Target Market Characteristics

Your target market is not just a broad demographic. It's a specific group of buyers who share a set of characteristics that make them ideal customers for your product. These are the customers who "get" your value proposition immediately, buy quickly, and are likely to recommend you to others.

To identify your target market, you need to look for the characteristics that distinguish your best customers from the rest. These can include:

• Industry: The specific industry or vertical they operate in.
• Company size: The number of employees or annual revenue.
• Location: The geographic region where they are located.
• Role: The specific job title or function of the buyer.
• Psychographics: Their attitudes, values, and beliefs.
• Behavioral traits: How they work, what tools they use, and what their pain points are.

The key is to go beyond broad, generic descriptions and identify the specific, actionable characteristics that define your ideal customer profile. For example, instead of "small businesses," a better target market might be "small businesses with more than 100 invoices per month."

Focusing on a well-defined target market allows you to concentrate your sales and marketing efforts on the customers who are most likely to buy, resulting in a more efficient and effective go-to-market strategy.

Related Concepts:

• The Five Components of Effective Positioning
• Value (and proof)
• Market Category