Well, I guess someone had a bit of a marketing database glitch.

Know Your Customers

Nearly every business continually tries to find more customers.   It’s the foundation of growth.    One of the best places to begin looking for more customers is your existing customer base.   Logic has it that if someone has already found your product to solve their wants or needs, then other similar customers may want your product as well.

Start By Learning Everything About Your Existing Customers

Every business, regardless of size, needs a customer database, the more detailed the better.    Information should include:

♦ Customer contact information

♦ Buying history, preferences

♦ Demographic information

♦ Psychographic information

♦ Geographic information

Enriching Your Database

Don’t have all the information on your customers?  Add it after the fact. How?   Ask them.   Survey them.  Research them.   Find out why they purchased initially and what they like best about your product or service.   Discover where they find information to make their buying decisions. Identify SIC codes from the OSHA database and NAICS codes from the NAICS Association. Find additional information on small and mid-sized businesses at Manta.

Using Your Customer Database to Find New Customers

Analyze your existing customers to determine common characteristics.   Craft your marketing message with positioning targeting the features most desired by your existing customers.  Purchase mailing lists with similar geographic, SIC codes and the correct demographic information .  Create a marketing message that addresses customers’ concerns throughout the buying process  - whether in email campaigns, advertisements, landing pages, forms or at the time of purchase – ensure well-timed content is available at each stage, based on knowledge gained from your existing customers.

Next-> Target Markets and Segmentation