How to get more information on your target market

Target marketing is the critical success factor in any promotion, including the marketing of your web site. Here's why.

In addition to the information in the link, the more time you invest in researching your target market, the greater the edge you have over your competitors.

Among the many skills required of today's online marketing practitioner, one of the most important is knowing how to get information on and about your target market. The time you invest in this activity will pay dividends for years to come. In particular, you should be looking for information about...

• Where your target market hangs out when they're online
• What they like to do
• Which social media services they're using
• Where they shop (on and offline)
• Any special problems or challenges they face

The question is, how do you uncover information like this? Once upon a time, you'd have had to fork over serious wedge to a market research company. Now, thanks to social media, you can do it yourself. Here are a few of my tips to help you get started...

• The Twitter Search Tool:
  Log in to Twitter, and click the 'Home' link. You'll find the search form in the right-hand side panel. Enter keywords relevant to your target market, and see what they're saying
• Facebook:
  Log in to your Facebook account, then start searching for sites that mention your keyword. It's surprising what turns up
• Search Engines:
  Search on the main keywords, and append terms such as discussion, forum, review and blog
• Technorati:
  This site bills itself as the search engine for blogs. Search on your main keywords, and look for popular entries that include them

There are many other social media tools you can use to hunt down relevant information about your target market. Here are 50 social media sites to get you started. And here are 50 niche social media sites.

As soon as you properly understand your target market, you can apply this knowledge to the Lead Generation Process. Click the link to gain a deep understanding of how a marketing campaign should unfold, and feed back into the next campaign (i.e. create a virtual circle).

Happy hunting.