Target marketing in search engine optimization services by US - Canada SEM / SEO company
Even as top ranking experts in search engine optimization services
(SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) in the United States and
Canada, our target marketing is focused on people, not search
engine keywords, nor products, nor services and certainly not
just profit.. If you're concentrating your efforts on your
product or profit only, you'll miss your
target market - that's untargeted marketing.
The term target market is used because that
market– that group of people–is the "bull's-eye" at which you aim all your target marketing efforts.
So, don't forget that any target market is comprised of people...
with common characteristics that set them apart as
a group, or target market. The more statistics you have about a target market,
the more precisely you can develop your target marketing strategy. The table below shows some examples of target marketing segments (or groups):
| 
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| Demographic Segment |
Measurable statistics
such as age, income, occupation, etc. |
| Psychographic Segment |
Lifestyle preferences
such as music lovers, city or urban dwellers, etc. |
| Use-based Segment |
Frequency of usage
such as recreational drinking, traveling, etc. |
| Benefit Segment |
Desire to obtain
the same product benefits such as luxury, thriftiness,
comfort from food, etc. |
| Geographic Segment |
Location such
as home address, business address, etc. |
Here are examples of target segments that can be created
using the above table:
- Women business owners between the ages of 25 and 60 earning
more than $25,000 annually form a demographic segment.
- People who drive compact cars due to their fuel efficiency
form a benefit segment.
Be careful not to confuse a geographic market segment with
a place. The market is the people who live in the sunbelt
area, not the sunbelt area. This is a common mistake made
by business owners that causes them to lose a marketing focus
on their customers.
Target Marketing Search Engine Traffic Strategies
If online marketing is an important aspect of your business, the way it is for the Strategic Alliance Marketing Group, because we're concerned with search engine optimization services, then choosing the right keywords for your target market is crucial. If your business is primarily conducted offline, target marketing becomes even more challenging and much more expensive. The reason we're concerned with identifying a target market
is because it makes strategies for designing, pricing, distributing,
promoting, positioning and improving your product, service
or idea easier, more effective, and more cost-effective.
For example, if research shows that a sturdy recyclable package with
blue lettering appeals to your target market and if you're focused
on that target market, you should choose that type of packaging. If,
however, you are product or profit oriented – rather than people
oriented – you could simply make the package out of plain styrofoam
because it protects the product (product oriented) or because it's
cheap (profit oriented). Of course, styrofoam may not be the most environmentally aware choice in packaging for people who care about recycling.
Here's another example: If you know your target market is 18- to
24-year-old men who like hiphop music, are frequent CD buyers, and
live in urban neighborhoods, you can create an advertising message
to appeal to those types of buyers. Additionally, you could buy spots
on a specific radio station or TV show that appeals to this type of
buyer, rather than buying general media time to "kinda cover
all the bases." Make sense?
In summary, when you're making marketing decisions and you
say "kinda," it's costing you money. Know whom you
are aiming for (your target market) and create a strategy
for a direct hit.
Strategic Alliance offers an excellent three-hour intensive workshop
on identfying and reaching your target market. Find out more about our Bull's-eye Target Marketing Workshop here.
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