First and foremost to answer the above, it's crucial to view your product not just as an item or service you're passionate about but as a solution to a problem or a fulfilment of a desire.

Take Wakefit for example. This company doesn’t just sell mattresses; they offer a promise of better sleep through scientifically designed products, catering to individuals facing sleep-related issues or those who prioritise health and comfort in their lifestyle.

Start by asking yourself these questions:

1. What problem does my product solve?
2. Who is most likely to suffer from this problem?

Your answers will begin to sketch the outline of your target audience.

If your product is a service, like SmartBiz by Amazon’s platform, it solves the problem for small to medium-sized businesses looking to set up a fully functional ecommerce website easily. SmartBiz’s target audience, therefore, includes small business owners eager to break into ecommerce without extensive technical know-how.

After you have identified who your audience is, the next step would be Market segmentation. This involves breaking down the broader market into smaller categories based on demographics (age, gender, income level), psychographics (values, interests, lifestyle), and behaviour (purchasing habits, brand interactions). This process is known as Consumer Profiling,

For instance, take Amul, one of India's leading dairy brands. Amul has masterfully segmented its market to cater to a wide range of consumers across different demographic and psychographic categories in the country. The company offers a vast array of products from milk, butter and cheese to ice cream and chocolates, targeting different age groups, dietary preferences, and income levels.

For instance, Amul Kool, a flavoured milk beverage, is targeted to children and teenagers looking for a tasty yet nutritious drink. On the other hand, Amul's range of low-fat and sugar-free products caters to health-conscious consumers and those with specific dietary restrictions. By understanding the diverse needs of the Indian consumer, Amul has positioned itself as a staple in Indian households, demonstrating the power of effective market segmentation.

Building meaningful relationships with your audience, both online and offline, is a cornerstone for any business aiming for longevity and relevance in today's market. Once your target segments are identified, engaging with these groups becomes essential. This engagement goes beyond merely selling products; it's about listening, understanding, and evolving based on the feedback received. A compelling example of this dynamic approach to customer engagement and brand building is found in the journey of Mamaearth.

Mamaearth stands out as a brand that has effectively harnessed the power of community engagement, leveraging not just the conventional tools of social media but also weaving in authenticity through founder stories, certifications for credibility, and strategic collaborations with mom influencers. These strategies have propelled Mamaearth from a startup to a leading name in the natural and safe personal care space, especially appealing to parents concerned about product safety and authenticity.

The brand utilised platforms like Instagram and Facebook not just to display their products but to create conversations around the needs and concerns of young parents. By engaging with 'momfluencers', Mamaearth tapped into pre-existing communities, introducing their products through trusted voices. This not only enhanced their visibility but also built a strong trust foundation with their target audience.

Moreover, the use of founder stories and highlighting product certifications played a crucial role in establishing Mamaearth's authenticity. Sharing the personal journey of the founders and the why behind the brand resonated with consumers, making Mamaearth a household name associated with safety, trust, and community.

In addition to engagement with customers, digital tools and platforms offer a wealth of data to help you understand who is interacting with your brand online and help in product targeting. Google Analytics and social media analytics can tell you a lot about the demographics of your website visitors or social media followers, including which content resonates the most with your audience. With this data driven analysis, businesses can tailor their content strategies to better resonate with their audience, ensuring that every piece of content serves a purpose and adds value to the user's experience.

With a website created SmartBiz by Amazon your can track all this data and much more with integrated Google analytics.

Once you have mastered who your customers are and how they like to be interacted with, the next step would be to study your competitors or even brands you aspire to be like. This involves identifying who they are targeting and how they position themselves in the market. Such an analysis can uncover market gaps or opportunities for differentiation, enabling you to tailor your offerings or marketing strategies more effectively.

Taking the example of a coffee shop, you might look at Starbucks and its robust loyalty program, along with its emphasis on community-focused marketing, as a benchmark. This could inspire you to design a unique customer experience that leverages local community events or themes, setting your brand apart.

An Indian brand that exemplifies this approach well is Chai Point. Chai Point started with a clear focus on serving the urban Indian consumer's need for authentic and hygienic chai (tea) on-the-go, a market that was relatively untapped. Recognizing the dominance of traditional tea vendors and coffee shops like Café Coffee Day (which targeted coffee lovers), Chai Point positioned itself uniquely by focusing on chai, a staple beverage for millions of Indians, thus differentiating itself from competitors.

Chai Point analysed the market and identified a niche market among young professionals and students looking for a quick, quality tea experience, which wasn't being explicitly catered to by coffee giants or traditional tea stalls. By integrating technology through their "boxC.in" IoT-enabled tea dispenser for corporate offices and launching a mobile app for easy ordering, Chai Point offered convenience and modernity in accessing traditional chai. This unique blend of traditional product with modern delivery and a focus on quality and hygiene helped Chai Point fill a gap in the Indian market and compete against established coffee chains by offering something familiar yet innovative.

By understanding both their customers and their competition, Chai Point was able to carve out a significant niche in India's fast-growing beverage market, showcasing the value of strategic differentiation based on competitor analysis.

Now, entrepreneurs, finding the right customers is not a one-and-done deal. Markets constantly evolve and so do consumers’ needs, behaviours and preferences. You also need to know how to keep your target audience and potentially expand it as well.

Regularly testing out different messages, products and marketing channels will help you stay in tune with your audience. Practising A/B testing in email marketing, for instance, can unveil which strategies engage customers most effectively, guiding you toward more successful interactions in the future. Yet, beyond the strategies and analytics, the heart of brand growth lies in the relationships you build with your customers.

Building long-term relationships with your customers can turn them into brand advocates. These relationships are the cornerstone of transforming customers into brand advocates. Encouraging word-of-mouth and referrals, especially for small businesses, can significantly amplify your brand's reach and credibility. Implementing loyalty programs or providing incentives for referrals are strategies that can enrich customer engagement. Such initiatives not only reward existing customers but also attract new ones, fostering a community of loyal followers. This community becomes a testament to your brand's commitment to its customers, highlighting the importance of not just acquiring customers, but nurturing and retaining them through meaningful engagement and recognition.

Identifying and finding your target audience is a dynamic and ongoing process in mastering marketing tactics. It requires a blend of introspection about your product, keen observation of the market, and an engagement strategy that looks into your audience's needs.

As a small business owner, your proximity to your customers is one of your greatest strengths. Use it to listen, adapt and serve your audience better than anyone else could. In doing so, you'll not only find your target audience but also inspire loyalty and passion for your brand that resonates far beyond the initial sale.

Remember, in the crowded marketplace of today, the businesses that succeed are those that connect most authentically with their customers. So, start with understanding, proceed with engagement and thrive through adaptation!