Many Australian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) quickly realise they don’t have *one* ideal customer, but several. Perhaps you sell to both homeowners and property managers, or maybe your products appeal to different age groups with varying needs. Trying to market to everyone with a single message is a recipe for wasted budget and diluted impact. The key is developing a marketing strategy that acknowledges and caters to these distinct audiences.

We often see businesses attempt this by simply creating multiple versions of the same campaign. While better than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, it’s not truly strategic. A more effective method involves segmentation and tailored messaging. This means understanding each audience’s specific pain points, motivations, and where they spend their time online and offline.

Here are a few insights to guide you:

• Develop Detailed Customer Personas: Go beyond basic demographics. Understand their goals, challenges, preferred communication channels, and what influences their purchasing decisions. Give them names and stories – this makes them real and helps focus your efforts.
• Map Content to the Buyer’s Journey: Different audiences will be at different stages of considering your product or service. Create content that addresses their specific needs at each stage – awareness, consideration, and decision.
• Channel Prioritisation: Don’t spread yourself too thin. Analyse where each audience spends their time. If one group is highly active on Facebook, while another prefers LinkedIn, allocate your resources accordingly.
• Messaging Matrix: Create a simple table outlining each audience segment and the key message you want to convey to them. This ensures consistency and relevance across all your marketing materials.

It’s also important to remember that while audiences are distinct, there may be overlap. Look for opportunities to create ‘hub’ content that appeals broadly, then tailor specific elements – like calls to action or examples – to each segment. Regularly analyse campaign performance, paying close attention to which messages resonate with which audiences. This iterative process will refine your strategy and maximise your return on investment.

The outcome? A more efficient and effective marketing strategy that delivers relevant messages to the right people, ultimately driving more leads and sales. Your next step should be to workshop these concepts with your team and begin developing detailed customer personas for each of your target audiences.