Have you ever wondered if maybe you chose the wrong customer to target for your business?
One of the most expensive mistakes a business can make is targeting the wrong audience. I’ve worked with companies across industries, from startups to established firms. Again and again, I’ve seen how choosing the right audience can be the difference between growth and stagnation.
But, how do you know you chose the right audience?
There are a lot of criteria that go into how you determine the correct type of customer to target. The most basic criterion is that they have the problem you solve, and it’s painful enough for them to be willing to pay someone to solve it.
Even if that’s the case, they may not be the most profitable customer profile to target.
Let me show you what I mean by walking you through my work with a client several years ago.
Example One: A Bank Software Company’s Target Audience Dispute
Several years ago, I was hired by a tech startup that created a new banking software for local bank branches.
The premise was that the current software most banks were using for their bank tellers was old, outdated, and costing banks tons of money in lack of productivity. The software was convoluted, overly cumbersome to use, and caused headaches for front office staff.
So, my client created a new software that was lighter and sped up the work of bank tellers, saving them time and saving the banks a lot of money.
Their Choice of Ideal Customer to Target
From the jump, they were adamant that their target customer was bank managers.
If we could develop a brand narrative that demonstrated to bank management how much they were losing in productivity and how much they could save or make with this new software, they’d jump at the opportunity.
It sounds good on paper, right? Bank managers would want a more efficient staff and increased profit due to less waste. They also held the power of the purse and were the decision makers.
I wasn’t so sure.
Having worked in companies with similar front office staff, local management, and corporate offices, I remembered how rare it was for management to proactively care about the difficulties faced by the front office staff.
As long as the staff wasn’t revolting, and corporate wasn’t breathing down their necks, they didn’t care.
If someone had come to them and said, “We have this tool that will speed up your staff’s work, make them more efficient, and save you money,” they’d have probably said, “No thanks.”
Switching your core software is a significant undertaking and is likely to make things worse before they improve.
Besides, the staff weren’t complaining. Why change anything?
My Choice For Their Ideal Customer
When I looked at their product and customer profile, I saw things differently.
My suggestion was that they target the tellers. Go after the front office staff whose jobs were wearing them down and had beef with the existing software solution.
If you could “flip” the entire front office staff, it would be very difficult for the back office staff to ignore you.
Plant the seeds with the front office, and then harvest the fruit with a primed and ready-to-buy back office.
Sure, local management wants their business to be efficient and profitable, but most of the time, what they really want is their staff to be happy and leave them alone.
Turn their staff into a squeaky wheel, and they’ll do just about anything to oil that bad boy up so it quits annoying them and they can get back to their regular work of being all important.
Try to sell directly to management, and they’ll look at you and say, “None of my staff have complained about this. They seem to be just fine with our current solution,n which is already paid for. No thanks!”
The User vs Buyer Dilemma
Clearly, what we have here is a classic User vs. Buyer dilemma. What’s the Difference?
The user and the buyer don’t always have the same pain points and are not always aligned on when to make a purchase.
The user feels the pain and seeks a solution.
The buyer funds the solution but expects some personal ROI when all is said and done.
Quick Test: Are You Targeting the Right Audience?
Ask yourself:
- Who feels the pain your product solves?
- Who funds the solution?
- Who is motivated to act now?
- Who has the most to lose or gain from solving this problem?
If those aren’t the same person, you may need a dual-audience strategy.
Example Two: A Restoration Company Assumes The Wrong Customer
Recently, I worked with a restoration company in South Florida. This was an established and already pretty successful small business. They responded to Florida hurricane damage, water damage, and mold in residential homes.
While working on their messaging, I started by spending some time working through their ideal customer. Since they are an established business, we didn’t need to guess. We could just look at who’s already calling them.
After digging in and getting their thoughts, I noticed their ideal customer was generally a man with a family. However, a couple of folks in the meeting were talking about the wives who would call.
So, I asked the question…
“When you answer the phone, how often is a wife on the other end vs a husband?”
The answer?
75% or more of the time, it was the wife calling.
Boom. Ideal customer. Ideal audience.
While they generally assumed that restoration was a man’s game. Meaning, the men in the relationships were more likely to call, but the facts didn’t back it up.
So, focusing on wives and mothers who are concerned about their family’s health and safety, we focused our messaging on a softer approach that prioritized child and family health over the nuts and bolts of home restoration.
Most of the time, both partners will need to be convinced to spend the money on restoration services. However, convincing them both might require differing approaches.
Dig Deeper Than Assumptions When Determining Your Ideal Customer
It’s easy to make a quick assumption and run with it when determining your ideal customer. When we look at bank managers, we see that they
- Are in charge of decision-making
- Should feel the pain of inefficiency (in theory)
- Have the power of the purse to buy your stuff
They are the buyer.
The problem is that the back office staff is unmotivated to make changes (that cost money and require significant effort to implement) if their staff isn’t nagging them about their current solution.
The person cutting the check might be your eventual customer, but they are not always your ideal audience.
Here’s a good example of how this often plays out in marketing a product.
No One Sells Toys To Parents
Think of it like toy commercials. Does anyone still watch commercials?
Well, in the 90s, I watched commercials…a LOT of them. We couldn’t skip them like kids can these days. (Old man shakes fist at sky)
Not a single commercial for Ninja Turtles figurines of Moon Shoes was targeted at my parents.
Those commercials were targeted directly at the soul of my 10-year-old self. I was the ideal customer, even though I had exactly zero money to spend.
The job was to sell me, so I would nag my parents endlessly until they caved in and bought the Ninja Turtle toy just to get me to shut up.
You Might Need Two Clear Marketing Messages
If you have a product that solves a problem for someone other than the person paying for it, you may need two nuanced marketing messages for each audience.
One audience has the problem. The other has the money to pay for a solution.
Create one marketing message that digs in on the pain and frustration the first audience is experiencing, and paint your product or service as the solution.
Then, create a second marketing message for the boss with the cash whose problem is different than the first audience.
The boss’s problem is a frustrated staff that isn’t meeting its potential and may even be on the verge of leaving if the thorn in their side isn’t removed.
Paint your product or service as a solution to that problem that not only removes the nagging of the staff but also increases efficiency, saves money, and boosts profits.
Bottom Line: You Need to Make a Decision
Whether you’re struggling with a user vs buyer dilemma or have multiple audiences who might benefit from your product or service, ultimately, you need to make a decision.
Decisions are hard. Decisions require you to intentionally dismiss an audience in favor of another.
You make them with as many facts and as much data as possible, but in the end, it’s an educated guess.
The right message to the wrong audience is like shouting into the void. Get clear on who you’re really talking to, and start building real momentum.
Not sure? I’d love to help you clarify your audience and create a powerful marketing plan
If you’re unsure whether you’re aiming at the right audience or wondering why your current messaging isn’t converting like it should, let’s talk.
I help businesses clarify who they’re really built to serve and create marketing that connects.
Schedule a free call with me HERE. I look forward to meeting you.