Know your customers better than they know themselves

Customer Profile Assumptions

When I first released 8 Myles Mac N Cheese, I made the assumption that my target audience was somebody like me. I love Mac N Cheese. My friends love Mac N Cheese. So of course my persona is my target audience! I was wrong. After countless in store demos and conversations with consumers who purchased our products, I realized that my target audience is the busy mom who wants to prepare something quick and easy for their child. I would estimate approximately 90% of the customers who picked up my product at demos fit this profile. Eventually, I pivoted to target 8 Myles’ actual consumers. 

Finding product market fit is incredibly important at the early stage of your business, as it becomes the base to your branding and marketing plan. Check out Foodbevy’s article on achieving product market fit here. Factors that Influence your Brand Language

Once I knew who I should be marketing towards, the big question was “How do I speak the language that will convince them my product is for them?” There are a number of key aspects to focus on, but the first one was my packaging. 8 Myles  sits on a crowded shelf in a grocery store freezer. I had to include images and language that would be attractive to my target audience and stand out from the competition. In tandem, the website was updated to do the same. Because I am not a mother, I had to engage in heavy market research to define the pain point of my customers, and ascertain how 8 Myles products could alleviate those pain points. To this date, my price point is still under analysis. Does my price on the shelf fit their needs? A single dollar makes a big difference if my customer exhibits price elasticity buying tendencies. 

However, sometimes the consumer cannot properly define their pain points. Or tell you why they prefer product A vs product B. It’s your job as an entrepreneur to dig long and hard enough to extrapolate those answers, even if your consumer cannot directly tell you. That’s why you should have a truly deep understanding of who you are marketing towards. You should be able to build a full customer profile, including everything from the food they like to the activities they like to do after work. 

Building Your Customer Profile

There are two buckets to build when forming your customer persona: demographics and hobbies/interests. Demographics influence things such as age. income, education, relationship status, kids or no kids, etc. Hobbies/Interests include things such as: favorite types of tv shows, preferred social media channel, lifestyle, career aspirations, etc. 

Collecting data is the next step. You can do so in a number of ways, including but not limited to Facebook analytics, consumer panels, product demos, online consumer reports for your industry, and joining online communities that discuss or actively use products in your category. 

You will also want to collect data based on your target customer’s pain point and buying patterns. How often do they buy your product category on a weekly basis? What is their primary paint point when shopping in your category? By compiling all of this information, you can build a full profile of your target customer, which will allow you to focus your branding on becoming extremely attractive to your customer and your marketing strategy to be effective. 

Once you have collected your data, you can begin to organize all of your findings and build your profile. The more specific the better. Here is an example:

Name: Veronica 

Age : 25

Education: Bachelors

Income: $60k per year

Relationship Status: Married

Kids? : No

Favorite Type of TV Shows: Murder Mystery

Preferred Social media Channel ; Instagram

Lifestyle: Career Focused. Enjoys downtime on the weekends

Hobbies: Yoga, Brunch, Reading

Buying patterns: Likes to buy the most expensive item

Customer Pain Point: Too busy to go grocery shopping consistently

I would strongly suggest you create at least one persona. But be careful that the more personas you create, the harder it will be to flex your marketing approach accordingly. 

Things Change

Customer needs and preferences change over time. Your homework to fully understand your customer is never 100% completed. Especially in a consumer world today that is driven by new trends and “the next big thing”, it is even more important to be able to act quickly in order to keep up with the pace. You must also realize there are other companies doing everything they can to pull your core audience’s attention away from you. Don’t be afraid to pivot as your consumer needs do. The companies that keep their head in the sand get left behind. 

Knowing your customer is the key to your success. It will allow you to build a community around your products and loyalty towards your brand. Your customers become your advocates. And your company becomes a brand.