Before you can create an effective personal brand and leverage it through a marketing campaign, you need to zero in on your target market. This sounds obvious, I know, but you wouldn’t believe how many business owners invest thousands of dollars into elaborate branding and marketing campaigns that don’t appeal to their target audience.

If you are in the midst of a marketing campaign, take a moment to sit back and objectively assess whether your efforts are well-suited for your target market. If you’re in the planning process, now is the perfect time to ensure that you’ve properly identified your market—and the best ways of reaching them. Here are three questions to help you get started.

Where are your customers geographically? Are they spread across the world, across the country, or just across town? The smaller your geographic target, the more specifically you can speak to your target market by referencing local events and challenges that are common to your city as you build your brand and craft your marketing message.

What problems do your target customers share? The key to a successful marketing campaign is identifying a common problem that your market shares, and then positioning your products and services as the ideal solution. Take the time right now to create a list of five problems that keep your target customers awake at night—and find a way to communicate the idea that you can provide the solution. Do this effectively and you’ll never have a problem generating new business!

What language does your target market speak? No, I’m not asking about English, Spanish, or French. Accountants have their own distinct “language”, as do financial advisors, marketers, IT consultants, dentists, and every other profession. If you can present your brand in a way that speaks their language, you’re golden. Before planning your next campaign, invest some time into first-hand research. Attend trade shows and networking events that your target customers frequent. Read industry publications. Surf the web. Craft your brand and your marketing message in a way that appeals to your market and uses the language that they speak. Doing so gives you instant credibility with your audience.

At the end of the day, branding and marketing are all about communicating with your audience. If you don’t have an accurate idea of who your audience is, you can’t succeed. Contact me today if you’d like more help in this area!