Extraordinary Partnerships take place all over in the technology and software business, between you and your suppliers, you and your distributors. The most important partnerships are between you and your customers. How do you create and sustain extraordinary partnerships with your customers? Through targeted marketing.

Targeted marketing isn’t a new idea; it’s been around for years. Despite its longevity in the marketplace, many technology or software companies are hesitant to use target marketing. Many companies are afraid that if they identify and serve specific market niches, they’re leaving money on the table. They think that by marketing only to a particular group, they’re losing everyone else that might possibly buy their product or service.

Let’s take a step back and think about this. There’s an old marketing adage that says if everyone is your prospect, then no one is your customer. If you try to market to everyone who might possibly have a need for your product, you’ll go broke long before your sales take off. People don’t respond to generic marketing. When was the last time you responded to a letter addressed, “To Whom It May Concern?”

Everyone wants to feel special. Everyone wants to be part of an exclusive group. How are you using that basic human desire your marketing? Do you send out generic branding pieces and hope to get a bite? Or, have you taken the time to identify the ideal customer profile for your product. Have you looked at your best customers and listed the traits and characteristics they seem to share? Have you written this down and shared it with everyone on your team, so everyone knows just who you’re looking for as a customer?
When you identify your ideal customer, you know just who you’re talking to in your marketing. You can take the time to develop a relationship with people that match your ideal customer profile. If your ideal customers are over 40, experienced buyers in the industry, you’ll talk to them very differently than if they’re just out of college and new to the job. Open a conversation with them. How? Follow them on social media. Use a social CRM product, such as Xeesm, to see what they’re talking about, what their concerns are, what they’re interested in. Use that information to address their concerns in your marketing. This increases your trust and credibility in the eyes of your target market.

When customers trust you and see you as a credible source of information, they’ll look to you for information and ultimately, buy from you. But this process isn’t going to happen overnight. The first step is to figure out your best customers, and then see what most concerns them. The answers are out there, you just have to ask the right questions.