We should all be looking for a targeted audience.  We can’t be all things to all people in all places.  One of the challenges we have found as we work with small business is that more times than not they are not able to adequately identify exactly who their customer really is.  Equally as important – who ISN’T a good customer?

If we are able to identify who our existing customers are we are obviously armed with some good information when we start looking for new customers.  As simple as that sounds – this may be one of the biggest problems that most businesses and sales professionals face – they don’t know who they need to talk to.  You can save a massive amount of time, a lot of money, and major frustration by taking the time now to identify your existing customers.  Who is your number one client?  Who is your worst client?  Why?  Ask these questions.  Dig for the answers.

Once we have narrowed down who our customers really are there are several options available to us that will increase business or save money:

1)  We can be more focused and much more effective with our sales and marketing strategies – particularly with a social media campaign.  It’s like shooting a rifle versus firing a shotgun.

2) We can introduce new products or services to our customers – we now know who they are – we should have a good idea as to what they want and what they need.  We can use tactics such as affiliate marketing programs to dramatically increase our revenue to existing customers while at the same time attracting new business.

3) We can deliver superior customer service.  The more you know about your customer the better you can serve them. One size does not fit all and understanding your target market will give you the upper hand on your competitors when it comes to making the customer happy.

All of this fits in so well with social media.  With social media we are able to engage our targeted audience on a level that companies never dreamed could ever happen.  The more we interact with our customers and the more we understand them – the more they understand us - the more trust and credibility is built. The possibilities are huge.

Over a period of time this trust, credibility, and our knowledge can spread like wildfire across the blogosphere and throughout the social media networks.  When that happens – you become an authority in your niche and there is no stopping how big you can build your business.

So don’t just identify your customer – take advantage of the information you get and use a carefully crafted social media campaign to develop a mutually beneficial relationship with those customers and your potential customers.

Dennis Lynn
Social Media Dudes

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