What you need to know to build a customer base

Without customers you have no business!If you can find a group of people who will buy your product you are well on your way to being a business success, but building a customer base can definitely be a challenge.Additionally, you have to run your business in such a way that the customers that you do have keep coming back for more!Before you can hope to attract a large number of customers, you have to know who your customers are.Not knowing who your customer is and instead relying solely on your product to carry you through is a huge mistake.In business, the customers that you have or could potentially have are part of your target market.In order to advertise effectively, you need to keep close tabs in your target market and be sure that whatever you do, you are providing them with a product that solves a problem specific to them.

Chances are that you have a target market even if you don't realize it.Here are a couple of characteristics that can differentiate a person well enough to help you to determine what some of the most common similarities people in your target market have.Once you have a better understanding of your customers, you can start building a wider customer base by appealing to the wants and needs of this group of people.

Basic information you should know about your customer base

• Average age of your customers or age range that most of your customers fall into
• Common traits of your customers.Is there any common factor that they all seem to share?
• The gender of your target customers.
• Know what makes your customers happy, what they do when they have free time and what activities they find enjoyable.
• Know what sorts of things would upset your customer or what they might fear or be apprehensive about as it pertains to their consumer behaviors.
• Level of income information
• Education level
• What customer problem can you solve?

Hopefully you can see the value of knowing the answers to these important questions in regard to your customer base.The last one is particularly pressing in that if know how you can solve a problem that exists within your customer base, forming your business around how to solve that one problem (and present that solution to your customers, you are well on your way to success.Knowing where to find your current customers makes it easier to attract new like-minded customers at the same time.How you contact those customers (based on what you know about their behaviors) makes deciding whether to use radio, newspaper, TV, etc. much less of a puzzle.Marketing and advertising efforts fail only when not enough is known about targeting the customer.

Building a customer base and relationships with the customers within that group of people is something that will take time.Be patient.Remember that your customers are not just going to come knocking on your door.You need to find ways to reach them, you need to sell them a product or service that they won't forget.You need to cater to the needs of your customer and continue providing them with solutions they will come back to your business for.Take care of your customers and they will take care of you through referring their friends to your business and doing your marketing for you through word-of-mouth.Remember that although acquisition of new customers is vital to the long-term growth of your business, never forget those loyal customers who provide you with valuable target market information, constructive criticism and compliments.