Far too often, businesses and organizations make the mistake of assuming that the consumer or client is willing to buy something based on its novelty. While that appeal may work for certain products, the approach itself will undeniably leave you to a dead-end. When it coming to marketing, it is absolutely vital that you market for the consumer. This means targeting your audience. Successful companies did not get to their level that they are at through ‘shot in the dark’ approaches. Instead, they thought strategically and creatively about their products and services and how it could better and attract the public’s need to buy.

Below, you will find five categories for the marketing process. These tips will help your business and organization reach its targeted audience in the best way possible. The main concept is to understand the buyer and to revamp your approach specifically for them.

1. Problem Recognition

To put it simply, customers want to have a reason to believe in the product before making that final purchase. Because of this, you have to make sure that your business or organization’s product or service provides that problem-solution desire. Take for example Apple. While they had to face a variety of obstacles of getting establish and competing with the bigger name companies, they made sure to market and perfect their product as a user-friendly computer. That mentality eventually shaped future designs and business decisions that we are seeing today. Like Apple, you want to be proactive with your products. You want to create an opportunity of solving a problem. That idea, while difficult to come up with, will be the sole definer of achieving success or experiencing failure.

2. Research

Once a problem is recognized, the research process begins. New products are tested for months to see how well they will perform with potential customers. As a marketer, you want to establish your brand based off of this information. Leverage out the strengths and see what can be changed with the negatives. This type of research, while taxing, will be incredibly beneficial in the long run.

3. Evaluate your Product (even against the competition)

Just because you have a great product or service does not mean that it is in high demand. Just like step two (research), you want to make sure you evaluate your product or service in the best possible way. Try even comparing it against your competition. Yes, this can be daunting, but understanding what your other competitors are offering can help you gain insight on what the audience is looking for.

4. Marketing the Purchase

Some companies sell through gimmicky advertisements. Others sell by name. Regardless of your situation, you want to make sure you strategically plan and evaluate the way you are going to market your purchase. Rather than going off of others, try thinking about your product as a story. What is the message you want to send to your customers and how will they receive it? Your answer will allow you to shape your marketing campaign in the best possible way.

5. Post-Purchase Evaluations

One of the biggest benefits you can do once your product is accessible to the public is to evaluate your success in a quantifiable way. Try looking at this both monthly and quarterly. Compare the units sold and the amount purchase. Then go back to the drawing board of how you marketed and branded the product. If you found that it was a success. Fantastic! Continue what you are doing. If you found, however, that the first few months did not go well, reevaluate the product and your marketing plan. Sometimes the small changes can be the game-changer for success.