Much has been written about product and experiential marketing where benefits and experiences are highlighted, sometimes over and above customer-based strategies. Identifying and developing plans for key target groups are essential for any marketing plan, but especially so for customer-driven advertising and promotions.

This marketing sequence depends on pertinent information gleaned from customer surveys, feedback and analytics. Agricultural direct marketers have an advantage in capturing a good amount of buyer information as they engage in more person-to-person transactions.

When you begin planning more customer-based marketing, how do you aggregate information and demographic data to round out customer profiles? Many business managers seek opportunities such as farmers market surveys, local business development assessments, government data releases and census outcomes, as well as researching social media reviews.

When you feel you have enough information relative to your consumer base, take the first steps to using these factors to build a loyal and steady customer base.

  • Age & Interest Groups: In querying customers, identify which age or interest groups are your target audiences. Some producers will have a wide-ranging age group as customers while others will rely on a narrow margin, such as adult seniors or young adults without children. Your advertising will reflect the sales potential for each group based on these profiles.
  • Purchasing Potential: Farmers market surveys often request visitors to record a price range for their purchases. Some adjunct reports on income and expenditures are available from census and city data sources. Take into account, however, not all “local” information may fit your unique customer profile. It must be tailored to your specific market analysis and sales history.
  • Buying Habits: Industry and trade sources use very detailed data to build customer profiles. While this type of information may correspond to local trends, be knowledgeable about what will work well with your customer base.
  • Product Meeting Needs: Your product may have numerous benefits, but does it meet the important needs of your particular customer base? Customer research offers the opportunity to identify which groups will gravitate to your business and those who may become loyal and repeat buyers. This marks the difference between knowing a customer on paper and developing a customer for life.

Customer research requires some time and effort. You can glean great deals of data from various available sources and then add your own history and sales reports to it. Use this information to tailor your advertising and promotions for a good return on your investment and increased profit.

The above information is provided for educational purposes only and should not be substituted for professional business or legal counseling.

Today’s Marketing Objective by Melissa Piper Nelson