Identifying Opportunities for Effective Target Marketing

A successful marketing strategy often begins with looking for and identifying opportunities to cost-effectively reach your target market when they're in a receptive frame of mind. I observed a good example of this kind of opportunistic marketing while attending a crowded toy festival and parade over summer. This festival was so popular that nearly every available parking spot on all side streets was filled. When my family and I returned to our car after parade, I immediately noticed that a bright yellow flyer (on card stock) was lodged under my windshield wiper. My first thought was that it was a parking ticket; but upon closer examination, I saw that it was a promotional flyer for a children's party planning service. I looked up and down street and noticed that every car had this same targeted advertisement in its window. As we drove through town, it was apparent that block after block of parked cars had this same advertising flyer inserted in their windows. The point is that some enterprising business owner realized that thousands of parents of young children are going to be in same place at same time, that they'll have just spent a fun day with their children, and they'll be in a receptive mood to learn about ways to make their children happier and to look good as parents. The owner of this children's party planning service figured out a way to inexpensively reach hundreds, maybe thousands of targeted prospects who, most likely, were very receptive to service being marketed. I wouldn't be surprised if that flyer resulted in a lot of phone calls.

It could have generated an even greater response if copywriting and headlines were more captivating, if it used a couple of graphics to reinforce message (rather than consisting of 100% text, with almost no margins), if it directed prospects to a website with more details and testimonials, plus photos of enthusiastic customers and successful parties... but that's a topic for another article!

Successful advertising and marketing takes imagination, experimentation, and observation; but if advertising message you develop doesn't paint an irresistible picture, create anticipation, and reach a targeted audience with greatest tendency to respond to your offer, then your campaign will be ordinary and your results unremarkable. The principles in this article are not new, but they're probably ignored by vast majority of those in small business community. Commit these ideas to memory so that you're among successful minority!

Step three was to increase my marketing tool arsenal. Previously, I had limited my marketing to FFA (Free For All) pages, online classified ads and an occasional ezine ad. I added banners, links on other sites, a lot of ezine ads (both free and paid), joining and mailing to a lot of optin email groups and some offline advertising. Plus, I increased my use of resources I had been using.

Step four consist of constantly monitoring my traffic and tracking results of my various ads. If one ad resource isn't working, I drop it. Of course, I am always adding new marketing tools to my arsenal.

Step five is best step of all. I watch as my traffic and my bank account grow.

The key to this simple, yet effective strategy, is staying with it day after day. If you have self-discipline to follow this regiment for a month or two, you will never want for traffic to your site.