Knowing Your Target Audience

Knowing your Target Audience

Your brand is your reputation, so make it a good one!


One of the most important factors of owning a business is knowing how to attract supportive and loyal customers. To enable this, you will first want to determine what type of audience you want to attract. These are the people you believe want or are in need of the service or product you are selling. Who are these people identifying with the product you are selling? You will need to ask yourself basic questions to get clarity such as, Where do they live? How can you reach them? are they a business themselves or a consumer? What field are they in? What is their budget?And so on….

Second, you will need to do some research to determine and define what your brand is and what makes it unique. Then create a strong brand identity getting your business to stand out and speak to your audience(s) in particular and among the other businesses in your field. It will need to be one that they understand and can easily relate to. Have your message be specific and catered to the detailed behavior and lifestyle of your customers. Whether it matters if they are local or not for example.These are the people who will seek you out in the sea of others by your image, so you’ll need to tailor your message to meet their exact needs. Ask yourself questions like, Why your product? Why should people come to you over all the others? What can you offer that the others cannot?You want your message to be clean, clear and concise.

Finally, set a goal of creating a unique and lasting image in the marketplace. Assess the places you need to be to build your audience. In order to do this well, it is vital to invest in strong marketing strategies and campaigns in order to reach these consumers and generate awareness about your business. How can they find you? How can you be sure you won’t be overlooked and lost in the sea of other strong brands in your field?

Brand building can happen through:

  • User experience (i.e. your website)
  • SEO & Content Marketing
  • Social Media Marketing
  • Email Marketing
  • Paid Advertising (PPC)

Connecticut based, Eleish van Breems Home have spent years examining their target audience and knows exactly who they are and how to reach them.  They spend a great deal of time learning who their clients are, what their brand is and has to offer that others cannot and they have created a unique and lasting image in the marketplace. When the two owners first started out they were able to reach their local audience and with further research they have since expanded to online in order to reach the same demographics that are outside their home base. They have broadened their store front to other locations in order to reach their target audience in other geographic locations. During this growth they have also expanded their audience to include designers, broader age range and income levels. Meanwhile, on the other spectrum, a Connecticut Design Center did the same research.  For them, selling to The Trade only they know their target customers are local Designers, but also the clientele of their designer clients. Based on watching the demands in their market place they have identified which lines to carry – both new and seasonal. Furthermore, they know exactly how to best market themselves to reach their clients. Both are thriving businesses that are growing!

Is your brand reaching its potential?

Contact Beth Dempsey

beth@imagesanddetails.com

203.966.8203

Knowing Your Target Audience2020-02-06T10:26:43-05:00

Speaking Engagements as a Tool for Success

You Are Your Best Advocate

Speaking Engagements as a Tool for Success


To put it simply: You are your best advocate. Of course, to build your brand you not only need volume in the voices backing you, but how do you draw in those supporters? To draw in support, one must utilize and enhance existing relationships to grow and build new opportunities. Participating in speaking engagements allows you to advocate for yourself along with fellow industry leaders, partners and media.

Whether you sit on a panel with other industry influencers or give a talk on your own, the insight and knowledge you share is greatly valued. The positives of sitting on a panel is that you are able to make connections with your peers, can compare and contrast points of view, and are promoted through their channels. On your own you can share intimate details on your business, your process and even the ups and downs that have led to your success which bonds you with others who are in a similar situation or let potential clients feel less intimidated to work with you. These types of events give you name recognition, credibility and promote you as a leader or expert in your field. It is also the perfect moment for media to learn more about upcoming names and build story ideas off of the unique details you might bring to the discussion.

