Who is it You’re Talking to?

Customers come in different flavors.

And each customer type has their own specific culture. Think of your favorite hardware store. Imagine a few customers who come in the door one afternoon. The Gardener sees your business from a different perspective than the Young Family, The Contractor has different needs than Dad who takes care of house and yard.

	CUSTOMER	LIFESTAGE	NEIGHBORHOOD	PURCHASE
	New Homeowners	20-something couple	urban rowhouse	latex low-VOC trim & wall paint, rollers & tray, baby-proofing latches,
	Contractors	40 yr old business owner	close-in suburb	5-gallon paint, drop cloths, pro brushes, solvent
	Home Fix-it Dad	48 yo homeowner	small city/town	toilet parts, faucet washers, screen repair, 2 cycle oil, weed whip refill
	Serial Re-Decorator	female empty nester	midscale burbs	new vanity, decorator paint, faux finish supplies, garden center items

Target Marketing Power

When I worked for a company that invented Market Segmentation I learned how distinct Target Markets help you aim your marketing campaigns. There is a great deal of subtlety to be found in consumer data. Because you scan your loyalty card at the grocery to get discounts, we know you prefer roast beef to pastrami, Perrier to Pepsi. There is data about what we buy, read, watch, and do,, making full scale Segmentation incredibly predictive.

“But…” you protest “I don’t have 75k to license to those tools! How does this apply to a small business person like me?” Excellent question.

To Get More from Social Media, Think like an Anthropologist

This article in Harvard Business Review encourages us to think like an anthropololgist, (def. one who studies the norms and values of societies.)  The author points out the shortcomings of a strictly big-data approach to studying customers on social media, pointing out that: “the internet was made for people, not for companies and brands.” And, that by only studying data, one could miss the meaning.

As a small business person, your ability to Listen is incredibly powerful, since your customers are talking via social media. You can invite them into conversation with a poll or survey. You also have the Insight to understand how your particular customers fall into clusters based on their lifestage and interests. Which is essentially their culture.

So go ahead, think like an anthropologist! Sketch out your target groups and imagine what they’re like. Let me know what you see, or ask any questions about how to take it further. I’d love to hear what you discover!