Knowing your target market is something every new marketer learns is the most important of creating the most effective campaigns. While many marketers feel as if they understand their target market pretty well, they fail to leave out cultural targeting, and this results in getting lower levels of success. When you know the cultural values of your target market and use them in your marketing efforts, you will notice an increase in customers because they will feel more comfortable doing business with you.
Cultural target markets include all parts of your target market, including who is most likely to need your products and services, but it goes a step further. It also includes the social, technological, political, economic and physical environment of your target market. This is important information to define because your target markets culture is the foundation for how they communicate, think and process information. It allows you to know how to target in ways they are most likely to view your marketing efforts and how they will understand them.
No place is cultural marketing more important than for online efforts. If you are an online business selling internationally, you need to pay close attention to how you market to the cultures you are focusing your campaigns on. An example of this would be if you used an image of a smiling face making an “Okay” sign. In America that would be understood that your message is “Okay”, but in Brazil, that same sign means something as derogatory as holding up your middle finger is here in America. That is probably not the understanding you are hoping for.
Cultural marketing not only includes how you talk to your target market, but how you lead them through the entire sales process. Older customers are more likely to appreciate your marketing if it is clear and concise with specific instructions “Click the blue button to place your order”, where younger, more internet savvy target markets might get bored and click away from your site if you are too explanatory. For younger target markets, offering faster methods to purchase items or request information would be ideal.
The better you know the culture of your target market, the more personal you can get with them. Personal marketing through social media is some of the most powerful marketing efforts you can make. Not only will you know how to create your messages to them, you will know what information they will be most likely to find valuable.
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