How to Market to People Not Like You

Reach new and diverse customer groups and expand your market share

The standard approach to marketing is to look for as many people as possible who fit one core customer profile. How to Market to People Not Like You challenges this traditional thinking about core customer bases, giving you a new approach to expand your customer base and your business.

Arguing for focusing on customer values rather than demographics, How to Market to People Not Like You reveals how you can grow business and profits by targeting those who are different from your core audience, rather than those who share similarities.

• Reach unfamiliar new market segments with your products
• Learn how to engage micro-segmented customer groups
• Author's company was named one of the top ad agencies in the US by Ad Age

Find out How to Market to People Not Like You, understand the needs and values that distinguish diverse customers, and reach their hearts, minds, and wallets.

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction: You Can’t Reach a Customer You Don’t Understand xv

Part I: Seven Steps for Selling to New and Unfamiliar Customers 1

1 Get Out of Your Comfort Zone to Grow Sales 3

‘‘Spray and Pray’’ versus Broad Thinking and Narrowcasting 3

Toyota Tundras, Nike, and iPhones 6

Tapping Into the Hearts and Minds of New Customers also Means Tapping Into Their Wallets 10

2 Get to Know the Customer You’re Not Getting but Should Be 12

Who are These People? Babies, Girl Scouts, and Amtrak 12

Go Online and Read Everything You Can about the Group You Want to Target 16

Attend Events, Meetings, and Gatherings of Your Potential Customer; Observe and Talk to Attendees to Find Out What’s on Their Minds 17

How to Research a New and Unfamiliar Customer Segment to Find Their Values, Tastes, Needs, and Concerns 18

Listen to Complaints 19

Hire from the Target Group, if Possible 20

Understand that the Way We Receive Information Shapes Us All 20

How to Hire a Marketing or Advertising Consultant Who Understands the Target Group You Want 22

3 What Do They Need? Tweak Your Product or Service Offerings 24

Real Men Eat Salad 26

Shop at Sam’s, Get a Loan 28

Target in East Harlem 28

No Bifocals for Me, Thanks! 28

Moving Mom and Making it Easier 29

4 Make Your Sales and Customer Service Friendly: Little Things Make a Big Difference 33

Operational Readiness—The ‘‘Secret Sauce’’ in Marketing to People Not Like You 34

Operational Friendliness 38

New Hours, New Uniform 39

Do the Easy Things First 40

5 Communicate in Their ‘‘Language’’: Develop Marketing Messages Based on Their Values 42

Transcreation, Not Translation 46

Tweak Your Marketing, Advertising, Signage, and Web Site in Other Languages 50

‘‘But This is America—Speak English!’’ 51

6 Use Technology to Reach Your Prospects: Micro Targeting 53

Using Free or Inexpensive Online Tools 54

7 Deal with Naysayers: What If Your Employees or Your Core Audience Don’t Like Seeing Their Product Marketed to Other Groups? 67

Subaru and Dentists 67

Part II: Key Customers Who Could Drive Your Business Growth 73

8 Different Ages Want Different Things 75

Matures: Born before 1946 76

Baby Boomers: Born 1946–1964 80

Gen X: Born 1965–1981 84

Gen Y: Born 1982–1994 86

Gen Z: Born 1995–2004 88

9 Women: Singles, Heads of Household, Working Moms and Stay-at-Home Moms, Home-Schooling, and More 91

10 Immigrants: It’s About Acculturation, Not Assimilation 102

Acculturation, Not Assimiliation: Targeting Immigrant Groups by Acculturation 104

11 Hispanics/Latinos: North America’s Fastest-Growing Ethnic Minority 112

Cinco de Mayo Is Not Mexican Independence Day 113

Why the U.S. Latino Market Is Super Caliente 114

The ‘‘Size of the Prize’’ 115

Step 1: ‘‘Latino-Ready’’ and ‘‘Latino-Friendly’’—Operational Readiness Is Everything 116

Step 2: When to Use Spanish in Marketing Messages 126

Step 3: Transcreation, Not Translation 129

Step 4: New Products, New Hours, New Uniforms 131

Step 5: Customer Service Is Your Secret Weapon 134

12 African-Americans: A Large and Lucrative Customer Base 136

Insight 1: Show People of Color When Targeting People of Color 138

Insight 2: Diversity in Skin Tone Is Very Important 139

Insight 3: Don’t Even Use People in Ads at All—Leave It Open to Interpretation 140

Insight 4: Keep It Real 140

Insight 5: You Don’t Have to Make It ‘‘Brown’’ to Appeal to African-Americans 143

