Defining the Target Customer

Focus is an important part of a brand’s success. Brands focus on a target customer and often narrow their focus to a particular customer need segment. Customer targeting is the first step in brand design. Everything else emanates from that. So let us start with how to identify your brand’s target customers. Look for customers who meet the following criteria:

• They have an important need, and your brand meets that need.
• Your brand has the potential to be preferred by them.
• There is something about your brand that they admire.
• They have the potential to provide your organization with ample revenues and profits over the long run.
• Your organization can grow by building a long-term relationship with and increasingly fulfilling the evolving needs of these customers.

At a minimum, you should identify and understand the following target customer attributes:

• Demographics
• Lifestyle
• Needs/desires
• Attitudes/values
• Hopes/aspirations
• Fears/concerns
• Product purchase behavior
• Product usage behavior

© 2015 Brad VanAuken. Excerpted from Brand Aid, second edition, available here.