Marketing audience segmentation means speaking to each group of customers about the problem they actually have.
One dictionary definition describes segmenting as “To divide into separate parts or sections,” exemplified by market division into distinct categories.
When developing a business with multiple products or services, each offering deserves focused marketing attention. Three specialized marketing approaches illustrate this principle in business brokerage:
“When It’s Time to Sell Your Business” targets business owners contemplating a sale, addressing their specific concern of finding qualified assistance.
“Careers for Sale” focuses on individuals seeking career changes through purchasing established businesses—a distinctly different audience from sellers.
“The Next Step” addresses business professionals considering growth through acquisition, seeking to expand their core operations via strategic purchases.
The author emphasizes that “one name to flash your products” won’t achieve complete success across all audiences. Like a doughnut shop better serving customers by highlighting chocolate, glazed, or sugar varieties, businesses benefit from segmentation.
Each group requires tailored messaging and communication strategies.
How marketing audience segmentation works
Marketing audience segmentation starts with a simple question: who exactly are you talking to? The business brokerage examples in the article show three different answers. Owners thinking about selling want qualified help. People exploring career changes want a way to become owners. Business professionals weighing their next move want to understand their options. One general message cannot serve all three well.
To put segmentation to work, list each product or service you offer and write down the one audience each is meant for. Then give every audience its own headline, its own page or email, and its own call to action. Track which messages draw responses so you can improve them over time, and avoid promising results you cannot support.
Even small businesses benefit. A single owner can create two or three focused messages in an afternoon, and focused messages usually feel more relevant to the reader than broad ones.
Related reading
- Business Opportunity Guides: Every SmartBizOpps Article in One Place
- Business Opportunity Marketplace: The Earn From Anywhere Guide
- SBA guide to planning your business
Helpful outside resources: Wikipedia: Audience and Johns Hopkins University.
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