Small businesses often dismiss certain marketing techniques and strategies, thinking they’re only for the “big guys.” Sure, maybe you’re not ready to launch your first Super Bowl commercial or hire a former sitcom star as your spokesperson, but there are some strategies favored by bigger companies that can also benefit from small business marketing.
Harnessing demographics to inform your marketing strategy is a technique businesses of any size can use to create a personalized approach to connecting with customers. Here are a few ways that you can use demographics for a more effective growth plan:
Connect with Your Audience: If you’re investing in social media marketing, it’s a good idea to be sure you’re not hanging out on LinkedIn while your target market is almost universally spending time on Instagram. You need to know where you’re most likely to find your target audience so that you know where to invest.
Create the Right Content: Video or infographic? Blog or white paper? From the format to the timing, you need to understand what types of content your target audience wants and when they want to receive it. Do they respond well to humor or is it better to keep things on the straight-and-narrow? Demographics can help you create better content.
Personalization: If you know who your audience is, you can further customize your content for smaller segments of your audience for an even more personalized experience. For instance, if you know your product appeals to people between the ages of 20 and 45, you can create content that speaks to the interests of young, single professionals. Another set of content might appeal to individuals and couples in the throes of raising their kids. In each case, you’re trying to build a relationship in which your audience feels that you know and understand them.
Demographics are helpful for small business marketing, but you may wonder how to get started collecting them. Here are a few thoughts:
Social Media: If you are spending time posting on social media, that platform will provide data about the age, gender, job type and interests of those following you. There are opportunities for creating lookalike audiences that allow you to expand your reach with paid advertising. The data is free; what you do with it may require a fee.
Google Analytics: You can gain a better understanding of who’s visiting your site, where they are arriving to your site from and how much time they spend there. Google Analytics can be overwhelming, but there’s a wealth of information there.
Your Efforts: You don’t want to overwhelm visitors to your site, but when you invite potential customers to join your email mailing list or subscribe to your blog, consider including a question or two that helps you get to know them better. You might ask for their job title or a hobby.
If you’re looking for help getting your small business marketing plan started, our team at SJC Marketing can help. We can show you where to obtain demographics, how to use them and how to measure whether you’re reaching your target audience.