Page 39 - Duct Tape Marketing

23Chapter 2: All About Customers

• Start with calls to advertising representatives at the leading publi-
cations that serve your business sector. Media outlets conduct and
purchase research, and often they will share information as a way
to convince you of their ability to carry your marketing message to
the right prospects. Ask for information regarding geographic
areas with a concentration of people who fit your customer profile.

• Contact your industry association. Inquire about industry market
analyses that detail geographic areas with concentrated interest in
your offerings. If your offering is one that can be exported beyond
your regional marketplace, you may discover national or interna-
tional market opportunities that you otherwise wouldn’t have
considered.

• Visit your library reference desk. Study the SRDS Lifestyle Market
Analyst, a rich source of market-by-market demographic and lifestyle
information, and the CACI Sourcebook of ZIP Code Demographics,
which details the population profiles of 150 U.S. ZIP codes and
county areas. Through these resources, you can find and target
areas that have a concentration of residents with lifestyle interests
ranging from sewing to golfing to crossword puzzles — and every-
thing in between. If your business offers, for example, a product for
pets, these books can lead you to the market areas with concentra-
tions of pet owners. (See the Appendix for additional information
about these and other resources.)

Each time you discover a geographic area with easy access to your busi-
ness and with a concentration of residents who fit your buyer profile,
you’ve uncovered an area that should be on your list of geographic
target markets.

Demographics: Collecting data
to define your market

After you’ve determined where your customers are, the next step is to define
who they are so that you can target your marketing decisions directly at
people who fit your customer profile.

Sometimes business owners want to think that their products have such wide
appeal that everyone is part of their market. That’s a costly mistake, though,
because if you try to market to everyone, you’ll have to place ads everywhere,
which is a budget-breaking proposition. The answer is to narrow your cus-
tomer definition by using demographic facts to zero in on exactly whom you
serve. Follow these steps: