How To Determine If You’re Targeting Your Ideal Market
Keywords: copywriting, freelancing, marketing, chris marlow, target marketing
In the world of business, there are two dynamics that are constantly in motion, and they are…
1) A problem for which a solution must be found (owned by the client), and
2) The solution to that problem (owned by the service provider).
It’s the degree to which you can solve that problem for that client that will determine how easy (or hard) it is to capture the work and land the client. That’s why sophisticated marketers focus on finding the “#1 pain” of their market. They know if they can correctly identify a target’s #1 pain (that thing that keeps them up at night), they can then provide the service that will solve that pain.
For any service provider, the first marketing challenge is to find the target market that’s right for them. If you pick wrong, a market that doesn’t have a strong need for what you have to offer, for instance, you’ll struggle to land clients, perhaps unaware that the problem lies in your misunderstanding of what it is they really need.
Let me give you a real life example. Lynn is a lawyer-turned-copywriter who knows the legal field very well having worked in it for many years. Therefore, would it not be a good idea to specialize in helping law firms with their marketing?
In our work together, we certainly had to consider the market. But upon close examination, we determined that using her new copywriting skills to help law firms was not her ideal market.
Lynn’s research, intuition, and past experience told her that law firms generally do not place a high value on copywriting, and that the largest categories of law are dominated by individual practitioners who might find it hard to pay the rates she wants to charge. What’s more, she had lost her passion for law, which is one of the reasons she decided to change careers and become a copywriter.
Yet she was getting some business from this trade. So we decided to target a market Lynn could get excited about, the self-improvement (SI) market. For now, Lynn continues to help her local law firms as a “sub-niche” until she has a full roster of SI clients.
The lesson is, when you target a market, run through a checklist to see if you’re really well-matched for it. Here are five starter questions to ask yourself:
1. Does this market really want and need what I have to sell? To what degree?
2. Do I understand this market’s #1 pain and can I articulate my solution to that pain in a powerful way?
3. Do I enjoy this market and will I enjoy it five or 10 years from now?
4. Can this market help me achieve my financial and business-building goals?
5. Will this market need my help long into the future or is it susceptible to change?
Chris Marlow publishes a free newsletter for consultants who want to land the high quality, high value clients. Sign up at www.GetGreatClients.com
Previous Articles Highlighter:
Four Tips On Building An Online Presence For Your Business (1)
Here are four tips on building an online presence for your company: 1. Hire a professional web designer and ask to see samples of their work. You want to see currently working sites that have been put together by the outfit to ensure that you like what the finished product would look like.
The Importance Of Blog Design (2)
You can choose a standard border or you can also create your own border which can be associated with your blog's templates. Add a favicon Don't you think sites with icons on the address bar before the website's URL are cool?
How To Make Easy Money Online (3)
One thing to keep in mind that making a pile of money from one source probably is not going to happen. However, if you can make even $50 a month from 10 different sources, you can pull down a decent part time income.
Top Three Online Credibility Builders (4)
The third step is to have a clear return policy and instructions on how to return items. While you may not like giving refunds or returns, it is a necessity to have a return policy because it specifies to the customer how you deal with a refund or with a return.
How To Use Pay Per Click Marketing For Your Business (5)
The big advantage of PPC's is that you don't have to worry about messing with keywords or links or any of that. You can just figure out how much you want to pay for a keyword and buy your position.
The Biggest So-Called Secret Of Internet Marketing (6)
:-) It's one of those things that you learn the truth about along the way when you refuse to give up the dream of becoming financially free on the internet.
Marketing Your Home Business Opportunity Online (7)
So go ahead and give it a try, you will not be disappointed. Obinna Heche: Delivering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home successfully..
Tips For Starting A Web Design Agency (8)
You might even have to make a few compromises just to get that first client. There are some ways that you can get past this barrier. The first is to design an excellent web page, and then offer to sell it to people who are looking for a web site.
2 Simple And Free Rules That Boost Your Infoproduct Sales & Guarantee Success (9)
As an honest, ethical, customer-oriented infopreneur, you should not try to teach or preach about things you do not know enough. Instead, become the 'compiler', the 'researcher', the 'interviewer', who seeks out the best solution and then makes it available to a hungry crowd of potential buyers.
Why Do You Make Money On The Internet? (10)
An online business is something that you can start while you are still working for others. Once the online business begins to make enough income to support yourself, you can quit your other job.
Making Money From Home Business Internet Marketing (11)
If you are one of those who are contemplating of putting up your own home business Internet marketing and earning a living out of it, it might be good to consider affiliate marketing.
Tips On Successful Online Business Advertising (12)
Wish that it were so. The truth of the matter is the fact that making internet advertising work for you takes time, patience and the placement of ads in the strategic places at the right time.
Brand Identity Guidelines (13)
What about what they do not want? Do you know where they go first to find a company like yours? Are they going to the internet and doing searches or finding you in a trade publication?
Yahoo: A Brief History Of Yahoo! What You Need To Know (14)
Paid inclusion did not guarantee a high ranking; it only guaranteed that the business would be ranked. Yahoo, like other businesses, keeps its eye on the future. Currently Yahoo offers a multitude of services that cater to nearly all online activities.
Tax Lien Investing - Just Another Scam (15)
If tax liens were such a great business than why isn't everybody else in it? By the numbers propsed by these shows, infomercials, websites and similar and the fact that this idea has been around for over 5 years there should be many, many millionaires.
