The placement of marketing campaigns will need to involve demarcation of the specific segments to target and a deep understanding of the customer persona which should be preceded by a definition of this customer. The missing link to impactful marketing strategy and successful implementation of the same is the tangible definition of the customer.
Further, a deeper development of the brand or product value proposition will then allow us to position our brand squarely where it resonates with the customer prior defined. The biggest error most entities encounter is to target customer specifics with a mass selection of tactics. With this plan, a good amount of wastage will be experienced and further a lack of ability to measure the effect of the tactics will follow suit.
To define a customer, the biggest question to ask is are we targeting an individual or an entity? Once this demarcation has been done then the specifics of the target customer can be defined which will allow one to then understand the persona and further define the customer journey.
Ideally the customer journey can easily be documented where digital marketing is concerned. However, when we are using mainstream tactics to target the said customer, a different scenario emerges. In Africa, more specifically Sub Sahara Africa we find a good number of brands currently using mainstream media to reach their target audience. How then do we ensure that such a marketing tactic would still provide a suitable return on investment to the brand?
A deep definition of the customer will indeed allow a brand to clearly understand this customer. This understanding will on paper be defined as demographics and living standard measures. This allows one to define the customer structurally, place them within their specific location and then understand what their preferences and habits are. This kind of customer definition for mainstream media brings the brand closer to understanding their target and allows the brand to be more specific when selecting the marketing tactics to utilize in reaching this customer.
To note is this exercise is quite extensive and can be quite detailed. However when done precisely, it can provide insights into a brand’s customer segment that allows the same brand to win where mainstream marketing is concerned. This exercise also allows a brand to suitably select the marketing tactics to target their specific customer with. With a clear definition of the customer then the selection of tactics is a precise as it should be with very little wastage.
Brands should endeavor to carry out a customer definition and segmentation exercise as this will make the difference between these brands targeting their audiences correctly or not at all.
Nyangi Consultants LLP 