Step 2 – Choose Your Target Market
Now that you know what you’re going to sell (explained in Step 1), you need to define who you’re going to sell it to.
There are three big mistakes small business owners make when it comes to their target market:
1 – Not wanting to define one
They want to make as much money as possible and think that focusing on one group of people will limit their sales.
2 – Thinking about their target market after the fact
You wouldn’t buy a gift and then think about who it’s perfect for. You need to first know who you’re buying a gift for before you can pick one they’re going to love.
The same applies to making products and building a business. You need to first decide who it’s for before you can create something they’ll love.
3 – Basing their target market on demographics
Knowing that someone is female and 40 years old is important when it comes to product details but it doesn’t tell me where to market my business or sell my products. On the other hand, if I know my target market loves to bake, I can find blogs, magazines, influencers, local shops, etc. that allow me to get my products in front of people who are perfect for my kitchen linens made for bakers.
How to find a good target market for your sewing business
The following 3 steps explain my preferred method of finding a profitable target market and continuing to define your sewing business.
1 – Explore existing target markets
Don’t reinvent the wheel here and make up a hard-to-find or “unicorn” target market (one that sounds amazing but doesn’t actually exist). Set your business up for success by choosing from existing target markets.
I find it easier to choose a target market based on the ways people are already coming together. When people come together in groups, sharing a common interest, it makes it easier for you to market and sell.
Here are several ways to find existing groups of peoplsSuch as the following ways:
A) Interests and hobbies
This is my top way to find ideal target markets. Interests and hobbies will bring people together and create spaces that are conducive to marketing and selling.
For example, if I like to bake, I might:
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- read baking blogs
- get a subscription to a baking magazine
- follow bakers on Instagram
- be a part of baking groups on Facebook
- shop at baking supply stores
- attend baking events
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If I build a business for bakers and create products with bakers in mind, I can then use those platforms to reach my target market.
For example, if I’ve made a line of aprons and oven mitts ideal for bakers, I might:
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- send an apron and oven mitt set to popular baking blogs in hopes they feature it on their blog.
- follow popular baker influencers on social media and interact with their content regularly. I could also reach out and inquire about them promoting my product on their social media pages.
- send a press release about my business/products to baking magazines in hopes they write an article on my business or feature it in a section.
- reach out to local shops that sell kitchen and baking products to see if they would carry my products.
- partner with local baking instructors and see if they would promote my products on their website and at their events in exchange for me promoting their baking classes on my website and handing out their business cards at any craft shows I participate in.
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Explore common interests and hobbies, how they bring people together, and if those ways will allow you to market and sell your products through those channels. And, if you can alter your business and products to align with the interest/hobby.
B) Specialty stores
Specialty stores provide proof of a profitable target market.
For example, a bohemian-style clothing and accessory store tells you there are enough people interested in bohemian styles of fashion to build a business around, and that there’s a way to market to them. If I were thinking about making hair accessories, targeting people with a bohemian style could be profitable.
Research specialty stores in your city and online. They’ll not only point you towards a good target market, they’ll also be places that may be interested in carrying your products.
You can also research the ways those businesses market, and follow in their footsteps since they’re targeting the same customers you want to reach.
For example, you may find that the bohemian-style clothing store primarily uses Instagram to market their business online. Pay attention to:
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- the types of posts they create
- the type of photos they take and overall aesthetic of their feed
- the hashtags they use
- how often they post
- when they post (weeknights, weekends, more frequently in the weeks leading up to a holiday)
- etc.
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They may also have an “In the news” page on their website that shares the magazines and newspapers that have featured their business. These will be great outlets to pitch your products to.
C) Magazines
If there’s a magazine targeting a group of people, that tells you it’s a profitable market. Head to your local bookstore and check out the different topics magazines cover.
Then consider if you can tweak your products to appeal to the people a magazine targets.
For example, let’s say I want to create a line of kitchen linens, focusing on aprons, oven mitts, and tea towels. I might discover the following topics of magazines and tweak my products accordingly:
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- Bridal – I could create bride and groom sets, bridal party apron sets, gift sets for newly married couples.
- Cabin living – I could create a line of cabin-themed aprons, oven mitts, and tea towels (e.g. buffalo plaid, cabin-theme printed material, popular cabin colors).
- Eco-friendly living – make aprons, oven mitts, and tea towels out of recycled materials or sustainable materials.
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D) Lifestyle
Consider the popular lifestyles people have and if there are blogs, magazines, stores, etc. that cater to them.
For example:
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- Health & wellness
- Jet-setting/travel
- Minimalistic
- Sustainable
- Family-focused
- Bachelor/Bachelorette lifestyle
- Spiritual
- Etc.
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Then consider if you can alter your products to be a fit for a specific lifestyle.
For example, I might create aprons, oven mitts, and tea towels for bachelors and focus on colors, prints, and details that have a masculine feel and would be a fit for a typical “bachelor pad”.
E) Events
You may explore popular (life) events to find a good target market.
For example:
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- Weddings
- Holidays (Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day)
- Becoming parents
- Birthdays
- Graduations
- Retirements
- Etc.
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These are events that drive purchasing and online content, which means, you’ll be able to find outlets to market and sell your products through.
There are many websites, magazines, events, stores, etc. that offer advice, ideals, and products for people organizing a wedding or celebrating a birthday. Each website, magazine, and store offers an opportunity for you to market or sell your products to that target market.
Think beyond the demographics of your target market and get into psychographics.
2 – Explore target market segments
Once you choose a target market, consider if you need to choose a segment within it.
You may have chosen a target market that’s small enough and accessible enough to begin with.
For example, if I’ve decided to target cat owners, that’s a good target market. Going into a segment of cat owners (e.g. segments might be orange cat owners, tuxedo cat owners, Ragdoll cat owners, etc.) might make my market too small and too hard to find.
On the other hand, if I’ve decided to target bakers, that may be too broad of a market to start. There are many types of bakers, so I’d want to narrow down who I’m creating for and speaking to with my marketing.
Segments within the target market of bakers might be:
- homesteaders baking bread
- homemakers baking with their kids
- professional bakers making birthday and wedding cakes
The segment I choose will alter:
- the types of products I create
- my branding
- my marketing messages
- etc.
Again, you don’t want to go too “niche” with your target market. But consider if you should choose a segment within your chosen target market to:
Get a better understanding of your target market
Be able to create targeted messages that resonate with your target market
Create products that are perfect for them.
3 – Define your niche
Once you have your product category and your target market, you then have a niche.
Niche businesses have:
- Less competition
- An easier time marketing
- Higher profits
- Stronger branding
- Loyal customers
To define your niche, combine your product category/subcategory with your target market.
For example:
- Hair accessories (product category) for yogis (target market)
- Kitchen linens (product category) for bakers (target market)
- Pet clothing (product category) for French Bulldogs (owners of French Bulldogs is the target market)
- School bags (product category) for girls in preschool (this business has two target markets; who will use the product (girls in preschool) and the people who will purchase the products (the parents)
- Pajamas & loungewear (product category) for brides and their bridal party (target market)
Your turn:
My sewing business offers ___________ (product category/subcategory) for __________ (target market).
