the ideal consumer target

Hello, I am Kathy Guzmán Galloway! ?I'm The Clarity Wizard ? and I’m on a mission to help people accomplish their greatest goals by helping them see things more clearly. ??I help brand owners increase revenue and decrease risk with brand positioning optimization. ????I provide consulting and coaching for mid-to-large size brands ready to be BIG-size brands.??I am a professional speaker and educator on Brand Fundamentals for those eager to learn.????Follow #PositioningClaritywithKathy and let’s connect!

This is the second article of The 5 Key Elements of Brand Positioning series.? Catch up on the first one HERE .?

Identifying and understanding the ideal consumer target is without a doubt the most important part of developing a motivating brand positioning.? While you may feel strongly about your unique brand attributes, brand voice or even points of difference, without knowing WHO you are designing for, you’ll never achieve the success of the CPG brand greats.?

Let’s cover three key points to unlock the power of the consumer insights for brand positioning.???

Watch this 3 minute video on the ideal consumer target.?

Identifying Your Ideal Consumer Target

The consumer takes center stage in brand positioning.? Everything they care about, want, need, feel, believe, etc., has a direct impact on how you craft a positioning statement.??

Imagine the world of consumers in your category as three distinct concentric circles. At the heart of it all lies your ideal target. The ideal target is the person who is immediately moved to action by just hearing a brief description of your solution. This is because the job your brand does, the benefits it offers, and the emotional connection it creates are all perfectly aligned with who they are and/or who they want to be.??

This ideal target is your brand’s sweet spot—the person who resonates with the pain point or job to be done, sees the highest value in your solution, and is strongly motivated to engage with your brand.

In the circle just beyond the ideal target are consumers who may be attracted or aspire to your message.? These consumers may need a little convincing, moving them to do more research on your brand.? Or they may switch between your brand and another based on promotional pricing.? Or they may not resonate with the? problem to solve as intensely as your ideal consumer.? As a result, it requires a bit more work to bring them in.??

And finally there's the outer circle — those who are least likely to purchase, if at all. These consumers may be interested in your brand when your product is severely discounted, it’s the only thing available that day, or perhaps only as a novelty.? In other words, to bring these consumers along is hard, expensive work - lots of convincing is needed and chances of success - at least with deep emotional connection or a profitable proposition - are very low.??

And for both of these two outer circles, a deep emotional connection that lasts throughout the person’s life is unlikely because repeat purchase has a much lower probability than with the ideal consumer target.

So our focus must be on that bullseye - the ideal consumer target. By precisely targeting this core, you ensure that your brand resonates with those already primed and ready to connect.? And bonus points - if you are effective in the offer and messaging, it improves the chances that the other consumers may find their way to your brand when the time is right without having to spend resources to get them.?

Developing a Deep Understanding of the Consumer

It is common practice to spend your time focusing on a consumer’s needs.? And while that is highly valuable, it is not the place to begin.? Understanding the person behind the need — their attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, their dreams, the people in their lives, how they navigate the category, what truly matters to them, and so much more – is the baseline that helps us understand their need in context.? Without that context, the need is a flat, uninspired observation that can span many, many types of consumers.??

Creating an effective brand positioning demands that you go beyond the surface and deeply understand what makes them uniquely experience the need and uniquely connect to your brand. This insight enables your brand to deliver the perfect solution and articulate it in a way that resonates with your audience and motivates them to action.?

Avoiding Throwaway Consumer Language

Finally, let's address one of my biggest pet peeves in brand positioning—throwaway consumer language. It's all too common to hear consumer target descriptions like, "millennial moms", “People who believe that food is medicine” or "busy, on the go people." ??

Let's be real, these broad strokes don’t do you any favors and they certainly don’t help your consumer. I understand the appeal – you want to talk to as many consumers as possible so you can maximize the number of consumers that will connect with your brand.

But that is a wildly flawed concept.???

Think about it. Millennial moms are a massive audience, and a one-size-fits-all approach won't effectively communicate with all of them. And communicating with them all is hard work and very expensive!? Instead, focus on those that will easily connect with your brand and the path to success is easier, cheaper, faster, and ultimately creates a much stronger, longer-term emotional bond with the ideal consumer.?

The key is to identify the layers of that person’s life experience.? By spending time truly understanding and articulating these nuances, you establish a more profound connection with your consumer. It's not about reaching everyone; it's about connecting deeply with those who matter most.

Here are some examples to illustrate the point, even if they are rudimentary.? As you read these, think about how the throwaway language is still represented in the nuanced language, but provides a context that is missing otherwise.??

These three points I’ve covered here are instrumental in getting to more nuanced language that can help you optimize your brand positioning and provide the jumping off point to all your brand’s work. By identifying your ideal consumer target, gaining a deep understanding of who they are, and avoiding throwaway language, you pave the way for a more meaningful connection.?

Next up: we dive deeper into pain points.?

Till next time!

KGG

Hello, I am Kathy Guzmán Galloway! ?I'm The Clarity Wizard ? and I’m on a mission to help people accomplish their greatest goals by helping them see things more clearly. ??I help brand owners increase revenue and decrease risk with brand positioning optimization. ????I provide consulting and coaching for mid-to-large size brands ready to be BIG-size brands.??I am a professional speaker and educator on Brand Fundamentals for those eager to learn.????Follow #PositioningClaritywithKathy and let’s connect!