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5 Ways Target Market Research Can Save You Time, Money and Sanity

November 1, 2012 by Erica Leave a Comment

Target Market Research: Sounds like a task given to someone whose boss didn’t like them. But really it’s important. I’m going to tell you why but let me paint a picture for you first.

My target market profile is:

The women I work with are so busy they can’t see straight, who truly want to make a difference in the lives of others, love to break out of the mold to do their own thing, and hate corporate stiffness because they know there is a more humane way to live and work. They are also truly talented and have been successful in their businesses but need help because they are ready to go from business to unstoppable phenom.

No one who has risen to greatness has done it all alone.

When you’re going it alone, it can be overwhelming to find help. And I know that you’ve seen all over the place people telling you:

“Delegate!”

“You need an assistant!”

“Outsource! Outsource! Outsource!”

But really does any of that hype tell you how to find help. Sometimes I want to shake my hand at the internet and say “Stop yelling at me and hold my hand step-by-step while I do this!”

Quoted from: The Invisible Office – You’re My Type of People

Let’s look at ways this makes everything easier.

1. When I write my blog posts, I write them for busy women. I don’t use corporate jargon and I try to make it short, and easy enough to read in one sitting so they don’t get distracted before they finish.

Because they are busy, and if they are like me easily distracted, I don’t include a ton of links. Some of the SEO people will tell you to try for 6 links per article. I don’t know about you but the first link I click means I’m off into the internet and probably won’t make it back to the original article for days, if at all.

2. Knowing who you are writing to, you can use more targeted examples. If you only work with iPad-based graphic artists, you don’t need to go out of your way to research the average height of giraffes to make an obscure veternary tech reference. (It’s 17 1/2 feet by the way. Sadly I didn’t have to look that up.)

3. Because my target market needs results that cannot take them much time, I can create bite sized products, audio recordings or videos that they can watch easily. I do not want to create a 3 hour long video that they have to watch from a particular place, and can’t pause.

4. Leveraging! I can post a picture of my kid, my cats, or my dirty house and my clients will connect instantly!

5. Best of all, once your potential clients connect with you, they see you as an expert in their field or their need rather than a one-size-fits-all solution.

Image via Dell

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Filed Under: Growing and Expanding

About Erica

Erica Cosminsky is an HR Business Strategist for small businesses. She can slog through the pile of applicants and help deliver the best assistant to your "office door", she transforms mile long to-do lists into manageable bites, and like your best friend after a raging party, she sticks around to offer assistance or clean up any messes, etc. Find her free delegation workbook at TheInvisibleOffice.com
She is a former corporate HR Manager, and ran her own virtual business team for 4 years. She has a BS in Organizational Leadership focused in HR and is a grad student in Industrial and Organizational Psychology focused in Workplace Efficiency. Honestly, if you have questions about working with people, Erica can probably help you. Ask her on Twitter. @Cosminsky

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