I had mentioned in a previous article how it is logical to segment your niche market into definable groups, and then survey all these segments, as recommended by Dr Glenn Livingston, my mentor.
The survey must be done in all segments, so that you may tailor your products and services to each group.
Because the intelligence of each segment is unique.
When you advertise your product to your various market segments, you need to address each segment individually, without failing to describe any special features it may seek in your product.
For instance, your product may be an eBook on pet dogs.
One segment may look for information on a guard dog, such as a German Shepherd or Rottweiler.
Another may want a dog for companionship, and may prefer a smaller pet.
As your eBook talks about both these species of dogs, design your survey modifying it for each of these segments.
It is logical to combine surveys for similar segments.
Thus, a person who seeks information on medical care of dogs, and another who wants to know how he can prolong the life of his pet may belong to the same segment.
Going back to my previous description of markets as a number of stores in a mall, you can simplify things for yourself by combining the handling of similar stores (site pages, or catalogues, etc.
).
So, prospective buyers belonging to different segments can be brought to the same sales page which highlights what all of them seek.
To illustrate, consider the following situation.
Suppose you have released a couple of response evoking ads in two distinctive segments.
And followed it up by customized surveys in these segments.
For instance, if you are selling an eBook on hovercraft, those who own hovercraft and those who want to build one constitute two separate segments.
So, you need to devise different surveys to address these two different segments.
For instance, "how to build?" is likely to be a primary concern of the second segment, while the first segment will concern itself with "how to run a hovercraft economically?" Supposing the responses you get are very different, as in the above example, you will need to treat these "stores" separately.
In other words, two separate eBooks for the two segments.
But, if the responses are mostly similar, don't hesitate - combine your handling of the two segments.
And you may develop the same product or service, for selling in both segments.
But, if you read these two segments wrong, you run the risk of failing to service some of the customer groups who visit your store.
That is akin to telling a hovercraft owner how to build one.
This will result in a customer leaving your store without buying anything.
And you would have missed an opportunity to make profits.
The next question you must answer is, whether it is necessary for you to treat segments or stores with the same basic content, differently.
In internet marketing, this translates into having the same sales page for two or more different segments.
In all such instances where a particular store is measurably different, you can present your offer in the customer's own language as used in the survey responses.
And also a different customized URL for every segment...
It will take a little extra effort, but not to worry - there are shortcuts also.
For instance, you may present the very same product to different groups, just by positioning it differently.
You can do this easily by offering the product as the remedy to all their ills and aches.
And by using the survey techniques of Dr Glenn, you will come to know just what problems are plaguing your customers, what their sore points are, and how to address these points.
This is how you devise stratagems to manage segments with common features.