Tricks for Targeting Your Market Audience
When it comes to trick-or-treating, we’re all familiar with THAT neighborhood. You know the one. Perfectly swept sidewalks, well-lit porches, extravagant decorations, full-size candy bars that nobody needs, but everybody wants. It’s the neighborhood of all trick-or-treating neighborhoods and as a parent, you bet we’re hitting it up! Sure, the excessive candy will cause a meltdown later and yes, the streets are crowded, but what we’ve come to love is what we’ve learned to trust – a safe neighborhood with a reliable experience. And, at the end of a successful trick-or-treating night, when our kids have fallen asleep in their costumes and candy wrappers are strewn across the living room floor, despite all that may have preceded it, we find ourselves already looking forward to next year – knowing that the experience will only get better!
As a brand, effectively reaching your audience is a lot like understanding your neighborhood on Halloween night. It takes planning, it takes experience, heck, sometimes you even have to dress things up a bit! But despite all your hard work, if you go knocking on the wrong doors, you’ll likely find yourself empty handed, or even worse – with a bucketful of tootsie rolls. Just like our children expect to receive candy in reward for trick-or-treating (and we expect to eat half of it after they go to bed), audiences everywhere hold expectations of the brands they interact with. It’s up to you to meet those expectations, but first you have to identify and understand your audience.
Before you go knocking on doors this year, get to know your neighborhood (and stand out) with these three tricks:
#1
IDENTIFY THE TRICK-OR-TREATERS
While we often hear about the best trick-or-treating neighborhoods by word-of-mouth, you’re going to have to look inward for this one. In other words, who is your current audience? Who follows you on social media? Who subscribes to your emails? What age group buys your products? And, most importantly, what’s bringing them to your neighborhood?
Smarties will still get you trick-or-treaters, but Kit Kats and Sour Patch Kids – that’ll get them talking. Don’t just be the brand that gets by. Once you’ve identified your audience and their habits, begin speaking to them! Use targeted ads with clever messaging, invest in imagery that stands out, offer freebies for signing up…give them the full-size candy bar! It’s okay to be the talk of the neighborhood.
#3
DECORATE WELL
It’s not enough to just provide a product; consumers (and kids in costumes) want experiences. Bring out the cobwebs, get in costume, update your packaging, create brand experiences that are both user friendly and memorable. We all love a bucket full of candy, but once the candy is gone, what’s there to remember if not an experience? It’s up to you to create an unforgettable one. Consider this permission to buy the giant inflatable…but only if it glows.
