Some entrepreneurs consider finding customers challenging enough. Truly understanding them might seem a step out of reach.

However, the two go hand-in-hand. Understanding your target market’s needs and desires can help you streamline your messaging and reach the people you want with the services they require — when they require them.

So how do you do it?

You can start by asking them directly.

START WITH A SURVEY

One of the best ways to understand your target market is to perform a survey. That might be as involved as hiring an outside firm to place phone calls on your behalf for an official “double blind” result or as simple as asking customers to fill out a handful of questions on a postcard while onsite at your wash. Either way, paying attention to those needs — and doing your best to fulfill them — can help differentiate your business from competitors.

“One of the things we find is that small businesses sometimes invest in things their customers don’t really care about,” said author, speaker, consultant and competitive advantage expert Jaynie L. Smith. “And that can be costly. Sometimes research can help you better make those decisions,” she said.

Smith, who is based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, said there’s a car wash in her area that has an art gallery in the lobby, in addition to ice cream, knickknacks and other goodies. She wondered if customers perceive it as an added benefit or as an unnecessary distraction. Do they care more about expediency? Value? Services offered? And how will you know if you don’t know who your customers are?

TARGET EACH BUYER PERSONALLY

Michael K. Redman, CEO and co-founder of the Chico, California-based Half a Bubble Out advertising, marketing and consulting firm, speaks of creating buyer personas, or fictitious descriptions of potential customers. They’re usually a combination of demographics (who they are in terms of age, income range, location, marital status, etc.) and psychographics (what motivates them).

“It’s about trying to figure out what type of person is going to buy from you,” he said. “We recommend building a minimum of two, and a maximum of six, so when you start creating marketing content, you know who you’re writing to.” Since the average person now receives 5,000 messages a day, he said, the more targeted and streamlined the messages, the better.

Consider, for example, that your survey shows many of your car wash customers are busy moms. That could be the first persona, and chances are, her top priorities will be expediency and value. Marketing messages can then be created specifically to draw her — and many more like her — in to your business. “If you’re speaking to moms,” Redman said, “[your message] might be, ‘We know you’re busy, you want to keep your car clean while you’re running around with the kids, and that you want to make your money last. So come to Scrubbs, where you’ll find efficient, fast service and a good value.’ That message will be effective because you will cut through the clutter of distractions.”

As simple as that sounds, Redman admitted he’s consistently amazed by how many companies, when asked about their customers, are unable to share “even three or four things.” The desire may be to keep marketing messages as general as possible to reach as many people as possible, but that ultimately won’t lead to success. The owner of a more expensive car — perhaps another persona — may care less about expediency and more about extra touches, and will therefore require a different message to cut through the noise.

KEEP LEARNING

In recent years technology has allowed the process of understanding and reaching the target market to become a little easier. Social media is certainly a help, offering business/customer communication that companies couldn’t have dreamed of in the past. But as with any marketing effort, “one and done” is not enough. Ongoing conversations, questions and consistency are important. So, too, is putting into practice what you learn.

“The biggest mistake is getting complacent about who your audience is and not continuing to learn about them,” said Albuquerque, New Mexico-based author and business/communications consultant Peri Pakroo. “Businesses that do it well stand out.” Pakroo, who wrote The Small Business Start-Up Kit among other books, encourages direct interaction with customers and potential customers rather than simply sitting back and observing. Social media allows that interaction to be more informal than in the past, but the results can be worked into more formal marketing strategies and branding.

“That’s how brands are developed; when businesses know their audiences well enough to engage on a relationship level,” Pakroo said. “That’s what works. Those are the brands that customers gravitate towards.”