But I want more than one target audience!

“But I want to have more than one target audience!” “I’ll get bored if I only work with one type of client.”  I’m told this over and over and over again.

Actually, the most successful companies started out with one ideal client and one niche.

You may have that too, but you may have additional market segments. And there might be added income available when you look at these segments.

Let me explain. I was working with a leadership coach (her niche) who was targeting executives (ideal client); and working this way wasn’t working for her. Then I asked her to create a list of everyone she could possibly help. It was a very long list that included CEOs of growing firms, executives, new managers, new business owners, companies, etc. While each of these may seem to be different they are really marketing segments of her one niche – leadership coaching.

Each of these people on her list could use her services, and each would have an interest in being better leaders. First let’s look at what ideal clients look like within a niche. Ideal means that you’re looking to target (spend time marketing/networking/doing social networking to attract) the person/company, etc., who will consistently come looking for what you’re selling, pay you what you deserve, refer others to you, and come back for more of your services when they need it.

After much discussion, I suggested that her ideal clients were companies in the pharmaceutical industry (the industry she came out of) who were located within 3 hours of travel from her home since she was a mom with small children and wanted to be home most nights. These companies would have sales forces full of “leaders” at different levels. The companies would pay her to help develop their staff into leaders.

So instead of targeting one executive at a time, she would target “masses” of executives by targeting instead the companies they were located in.

The rest of those on her “list” would be market segments. What I suggested is that she target her ideal client and as she did this she would create articles, CDs, audios, workbooks, etc. — a variety of products along with trainings. She could then target her market segments – who most likely couldn’t afford her services – but could afford her group training programs and products.

What this might look like on her Leadership Coaching website is that she’d have a tab for Corporations and another for (let’s say) Small Business Owners and another for Executives.  On each of the pages she’d talk to “that” audience and offer solutions (her services and products).

Who is your ideal client and why did you pick them?