In a highly competitive selling climate the urge to get an ad out the door and get it out FAST is almost overpowering. Whether you’re on the development or sales side the name if the game is moving inventory. Moving it fast. Sadly, this often happens without doing any homework at all on the consumers we are trying so hard to reach. Research, both quantitative and qualitative, is an essential part of any strategic marketing effort.

Here’s an example.

You decide after much internal debate that you’re going to target young professionals, age 25-35 living in Northern Virginia. Excellent. Now ask yourself, do all of these 25-35 year olds respond to the same things? Of course not. Some enjoy cultural activities like visiting museums and art galleries while others are avid sports fans. Some of them drive luxury cars and others walk to work. Some are married with children while others are single. Without a solid, working profile of the demo within your demo, how can you produce advertising that motivates them?

Consumer profiling digs deep and allows you to develop a brand image and message that speaks to both the active and passive consumer seeking your product in the market. In other words, you capture their attention as they enjoy their favorite lifestyle activities AND catch their eye while they are actually researching real estate and housing options.

So the next time you’re in a rush to get that ad out the door, take a step back and ponder your perfect profile.