CHOOSING YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER
Choosing your ideal customer in the automotive world is a little different than in any other business. The reason being, you don’t have just one type of customer, and shooting for ‘everyone’ is way too broad. No one can afford to target everyone. And even saying that your target market is ‘stay-at-home moms’ is far too general.
Targeting a specific market does not mean you are excluding people who don’t fit, but rather it allows you to focus your marketing dollars on a specific target group that is more likely to buy from you rather than other groups. This one step can help save you thousands in wasted advertising budget spent by just throwing out random ads to a general market and getting no results.
How do you choose your ideal customer?
When we work with dealerships, we start by creating ‘avatars’, or detailed descriptions of who your customer groups might be.
Why is this important?
The better you know who your customer is, the better you can sell to them both in person and online.
A great example of understanding people is the DISC profile. DISC generalizes people into 4 different groups allowing you to breakdown personality groups and assess where they fit, and then speak to them in a manner that they like to be communicated to.
DISC is a behavior assessment tool centred around four different behavioral traits: dominance, inducement, submission, and compliance. It’s important to note that DISC is not a personality assessment. DISC shows the behavior of an individual when they’re in a particular environment. Knowing your customer’s avatar or behavioral traits allows you to target your marketing more effectively and speak in a tone and voice that your targeted customers will respond to.
Click here to download free information on the different types of personalities.
How do I start?
Creating your own type of customer profiles or avatars can be a simple process that’s well worth the time. Start by answering the following questions:
Your Current Customer Base
- Who are your current customers and why do they buy from you?
- What are their common characteristics and interests
- Which ones bring in the most amount of business?
Competition
- Who are your competitors targeting?
- Who are their current customers?
Now try it for your own customers! Take a customer you know well and who has purchased from your dealership more than once. Now break down the customer’s profile by answering the questions below.
Choosing Specific Demographics
- Age
- Location
- Gender
- Income Level
- Education Level
- Marital or Family Status
- Occupation
- Ethnic Background
Psychographics of your Target
- Personality
- Attitudes
- Values
- Interests/Hobbies
- Lifestyles
- Behaviour
The profile you create will give you an accurate picture of who your ideal customer is and through targeted marketing of your social media, website, online advertising, and SEO, you’ll be able to reach more people with those similar traits.
Not only will it save you time, it’ll also improve your marketing so you’re not wasting your budget trying to market to the wrong people. Try it today.