How would you like to know EXACTLY what to say in your marketing messaging? To know EXACTLY what brand identity you need? That's right, you are getting the point - being EXACT is the key to drawing in the perfect customer. How can you be more exact? Create a customer profile, of course!

Before you begin the search, set up a system for collecting data – utilise software programs to create a customer database where you can store all the collected information.

While the type of information you begin collecting may differ from business to business, the general information will remain the same, for example: age, gender, spending habits, location, and income are good places to start.

Look up current and past customers – what did they buy, when, how did they pay, how did they buy? Analysing purchasing behaviours of the past is a great indicator of future patterns. The more detailed your profiles, the more accurate your targeted marketing efforts will become.

This information will also allow you to discern ways to help identify similar customers and target them directly. It also points out ways in which you could up-sell or cross-market new products to current customers by identifying their unmet needs.

What if you're struggling to build your database? Send out a survey to current and past customers. Post a survey on your social media outlets encouraging potential customers to provide feedback by offering incentives for completing the survey.

Once you have a solid database, group the profiled customers into market groups, to be targeted in different ways.

Customer profiles, also known as personas, can help increase sales through targeting niche marketing.

When creating the profiles, consider using a three-step template:

1. Create a wide-reaching description of your perfect customer.
   
   
2. Identify the perfect customer's goals and most prominent features. Ask what language they are using, what their hesitations might be and their preferred method of interaction.
   
   
3. Identify and list out how this perfect customer might find you – what website do they frequent, what search terms are they using, what content draws them in?

Each persona will start to come together within these parameters, allowing you to create market segments within the database.

Identifying these perfect personas allows you to assess the depth of the market, tweak your business plan, cater your products and services to their needs and craft the most appropriate and effective marketing messages.