The speed of the internet means marketers are constantly looking to anticipate new trends. Trends can be subtle changes or noticeable shifts, but the clear advantage is for those that can act swiftly. While many marketers seek out methods and tactics that are brand new, most trends are based on proven methods that have worked across all types of businesses. A current trend, helping to achieve success for established marketers and newbies, is to focus on highly personalized marketing messages for targeted audiences. Using this focused approach helps your message resonate in a crowded marketplace, with the following methods playing an important role.
Collect Data
Targeting an entire market can be done without too much heavy research, but a focused attack can only be achieved with data and analysis. You need to understand the audience, so use tools like Alexa and Google Trends to gather as much demographic data as you can. Data gathering doesn't end at this point, though, with consistent analysis required to ensure your campaign stays optimized.
Specialized Content
Content marketing is an effective way to build an audience and create a solid relationship with them. Trying to aim your content at a broad audience will stop you personalizing your marketing messages, so instead look to reach a smaller group of people. The niche still needs to be big enough to provide enough revenue for your business, but going too broad will dilute your message.
Segmented Email Lists
Content marketing, along with other advertising, will allow you to build an email list. If you have targeted your content well, your list should already be fairly focused. However, segmentation lets you drill down even further. You can segment a list based on location, their reason for joining, if they made an initial purchase, and various other reasons related to your niche. While many emails can be sent to all lists, certain ones can have more impact when they are tailored to a specific group.
Retargeted Advertising
Retargeting lets you show advertising to people who have already visited your site. By targeting people who have already shown an interest, the message you give can be more focused. You already know most visitors have an interest in the topic, so your advertising can capitalize on this. Retargeting also helps you use your advertising budget wisely, with less being spent on broad, untargeted campaigns.
Locate Your Audience
Online marketing can feel extremely pressurized. There is a tendency for businesses to spread their resources thinly across many platforms, aiming to reach people wherever they can. New ad platforms, forums, and social media sites make it hard to cover all bases without a large budget or team. However, you can still reach your targeted audience if you understand where they are primarily located. Ideally, you are looking for people who are willing to spend money, so demographic research and testing can be used to uncover your perfect audience.
Run Surveys
It is easy to make assumptions about your audience, particularly if you have been actively researching. These assumptions can often be incorrect, though, with your marketing messages failing to connect properly. A survey is a great way to learn about your subscribers and customers, using direct questions to reveal insights about the niche, product, and marketing. Use surveys sparingly to find information that can be directly used in future marketing campaigns.
These techniques can all be used to create personalized messages for a targeted audience. Large businesses can afford to spend huge amounts of money on broad campaigns, but smaller enterprises need to be leaner. Everything you do should reveal new information about your audience, ultimately helping to provide a better customer experience, while reducing your own marketing costs.
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