, you’ll need to ask yourself the following:

1. What is your specific product, service or message?
2. Who is your competition?
3. What is unique about your product or service?
4. How does this make you stand above or apart from your competition?

Envision your ideal client or customer.

• What do they look like?
• What kinds of things do they like, need, want, choose?
• What kinds of things do they buy?
• What is their economic level?
• What is their age?
• What is their educational level?
• Where are they? (local, national, international)
• How big is your target market? (You will need to do some research here – Google, local library, Chamber of Commerce)

Answer all these questions, and you’ll elevate yourself to the next level. You’ll then be able to create a Marketing Plan with specific actions to help you reach your Target Market. We are fortunate to have excellent non-profit organizations and other resources available to us in Siskiyou County, including JEDI and SBDC, that can help with this important Next Step.

- Marguerite Lorimer

Nikolas Allen of BAM! Small Biz Consulting gave a dynamic speaking presentation at WIBN’s December Breakfast Meeting. He spoke about the importance of branding and shared three principles that small business owners can use to create stronger emotional connections with their audience. Here is a brief recap of some of the key points from his speech.

Three Principles of Emotional Engagement, by Nikolas Allen

Studies have proven that humans make decisions based on emotions, then use their rational mind to justify decisions. In the battle of the heart vs. the mind, the heart often wins, therefore, in order to earn the attention of your audience, you need to hook them emotionally.

When you talk about building small business brands that matter, that means you make a consistent effort to create an emotional engagement at every touchpoint consumers experience related to your company.
The following three principles are easy, yet powerful ways to help you do just that.

Principle 1) Infuse your company with your own unique personality.

All great companies reflect the passion of their leader. There is nobody who is You-er than YOU! Your passion for your topic is palpable and it’s contagious, and people respond to authenticity.

Too many small business owners settle for weak, shallow, unremarkable, cookie-cutter advertising that doesn’t differentiate, doesn’t intrigue, doesn’t excite.

Instead, aim to infuse your company and your marketing with your own unique personality, and let your remarkable, passionate, brave, strong, intelligent attributes shine.

Principle 2) Appeal to the values of your target audience

Having a strong set of personal values is important, and it’s even more important to know what your target audience values. Ideally, there will be common values shared between you and them, which is a solid building block for any relationship.

There’s a great saying that I try to remember at all times, “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

If you care about your audience, you make the effort to find out what’s important to them, and you appeal to those values. That’s going to attract people of like minds, and it may repel or alienate the rest. But that’s okay, because you’re not trying to appeal to everyone.

Appealing to the values of your target audience ensures that you are attracting the most appropriate customers for your business.

Principle 3) Speak the Language of Results

One of the easiest, most effective ways to improve your marketing message is by articulating the end results customers derive from your offering, YET it’s the most common violation I see with small business advertising.

So many entrepreneurs are marketing the “WHAT” of their business: What they sell, what their product is, what their service is – instead of marketing the “WHY?” As in, why should consumers care?

Your marketing materials need to paint a beautiful picture of how much better your customer’s lives are going to be after purchasing your offering. This is similar to touting the benefits of your product or service, but in our hyper-connected, instant-gratification society, consumers want more than benefits, they want results – and they want ‘em now!

So go beyond the “Stuff” of your business, and speak the language of results. I promise you, this language is music to the ears of your audience.

By implementing these three principles you will create marketing messages that bypass the logic center of the brain, and plant themselves firmly in the soft, squishy landscape of the heart, which is where relationships blossom between consumers and the small business brands that matter to them.

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Heavyweight Marketing Champion, Nikolas Allen, runs BAM! Small Biz Consulting, where he helps small business owners attract more loyal customers and grow their business through creative branding and marketing strategies. If you’re ready to step in the ring with BAM!, contact Nikolas Allen for your FREE 30-Minute Needs Assessment. Phone: (530) 859-5454 • Email: bamsbc@gmail.com