Before you can create a feasible and achievable marketing plan, you have to know who you are marketing to. Otherwise you’ll end up speaking the wrong language to the wrong people and render your marketing efforts useless. Taking the time to think about who your current audience is, and who you want them to be, can help you discover wide open Blue Oceans of uncontested market space – which translates to more clients and more revenue for you. (Not sure what a Blue Ocean is? Check out the book Blue Ocean Strategy for more info.)

Create a rock solid demographic profile
First, start by creating a demographic profile of your existing client/student. You can’t know how to market if you don’t know who to market to! Variables to examine in your existing client base:

• The basics: zip code, age, gender, level of student (beginner, advanced, specialty), primary reason for visiting…
• If your client base shares common interests not (yet) offered by your business: Pilates, yoga, massage, personal training, skin care, make-up, hair care, diet, nutrition…
• Average number of times per week your clients use your services
• Income levels
• Work status (full time, part time, not working)
• Common times of day clients use your services

How do you obtain this information?
Some of it you may already have (zip code, level, gender, frequency of use).  Some you can determine by studying which classes do well (levels, time of day, etc).  Some of it you may need to obtain through a survey. Some suggestions:

• Include it in your initial sign-up sheet for new students
• Catch up with current clients by asking them to fill it out as they come in for class, their appointment or interact with your front desk staff. Or do an online survey and alert current clients via email.
• Some online survey providers: Zoomerang, Survey Monkey or Constant Contact

Put your website & MINDBODY software to work

• Your MINDBODY system is already set up to track the basics about your clients, such as addresses, birthdays, etc. Use client indexes to track custom demographic information that isn’t already tracked. You can even make certain indexes required when a new client is added to ensure that you get everyone’s info.
• If you run a report on a portion of your clients, you can export the results for analysis.
• To help decide what to track, go to your favorite resource in your market (i.e. magazine, website) to find out what they have been asking your clientele.

If you like what you read here and want to learn about other marketing strategies, sign up for MINDBODY University or Consulting today!