Finding customers that fit the ideal profile of who you serve isn’t like finding a needle in a haystack; it’s finding a needle in a pile of other needles.
Simple rules of thumb or broad demographics often create very large groups that make targeting difficult and ineffective. Who wouldn’t want a larger % of “millennials” in their customer base?
But vague notions of who you really serve, who you cater to, only lead to the watering down of who you are. You’re not a mass-market juggernaut that caters to “everyone”. You can’t be.
Being very careful and specific about the markets and customers you serve is the only way to refine and sharpen your outreach and talk to them in a way no one else does. Precisely the right message, at the right time, directed exactly at them for their problem.
That isn’t to say you don’t serve multiple customer segments (or dozens or hundreds), but you treat them as individuals and with the integrity and respect worthy of a community institution.
This presents an obvious problem. How do you even identify, let alone create customized messaging and experiences for so many different types of customers? It all starts with an asset that is truly available only to you, your data.
What you know about your business and your customers can give you a tremendous advantage in focusing your attention on customers with urgent problems you can solve better than anyone else. Clear away the spam and generic collateral created for no one in particular. Use what you know to talk to your market directly and personally.
Find that individual needle.