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Use census tool to target customersBy Bud Gayhart
Maybe you already figured that out, but have you taken the time to clearly identify who your customers are so that you can optimize your product and service offerings and target your advertising? Each business is unique and attracts a specific set of customers. How wide a range of customers your business serves will depend on the nature of your product or service, but you can narrow it down by considering shared customer traits. In addition to the obvious characteristics of gender and age, consider your typical customer's income, education, ethnicity, location, family status and other markers. You can also differentiate your customers by psychographic traits - their personality, values, interests, attitudes and lifestyle. Knowing the traits of your customer enables you to develop a targeted marketing approach to ensure you are connecting with the right people. So how do you identify who your customer is? Start keeping track. Are your customers male or female? What age bracket do they fall into? You could ask them to complete an informal survey identifying their age group, income, education, family status, ZIP code and other information, you can learn a great deal. Allow them to complete the survey and drop it anonymously into a collection box so they do not think they are revealing personal data that can be traced back to them. Armed with this new information, you can turn to the Internet to look for data that will match what you know about your customers to census results for your surrounding area. One very useful Web site is www.factfinder.census.gov, where you can enter a city, town, county or ZIP code to gain access to a wealth of demographic information - all free of charge. The Factfinder Web site will provide you with lots of detailed data. For example, if you own a toy store that targets preschoolers, you can find out the total population under age 5. Say your business appeals to people over age 65 and you want to know how many live in your area; that data is available. Need to target people who own their own home? No problem. The total number of homeowners is identified, and you can click on a link that will display an area map showing where those people are likely to live. Are your customers likely to have a college education? This Web site will list the college-educated population total, and a map will show where they live. Once you have developed a customer profile, there are many tools available to assist you in identifying where potential customers are located. Knowing their traits and locations makes it easy to develop a media campaign to connect with potential customers. For instance, you can use direct mail or distribute fliers to identified neighborhoods. Your marketing plan should be revised to include methods to capitalize on your expanded knowledge about your customers. It is critical for business owners to understand who their customers are and just as important to understand who they are not. Collect customer traits and access the Census Bureau to learn more about what customer information is available. If you need specific information, you may need to access an association or pay a fee to obtain lists that have been sorted to meet your specific needs. Knowing more about your current customers will help you target other persons with similar interests. They can be your new customers, helping grow your business to the next level. Bud Gayhart is interim director of the Center for Innovation and Business Development at UW-Whitewater. madison.com ©2009 Capital Newspapers. All rights reserved. |
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