As a company, we have been participating in speaking engagements on branding, marketing and PR. We recommend these experiences to clients who feel comfortable speaking, as it brings a face for people to connect with and remember. For example, we set up Atlanta based client Tish Mills- Kirk to participate in a panel discussion locally at Atlanta ADAC Market, this gave her the opportunity to build her relationship with vendors Style Library and Grizzel & Mann, meet and talk with an editor from AD Pro, along with explore the topic with fellow designers Michael Mitchell and Tyler Hill of Mitchell-Hill and Tim Green of Tim Green Designs. We also set Tish up to style a tablescape vignette in the Alden Parkes showroom with Replacements at High Point Market and were able to reach out to Style Library to help support her design through the rapport she received through the previous talk. She also engaged an audience in the space by participating on a panel with fellow designers Denise McGaha and Joni Vanderslice on unconventional ways to grow your business.

The more that you are out in the public eye the more opportunities become available for you and your business. Team up with brands targeting the same audience to make an imapact and gain eachothers existing followers. If you are a store or showroom make your space available for events and put together a few speaking experiences, this is trending as the best way to build engagement and feedback from the audience you are targeting. Don’t be afriad to add personality and a face to your business!

For more infrmation or help with an event, contact Beth@imagesanddetails.com.

Speaking Engagements as a Tool for Success2019-11-05T13:01:30-05:00

How To Navigate The Ever-Changing Landscape Of Media

How To Navigate The Ever-Changing Landscape Of Media

It’s time to create a new road map.

Over the last several years, media has taken a downward spiral, especially in the home and interiors sector. From the toppling of the mighty in 2018 of Hearst Tower — House Beautiful, ELLE Decor and Veranda, to last Friday’s news of Traditional Home downsizing and bringing 5 Publications under one editor, it’s a totally new landscape.

Last month, I moderated the “Changing Landscape of Media” panel at the Luxury Home Design Summit at the Chatham Bars Inn hosted by New England Home Magazine. It was a dynamic three days of incredibly compelling speakers and discussions. I would highly recommend attending next year’s event.

The big takeaway is: in reality, there are more opportunities today to be able to generate exposure for you and your company than ever before. The challenge is to determine who to approach and how to get them to notice you.

A few tips:
Content is key
Craft a compelling story
Know your audience
Be authentic
One to one conversations

Stacy Kunstel a long time stylist and media maven shared some thoughts of media from the old guard (print) to the new media and what’s on the horizon. Overall, there are many more opportunities to get exposure for your company, especially in nontraditional ways. The downside is how to decipher and determine what is correct for you and your brand. Here are a few of her thoughts on what design related companies might want to explore now: self publish, YouTube, Zillow, podcasts, designer in resident features, non-design media covering design.

Digital director Keith Pollock of AD shared insights into their power in the marketplace. They recently have grown to 4 million Instagram followers. In April, they launched a pro membership service for designers similar to Business of Home but with much more capabilities and customization. It provides opportunities to get published, sourcing assistance and train reporting. Tip from Pollock: pitch via email, be brief but give noteworthy details.

Adam Japko of Esteem Media discussed the new landscape and creating custom contact through native advertising. This feels and looks visually like natural content. There is a 61% growth in this category since 2016. One of the interesting tidbits is if you hear something, a few days later you typically only recall 10%, whereas if you see an image there is 65% recall. It is a visual world today. They are projecting dollars spent on influencer marketing to be $5 to $10 billion by 2020.
Tip: When working with influencers, brands need to “let go of control” this allows content to “be authentic”.

As a creative brand strategist, our recommendation is always to have a great story to tell and to spend the time to know who your target audience is. It is the method of delivery that is really different today. If you want to learn more give us a call.

Beth Dempsey
Images and Details
203.966.8203
Beth@ImagesandDetails.com

How To Navigate The Ever-Changing Landscape Of Media2019-07-09T14:27:20-04:00

Michael C. Fina

We are pleased to announce our agency relationship with luxury retailer Michael C. Fina. Journalists: please contact beth@imagesanddetails.com or dana@imagesanddetails.com for your holiday gift guides, tabletop and entertaining stories, jewelry and timepieces, or anything Michael C. Fina. Stay tuned for lots of exciting news on this wonderful brand.

Michael C. Fina2014-08-25T09:21:20-04:00
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