Jamaican micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are being warned against casting too wide a net when marketing their products and services.
The caution came from digital strategist Christopher Derrell, head of web development at Adtelligent, who was speaking at a recent Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) Virtual Biz Zone webinar held last Tuesday (July 15).
“There is a statement that businesses will say when somebody asks them who their ideal target audience [is],” said Derrell. “Some of them will say, ‘Boy, we serve everybody,’ or ‘Our ideal customer is everyone.’”
Speaking on the topic, ‘Audience Engagement: Cashing in on Likes and Shares’, Derrell explained that overly broad audience definitions lead to ineffective campaigns and wasted marketing budgets.
“You have limited ammo in your gun, you have limited shots you can take,” he said. “When you say something like, ‘Everyone is in our audience,’ you’re basically randomly firing and hoping it hits a target.”
Harold Davis, acting chief executive officer of the JBDC, says the agency, through its Biz Zone series, is encouraging entrepreneurs to digitalise their business operations through areas like digital marketing, which helps them to define a specific target audience based on data and consumer behaviour rather than assumptions.
“Digitalisation is no longer a ‘nice to have’. It is a need to have. It is the way in which you are able to do business internationally, sustainably and successfully,” he said.
The agency says online analytics helps businesses to improve customer engagement, increase returns on marketing investment, and ultimately business profitability.
Understanding the buyer
Derrell reminded business owners that knowing their audience goes beyond basic demographics. Factors such as salary level, educational background, age, location, cultural background, and lifestyle preferences all shape customer behaviour.
And so does the distinction between the buyer and the end user.
“You have to be very open to the fact that you don’t have a complete view of who your audience is,” he said, pointing to real-world examples like a birthday cake being purchased by one person for someone else. “The person eating the cake is not always the one buying it.”
Use your data
Rather than guessing, Derrell urged MSMEs to use available analytics tools. “If you have a business page on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok, they’re already giving you data,” he said. “Analytics is probably the hidden key to a lot of what you’re trying to do right now in your business.”
He admitted the process can seem “slightly boring,” but argued that it offers insights businesses can’t afford to overlook. “You may be thinking your audience is 30 to 35-year-olds in a certain parish, but the data could tell you something completely different.”
Funnel still matters
Regardless of size or industry, Derrell said all businesses must guide customers through the same marketing funnel: from awareness to interest, then decision, and finally, action or purchase.
“Everybody passes through the phase of awareness, which is, ‘We have to find out who you are,’” he said. “Then there’s the interest group, which is much smaller. These are people who are actually in your target audience. They are interested in what you offer, so they could be considered qualified.”
From there, potential customers move into the decision phase, where they evaluate options and finally take action, whether that means making a purchase, signing up for a waitlist, or joining a mailing list. “The point is that they have converted, and they’ve converted with you,” he said.
The more specific you are about who you serve, the stronger your business strategy becomes. JBDC, as the premier business development agency under the Ministry of Investment & Commerce, is keen on driving entrepreneurial success, ‘From Concept to Market’.
With ‘market’ synonymous with target audience, the agency is committed to connecting MSMEs with information that will help to reach the right people and grow their businesses.
The JBDC Virtual Biz Zone is just one of the agency’s initiatives with this goal. Entrepreneurs are invited to join the second Virtual Biz Zone under the digital transformation series on Tuesday (July 22).
Source: Our Today