Insight 6: People of Color Aspire to More than Just Sports, Music, and Fashion 144

Insight 7: Get Involved and Support the Community 147

Insight 8: Food, Music, and Socializing Are Central to African-American Culture 149

Insight 9: Don’t Take Advantage of African-American Customers 150

13 Asians and Asian-Americans: The Highest Household Income of Any Racial or Ethnic Group 152

The U.S. Asian Population 153

Step 1: Evaluate the ‘‘Size of the Prize’’ 155

Step 2: Learn about Which Subsegment Represents Your Greatest Market Opportunity 156

Step 3: Explore Asian Media Options 156

Step 4: Make Sure You Use Qualified Translation Services, if Necessary 156

Step 5: Explore Online/Digital Marketing 158

Step 6: Educate Yourself about Key Cultural Aspects of Your Target Market 158

Step 7: Get Involved in the Community 159

Part III: Other Important Market Segments 161

14 Political Views 163

15 Sexuality: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered 168

16 Hobbies and Special Interests 180

Direct Marketing 184

Special Interest Magazines or Web Sites 184

Editorial Contributions 185

Venue Marketing 186

Niche Marketing (Relationship Marketing) 186

Association Marketing 188

Connectors 189

17 Rural versus Metro 191

Metro (Urban) Living 191

Rural Living 192

18 Military versus Civilian 196

19 Vegetarians versus Meat Eaters 202

Reaching Vegetarians 205

Reaching Meat Eaters 207

Conclusion 211

Index 213

KELLY MCDONALD is the president of McDonald Marketing, which Advertising Age named one of the top ad agencies in the United States across all disciplinesin 2009. She worked in top positions for global ad agencies before starting her own marketing company in 2002. Her agency's clients include Toyota, Sherwin-Williams, Miller Coors, Harley-Davidson, and State Farm Insurance. If you could grow your business simply by marketing to your existing customers, making money would be a cakewalk. But to generate new revenue, you have to win over the customers you're not getting. Who are these mystery customers? How are they different from your current clientele? Most importantly, how do you forge a bond with them across these differences?

Using real-world examples from successful business owners, How to Market to People Not Like You demonstrates how to create a deep, emotional connection between your products and new consumers. Forget "spray and pray" promotion. It's time to narrowcast, get to know, and then deliver a welcoming message to a specific group. You have to research new customer segments and learn what they need. Then modify your product offerings to communicate that you value that customer. You say to them, "I see you, I value you, and I want you. I'm putting out this welcome mat just for you."

This book can take you from tentative newcomer to trusted name among any community. You'll learn: The do's and don'ts of marketing to women, immigrants, Hispanics, African Americans, and Asians; How to identify the key value differences according to political views, sexuality, hobbies, rural vs. metro areas, military vs. civilian cultures, vegetarians vs. omnivores, and much more; How to tweak your product or service to be relevant to a new customer group; Communicate in a relevant manner by showing respect for others' cultures, values, language, and priorities; Create messaging that resonates with each generation's unique values; and Make sure you're operationally ready and operationally friendly, meaning that you can make a customer feel comfortable throughout a transaction

Understanding your customers' values is the key to truly reaching them on an emotional level, because who you are is not defined by your age, your country of origin, or the color of your skin—it's about your values. Understand that, and you will reach new customers' hearts, minds, and, ultimately, their wallets.

"In our business, we need to build the brand, but we need to generate sales day in and day out, too. Kelly understands this and knows how to target consumers with marketing strategies that drive sales."
—Mark Barnes, COO, Volkswagen of America

"Kelly was my boss at my first job after college and taught me how to put into action the marketing principles I learned in school. I still use the marketing strategies I learned from her to move Nike's business forward."
—Marc Patrick, North America Brand Director,Athletic Training/Field Sports, Nike

"We use Kelly's company to guide our marketing efforts to the U.S. Hispanic market—a market critical to our future. Kelly and her team have a keen sense of the important cultural and business nuances that resonate with this customer segment."
—Roberto Martinez, Senior VP, Marketing and Strategy,Cash America International

"Kelly's understanding of customers today—and customers tomorrow—is impressive. She takes a complete look at business and helps business owners identify the steps they need to take to keep their companies healthy and relevant to the different needs of diverse customers. That's what is required for business survival today."
—Harry Hall, North America Sales Manager, DuPont Performance Coatings

"We've hired Kelly to speak at our convention four times in four years. I have yet to encounter another speaker who is as fluent in her area of expertise and able to share insights any better, or with more humor. Kelly has the extremely unique ability to personally connect with an audience and help them see what makes us all the same, but wonderfully different."
—Jay Kassing, President, Marquis