Target demographics.

You're used to hearing this, I'm sure, in many introductions to marketing & advertising.

What is the average sex, race, age, etc, of my targer audience?

People in the repair community ignore this, because, frankly – it DOES NOT apply to us! People are not choosing to buy Proliant servers instead of Thinkservers based on sexual orientation, or gender, or age, or poltiical affiliation.. they're just not.

For this reason, many repair companies ignore the target demographic. Many SMALL BUSINESSES ignore the idea of catering to a target demographic, because they do not believe their products or services can be pigeonholed to one such demographic.

This is a big mistake, because there are many more metrics OUTSIDE of sex, race, age, gender, political affiliations, etc.

There's more to a target demographic than age, sexual orientation, race, etc. Think “ideal client.”

Think of a target demographic as a group of people you would consider your ideal client. Take the ideal client – the client you make a healthy profit from while doing sustainable business(meaning, you're not ripping them off, or doing a one-time-sale based on special circumstances).

Who are they? Are they your ideal client because they value something you offer that others do not offer? Are they your ideal client because they share your philosophies?

Allow me to create an example, with our business. My ideal client is someone who is

• Willing to spend an amount of money proportional to their problem. If they have a $300 problem, they'll spend $300. if they have a $30 problem, they'll spend $30.

• Impatient. They value the speed our business offers over others.

• Parts conscientious. They'll spend an extra $10 over the $0.99 store because they think that's worthwhile to have an original, new LCD installed instead of a copy or a refurb.

• Looking for me to tell them what their problem is. They want me to tell them what they need – they do not come in with a self diagnosis, where they want me to apply their $30 solution to their $300 problem.

• Well informed. I want them to understand why we operate the way we operate because they've called around and understand the alternatives.

• Not paranoid. They are curious as to why I do not put adhesive over the wifi cable on an iPad 2 when putting new adhesive there because they are interested in the repair process. They are not curious so they can be paranoid about how the repair won't be as well done as a result of our strategies.You see, I have a target demographic – an ideal client in mind. I want as many of these as possible.

The myth – marketing to a narrower base means less customers.

A lot of people have this mistaken idea that if they have a target client base, they will get less customers. This is the wrong way to see it. Allow me, through a terrible illustration, to get my point across.

The business with marketing specific to their demographic did not receive any type A or type C customers, but they received 30 type B customers.

The business with generic, copycat marketing received customers from all demographics, but it only totals to 10 customers!

The truth – marketing to a narrower base means receiving MORE customers. More of the customers YOU WANT!

I used the word copycat marketing. Allow me to explain that that is.

Copycat marketing is when you see what everyone else offers, how everyone else markets their business. You grab a little from this guy's website, a little from that girl's commercial, and you have your marketing material. You have your website, you have your online ads. Great, right?

No – you have the same shit everyone else has. Nothing differentiates you from anyone else. You have all the material necessary so someone else will think “ok, they do X.” You have NOTHING in your marketing to get them to think “they do X – AND THEY'RE THE ONLY ONES WHO WILL EVER DO X FOR ME!”

Your marketing MUST incite that type of desire in someone in order to be effective.

Businesses need structure to grow. Understanding your target demographic IS that structure.

My business is built around making my ideal client happy. My marketing is based on attracting my target customer.

The beauty when everything is in sync – and I don't mean iPod/iPad/iMac/iCloud/imeth integration a la apple products, is that BUSINESS BECOMES EASY.

My employees are liked by the customers. My local marketing brings in people who will be made happy by our policies, and keeps people from walking in who do not appreciate how we do business.

Which direction we go in – who I hire – what policies I put into place, is all based on our ideal client. Without an ideal client, a target demographic, it is very difficult for a business to grow without collapsing on itself.

Your business will grow most easily & organically when you understand who it is you are trying to please. So, do you know your target demographic?