2. Our society is bombarded by information all day, every day. People
have learned to disregard the information that doesn’t suit them.
Most people can, very quickly, decipher whether a message is relevant
to their needs, desires.
People fundamentally want to:
ease their pain
solve their problems
realize their dreams
Since reading our first blog, you have developed a clear picture of your
target market. Now you need to know where to find this demographic
and how best to market to them.
To learn where your ideal client is, find out where they gather, what
they read, where they spend their free time, and what level of
technology they’re comfortable with. Get informed about their
interests, needs, and motivations.
3. From there move onto creating the content, making sure that your
message suits the medium you chose.
What to say to them? Use the data you’ve gathered about their pain,
problems and dreams. Keep in mind that each age group has different
collective memories, cultural icons and language expectations.
Age
The older baby boomers still read newspapers, watch television and listen
to the radio, so these more traditional places can be effective places to get
your message in front of your audience. Traditional messages will work
well here too - this generation saw the advent of the television and grew
up with its advertising. They have a traditional attitude around language:
a respectful and somewhat formal approach is wise.
Looking at the younger demographics leads us to the internet. Pretty
much everyone, unless elderly or really young, is spending time there. For
each demographic, it’s important to drill down into this opportunity.
How involved in the cyber world is your target market?
4. An older target market hasn’t been weaned on electronics, and may only be
comfortable with basics like email and Web 2.0 sites.You need a website
regardless of your niche, and it will be especially effective with this
demographic.
Things get a bit trickier with younger generations. Young baby-boomers
might be on Facebook or Twitter. They may use these platforms to keep in
touch or keep up to date, but they probably aren’t tied to them, and aren’t
the first places they turn to for information. This group is good with internet
searches, navigating websites and finding things online, but are not slaves to
the web. Language expectations are likely to lean towards the more
conservative.
The thirties and forties demographic is a step up the technological ladder,
and they are using mobile devices too. It’s a fine line betweenwho’s savvy
and who isn’t, so you may need to do some testing. What’s key here is that
this group is likely to reach out to their social networks for information and
opinions. The language of this demo is looser, but still solid grammatically.
Facebook and Twitter can be inexpensive places to communicate your
message, but you have to be strategic, consistent, and build networks.
5. Twenties and early thirty-somethings use every conceivable online and mobile
platform. They know apps inside out, in fact they build them. This group is Web 3.0
and their information moves at the speed of lightening. Language is very different
for this group and anything conservative or formal will be a turn-off.
Education
Generally, the more educated someone is, the more likely they want to educate
themselves on any given project. They want valuable information, from
experts,that will guide them in their home search.
Location
If marketing to locals, you can refer to local hotspots and use slang for the various
neighbourhoods. If marketing to non-locals, you have to spell it out, and work from
the general to the specific. Rural vs. urban clients will also require different
approaches.
Experience
Has your target market had experience with real estate? Have they bought and
sold a home, dealt with a mortgage or the maintenance and repairs that a home
requires? If so, they want information about these details. First-time buyers have
little idea what they’re getting into, so some education will help them too. It will
also help you establish yourself as trustworthy and an expert.
6. Income and Profession
Of course income level and profession is important to consider. Different
professions tend to gather in specific places in the real and cyber world.
There are also trade shows and publications specific to each profession.
Very formal language may appeal to high-level executives, but it will turn
off blue-collar workers and (alternatively) rock stars!
Measure
Make sure to measure the results of your marketing strategy and adapt
and adopt as needed.
Marketing vehicles run the gamut from direct mail-outs, incentives,
through traditional media streams, to the online world and mobile
technology, all the way to the good old-fashioned personal telephone
call. Choose your vehicles carefully. Monitor and measure your results,
and tweak as needed.