Link Marketing Solutions (16)
One of the most frequently asked questions about affiliate marketing is what is an effective marketing link program. For an affiliate to ask this type of question it means that they have realized a particular key and very important requirement for the success of their affiliate program.
What Is Broadband And Different Types Of Broadband (17)
It frees up your phone line and only needs a broadband connection, which is typically provided by your cable provider. If you've been using dial-up for all your internet usage, you may be sick and tired of the slow download speed and the slow page loads.
Home Internet Business Marketing (18)
They are the primary method net surfers use to locate information. One of the top marketing strategies is to choose relevant keywords for the most efficient search engine optimization.
5 Things You Must Have To Succeed In Affiliate Marketing (19)
Negative attitudes and hearsays should not discourage an affiliate marketer from pursuing what he has to in order to make life better for himself and for everyone concerned. Neither should anyone influence his attitude toward the business, because once in it, it is a must for him to be the captain of his ship and the master of his soul.
Online Education Offers Unparalleled Learning Freedom (20)
With online classes, it doesn't matter if you are in your pajamas or in a suit and tie, you can still do the work you need to do online and no one will be the wiser.
Newer Articles Highlighter:
Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Affiliate Marketer? (1)
To be an affiliate marketer is not an easy task. You have to learn the techniques of marketing your product or service. You shouldn't be looking at every chance because marketing is all about attracting you to look at this or that particular opportunity.
How To Get Cheap Web Hosting Without Sacrificing Features (2)
It doesnt make any difference whether you are a large company doing business on the internet with shopping cars and thousands of products or just someone who wants to share their hobby with the world.
What Products Should I Sell Online? (3)
Every once in a while a new product comes out and it's a "must have" thing. If you keep your eyes and ears open you can spot these trends and fashions early and you can get in on the action.
The Hidden Code To Internet Marketing Business Success - Part 1 (4)
No matter which option you choose, marketing information and education products online can be a very profitable business venture. Lee Williams is a veteran direct marketer with experience in network marketing, direct sales, web authoring and traffic generation.
The Beauty Of Search Engine Optimization Phobias (5)
It only takes an hour a day to build a successful business. If time spent optimizing your website leads to an increase in sales isnt it time well spent?
Some Of The Crucial Components Your Web Site Needs To Be Customer Friendly (6)
Nothing builds credibility for your business like testimonials. Keep in mind that a picture is worth a thousand words. Whenever possible, include photographs of available products so that your customers can see what your site has to offer.
Marketing Your Affiliate Programs (7)
This is especially true in the affiliate marketing program. The biggest success stories begin with a dream and a goal. That goal is usually to make a lot of money and be able to work from your home.
Drive Massive Traffic To Your Site With Ebooks (8)
Creating an Ebook to Use as a Viral Marketing Tool Although ebooks make great products that you can sell online, they also make great marketing tools. Offering a quality free ebook on your web site is a great way to get your visitors to come back to your web site and obtain repeat traffic.
The Internet Business Promoter (9)
It will be an investment that will more than pay for itself in the long run. To Your Success Obinna Heche: Delivering the best home based business ideas and opportunities so you can work at home successfully..
What's The Difference Between Blogs And Websites? (10)
Blogging gives writers, journalists, professionals, moms, dads and even teenagers an instant way to publish their thoughts on a regular basis. For those who enjoy writing, blogs give a unique opportunity to practice writing skills and experiment with what others want to read.
Some Of The Most Important Rules In Website Design (11)
This means you should avoid or minimize the fancy Flash type as well as the multiple drop down menus. Do not use auto looping audio on your website or audio that automatically starts as soon as the page opens.
How Google Adwords Can Dramatically Increase Your Profits (12)
This is a pay by click service, so decide beforehand how much you are willing to pay so that your bids will remain within your budget. Don't be concerned with the link to your site being at the top of the page.
Why Blogging Is Crucial To Your Business In Today's Business World (13)
They give employees an opportunity to share the great things about their company, and administration also posts information about the company that pertains to employees and genuinely builds up the atmosphere in the office.
Which Marketing Channel Do You Use? (14)
Sometimes, you just have to plan to use a particular marketing channel and then put your all into it. Over time, the results will show you which ones to stick with.
5 Internet Home Business Ideas That You Can Start Right Away (15)
You will want to educate yourself on Ebay and how it works but you can make a very successful home business this way. Fourth: do you like to write?
Drop Ship Wholesale Directories (16)
If a user is expecting to make money with a wholesaler or drop ship source, he or she needs to be able to find a directory that updates its list of suppliers on a regular basis.
XM Radio Is A No-Brainer (17)
XM radio usually comes with an installation manual and in most cases a channel guide. You will not have to sit there scanning the channels, finding one you like, and then have to remember it.
Ideas For Kids To Make Money Online (18)
That article was about local boys who made a habit of chasing exotic cars. They used their cell phones to catch video of those exotic cars. When those boys got their first videos, then they discovered one of the newest ideas for kids to make money.
Affiliate Marketing For Home Internet Business - How To Get Started (19)
You can then set up different websites that will drive traffic to your affiliate's sites. When this happens, you will get paid! Affiliate marketing for a home internet business is a great way to get promotion.
How To Select The Best Broadband Internet Providers (20)
There are so many broadband internet providers existing that if the service isn't up to same level the user can always switch to a different provider. Some of the providers are big name companies and others might be little recognized players.
Permalink to How To Determine If You’re Targeting Your Ideal Market