My question is how would the answer to these questions A,B,C? It's for a discussion post so it doesn't have to be overly detailed, just to the point and why.

Review the article from this week's reading list:Target Market Strategy - Finding Your Ideal Clients (below)

ASSIGNMENT:

Consider the three steps listed under the section on how to determine target markets to answer the following:

A: How do the activities included in these steps align with or differ from other targeting strategies you have seen?

B: Do areas overlap or is each activity unique to the process?

C: What marketing benefits are gained using micro-targeting strategies?

THIS IS THE ARTICLE:

How todetermine your target market

Define your offerings:

• What is your primary offering and what problems do you solve?
• Why is it better than the competition?
• What unique capability can you offer that others do not?

Focus your key offering on what you do best and what you love to do. We all can do many things, but some of the things we do are more supporting than primary services.

Define the audiences that could use your services

• What characteristics do they all have in common that you could turn into a segment?
• What do they need and what are they lacking?
• Why do they do business with you?

Sometimes it is easier to illustrate the concept ofmarket segmentationwith an example. Let's say you are a professional organizer and want to define a lucrative target market that plays to your strengths. You could offer the following services that would appeal to different audiences:

• Organizing residential spaces-Single parents and homeowners may wish to hire you to help remove the clutter from their homes
• Creating processes-Small business owners may want you to organize the office and create processes that keep it that way
• Helping seniors downsize and move to a new residence-Seniors need a trusting resource to help them downsize - a difficult and painful process
• Designing efficientwork spaces-Home based businesses may need help in setting up an efficient office

In each case, although you are using your organizing skills, each of these services would require different messaging, pricing and promotional strategies to reach those that have the need, know they need help and are willing to pay for getting that help. If you tried to use the same strategies across all four segments, your marketing would be far less effective.

Profile your ideal client

Now that you have identified your target market and its segmentation, you need to define your ideal client - a subset of your target market that you most enjoy working with.

• What are the characteristics of your ideal customer?
• What customers would you like to work with and can you offer them something that they are willing to pay money for?
• Are your current clients what you consider your ideal target market - that is are they easy to work with, love what you offer, and feel that you offer them high value for their money?

By identifying your ideal client and focusing on attracting them, you will:

• Develop services that cater to their needs
• Clearly define and communicate your solutions
• Capitalize on your strengths and become known as the go to expert
• Target your messages and make your marketing activities more effective
• Eliminate price comparisons
• Learn to identify those are not a good fit