The more you know about your customers the more you can speak to them like they matter. Unfortunately, most small businesses stop their examination of their customers at the basics: are they here (as in are they in the store, on the phone, on our website), and can they and will they buy? But these facts give little in the way of meaningful information about who that person really is. It provides no information that can be useful in considering other, like-minded, prospects. It definitely lacks a knowledge of the “customer” that would allow you to create content that would touch a chord and resonate enough to keep someone engaged with your business.
Developing a “house-list” of contacts, customers and prospects, then nurturing and cultivating that list, growing it over time, pruning it when needed, is the fastest route to business success. Why? Because through the process of cultivating your list of prospects, you come to learn what interests them. You learn what does not interest them. Dividing your list into sub-groups based on your knowledge, however limited it may be, allows you to start learning more. The process of making these groups is “Segmentation” and it is simply one of the most powerful tools at your disposal. See why list management is so powerful for small business marketing.
