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The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Uncover Consumer Triggers & Identify Your Target Consumer.

 

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The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Uncover Consumer Triggers & Identify Your Target Consumer.

Brand positioning creates clarity and guidance around what you do and who you serve. It also defines to your target consumer why you are the best company for them and gives them reasons to believe in you and your products. Knowing your target audience is an important step to building the right messaging that connects with your customers and that connection builds engagement, conversion, loyalty, and ultimately advocacy. And that is something every brand owner is looking to achieve.

When you know your customers, your most loyal fans, then you can smartly craft specific messages that will connect with them right away. Your goal is to be focused on your Ideal Customer and then start to build look-alike customers to expand your reach.

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I am sharing two exercises that you can do to identify your target audience. One is outlining the key identifiers to understand what is driving your consumers to purchase or not purchase. The second exercise is to conduct Validation Calls with your customers. These calls are In-depth, real-time conversations you have with your current and potential customers - consumers and retailers. You can uncover insights, fears, concerns, challenges, wants and needs of your target market.

I have included a workbook “The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Uncover Consumer Triggers” that provides more details and offers you a space to brainstorm and outline your Ideal Customer.

Key Consumer Trigger Identifiers

There are Five Key Identifiers that will help you outline your customer. I have defined each one below and my recommendation is to provide answers and descriptions to each identifier, writing up as many details you can about your consumer.

By understanding these details about your customers you will begin to see connections and this can help you message better, align smarter promotions and engage on social media with them in a more consistent and authentic way.

Five Key Identifiers

Meaning

  • What does your brand mean to your customer?
  • Are they purchasing the Product for functional reasons or lifestyle reasons?

Motivations

  • Why WOULD they buy it, why ARE they buying it?
  • What problem do you solve for them?

Triggers

  • What would get them to buy it?
  • Do they have an emotional or rational reason for buying?

Use Cases

  • How will they use it?
  • How will your product transform their life?

Barriers

  • What’s standing in their way?
  • Are there barriers to where they would buy it?
  • Are there barriers to why they would buy it?
  • Is price a barrier?
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Ideal Customer Validation Calls

Validating your Ideal Customer is an important step in developing your brand. You need to know who you are connecting with and what types of problems you are helping them solve. The “Ideal Customer Calls” are in-depth, real-time conversations you have with your current or potential customers related to your company and product.

There are two goals of the “Ideal Customer Calls”.

  1. First, the conversations you have with your ideal customer will uncover insights, fears, concerns, challenges, wants and needs of your target market. These details will be incredibly valuable as you begin or continue to build your business, create your product offerings, develop innovation and write your marketing messages.
  2. The second goal of the calls is to determine whether you are on target with your current products, services, and messaging.

If something is off or is not resonating with your ideal customer, these conversations will give you more clarity and insight so that you can further develop your ideas. Each call should last around 20 minutes. Make sure that the validation calls you make are with people who you have already identified as your ideal customer. There’s no point in asking these questions to some random person who may not be your perfect customer!

Craft questions that are specific to your consumers - how they shop, where they shop and why they shop for the product and services in your category. If you sell your products at retail connect with a retail buyer so that you understand the trends that are happening and what space you are filling in their category selection.

Not Everyone is Your Consumer

Remember everyone is not your customer. Not everyone will like your product or use it or be its customer. If you try to please everyone you please no one. Solve specific problems for your customers and focus on identifying your target audience and communicating your authentic message. The goal of knowing your Ideal Customer is so you are VERY clear on who it is that you are serving and the problem you are solving for them.

The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Uncover Consumer Triggers & Identify Your Target Consumer.
To help you identify your target consumer I have included a workbook “The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Uncover Consumer Triggers” that provides more details and offers you a space to brainstorm and outline your Ideal Customer. I hope it helps and if you want to connect further I am happy to help. You can schedule a complimentary consultation here.

About Kristine Carey and Brand Guide

Brand Guide supports consumer packaged foods companies in the start-up and growth-stage who struggle with inconsistent brand messaging and the execution of that messaging and would like to find a clear path to spark a change in their communication strategy. Kristine collaborates with brands and organizations to investigate, identify, develop, and execute approachable and engaging communication strategy. She has worked internally and now as a consultant and mentor in the better-or-you food and beverage category. For more information, visit www.kristinecareybrandguide.com.