Module Progress
0% Complete
- First and foremost, do not harass customers for data. Endless form-filling is enough to put a consumer off a purchase. Data collection has to be either unobtrusive or incentivised. Collect it bit by bit to build up a fuller picture of your customer gradually and in a non-annoying way.
- From orders:
- Obtain contact details and names from orders and begin building a transaction history, whether on or offline (although online makes things even easier as data can automatically be entered into a database).
- You can add in a birth date as optional.
- If the transaction is happening online, you can add an optional section requesting more information. Phrase it in a way that appeals to the customer, such as: “So that we can learn more about you and provide you with a service more suited to your personal needs, please fill in….” You can also use this technique if a customer has to register an account with you at any point.
- Surveys:
- If you run a survey on your business, you can obtain a fair amount of information by asking for details about their profile (gender, age, etc). While some respondents may be reluctant to give their names, some will. For those that don’t, you get a clearer picture of your overall target customer anyway, which is the aim here.
- Competitions:
- Run a competition asking for an email address and a couple of other details – customers will be more inclined to share personal data when they have something to gain from it.
- Online:
- Online can help you track spending habits and user preferences, though you may only be able to get an overall picture of your target customer rather than profiles of specific users – use Google Analytics.
- Research:
- Statistics and research already out there can help you build a more detailed picture of your target customer (though of course, they won’t provide information on individuals).
- Look at demographic-related reports and spot trends. There are almost certainly other people targeting the same demographic as you, which means you can simply look at the research they’ve done and any statistics on the matter to find out more about your target audience.
- A market research agency will be able to provide you with the most detailed picture of your target customer and their habits, but this is quite expensive. You probably only need to go into this much depth when your marketing techniques are very advanced – and you’ll recognise your need for an agency as and when that happens.
- Noticing things when you see customers face-to-face can of course also give you a very general idea about who the bulk of your customers are and what demographic and age group they’re part of.