How to actually use
targeting

A step-by-step guide

The World Works On Perceptions 

Our upbringings are different. Our lives are different. Our experiences are different. Naturally, the way each of us see the world varies as well.
That’s our perception.

Doesn’t it make sense, then, that we would respond to situations differently as well? Similarly, we respond to various communications differently too. This is why it’s so important for your brand to have a communication strategy. If you don’t know what the right thing to say to your customers is, you’re not going to see a lot of results from your marketing/branding activities.

The World Works On Perceptions 

Our upbringings are different. Our lives are different. Our experiences are different. Naturally, the way each of us see the world varies as well.
That’s our perception.

Doesn’t it make sense, then, that we would respond to situations differently as well? Similarly, we respond to various communications differently too. This is why it’s so important for your brand to have a communication strategy. If you don’t know what the right thing to say to your customers is, you’re not going to see a lot of results from your marketing/branding activities.

You can’t change Perceptions

It’s easy to say ‘I want to change the way people do things’, but if you’re a small business/entrepreneur/startup, you don’t have the resources to change people’s way of life.


If you have a product that improves it, sure, that could work, but you can’t change what people are accustomed to believing/doing.

Only people/institutions that are authority figures can change perceptions

When your customer gives someone authority in their minds, the authority figures have the power to change perceptions. If a stranger walking down the street recommends medication for your problems, you probably won’t believe them. However, if a doctor tells you the same thing, you would. It’s because, in your mind, the doctor’s a professional. He’s qualified. He’s an authority on the subject. For people who don’t believe in modern medicine, the doctor ‘doesn’t know what he’s doing’, if he says something contrary to what they believe.

Similarly, major players are often authority figures in their respective industries. Results of extensive research are often credible sources of information in people’s minds.

In all this, your small business can barely leave a mark. Don’t try to change the way people do things – try to improve it.

How to create communication
for your audience

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First

Take a deep dive into the minds of your customers. We’re not talking about buyer personas; this is a discussion much deeper than what’s usually in a buyer persona. We’re talking about decision-making processes, thought processes, lifestyles…we’re talking about understanding your customer inside-out, as a whole.

We hear about so many businesses failing to market effectively, because they only think about customers as buyers.

The truth is, your customers are people – just like you and me – living full lives. Sometimes, we fail to see that. With this step, we’re planning to understand your customers intimately. That’s the only way we can truly communicate with them in a way that moves them to buy from us, or take the next step with our company.

Second

Once you’ve understood them properly, ask yourself – what do I want my company to be to this customer? If you work day-in and day-out on your business, understand that your business doesn’t mean as much to your customers as it does to you. It’s most likely a very small part of their lives, and once you truly gain perspective on where your business stands, coupled with an understanding of their minds, you will be able to gauge the right things to say to market to them effectively.

Third

Once you roughly know the message you need to convey to them, fine-tuning this can help you understand your positioning. Although positioning is quite a popular term in marketing, it isn’t always used the right way. Positioning is with reference to the customer’s minds; it defines the position your brand intends to occupy in someone’s mind. For instance, Volvo owns the word ‘safety’; Toyota owns the word ‘reliability’, and BMW is associated with terrible drivers who never use their blinkers.

Fourth

Build a communication strategy around your positioning. This includes everything from the approach you want to take with your customers, the tone-of-voice you write in that customers would enjoy reading, and so on. This is a broader strategy, but extremely important; the decisions you make with the communication strategy for your brand are going to be seen in every ad copy you write, every article you publish, what people see on your website, and basically any form of communication – big or small, online or offline – that people see from your brand. Your entire brand’s presence is defined by your communication strategy.
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