There are many questions one should ask when defining the most profitable prospects. You should know your audience’s purchasing behaviors coupled with their demographics to determine the best methods of reaching them.

Questions to ask yourself about your prospects are:

• Are they male or female?

• How old would they be?

• How much is their annual income?

• Are they married?

• Do they have children? If so, what are their ages?

• Do they own their own home?

• Where do they purchase their pet supplies?

• Do they mostly pay by cash, check, debit or credit card?

• What car do they drive?

• Do they read newspapers, magazines or online publications?

• What is their lifestyle like?

• Do they take vacations?

• Where do they stay on holiday?

• Where do they learn about new pet products or services?

These questions provide you with a profile that you can then use to determine where to advertise. Other methods of obtaining demographics is to purchase marketing research reports or census reports. Market research can be quite costly, reaching into the thousands. I know, I buy them every year to stay abreast of how pet parents make their purchase decisions and where they buy that next cute toy for kitty.

You can conduct your own research using a tool like www.surveymonkey.com. This is a less costly tool and they have a free version. Craft your questions carefully. You want to learn as much as possible without taking too much of your customer’s time. Good Luck!

About the Author
Dara is a brand identity and marketing design strategist at 7 Lucky Dogs, a leading consultancy in marketing to “pet parents”. Through customized marketing and brand identity packages, 7 Lucky Dogs helps you discover what makes your company, product or service different from your competitors. We then translate this differentiation visually into a logo, product packaging, an E-commerce site and promotional materials to reflect those unique attributes. We make our clients look credible and memorable to their prospects while they increase their bottom line. As the owner of 7 Lucky Dogs, Dara is passionate about helping independent pet businesses stand out in front of their competitors and attract more clients. She blends business smarts with creativity with over ten years of design experience with formal education in both graphic design and marketing.