The goal of your marketing message is to get your customers to buy the product or service you offer. How well you know your customers is the first step and a vital factor to writing marketing communications that speak directly to your audience. Getting to know your prospects and customers is easy when you use two primary sources.

Present Customers

It is an advantage for businesses with existing customers, which can provide the groundwork for gathering information. You can take one of two approaches to do this.

• First, an informal approach, while talking to your customers either in person or over the phone, you may ask them quick questions.

• Second, the formal approach, you can send out survey forms to your customers to gather the information you need. If you choose to go this route, come up with 10 to 12 relevant questions--questions that have a purpose. A business coach for example, whose target market is high net worth executives, may include questions on household income, profession and title. A survey question for a private school may also cover income of a household with children. Surveys should be short and simple to complete with multiple choice questions mixed with open-ended questions. For ideas on how to create and send out a survey, visit one online site that offers free surveys, Survey Monkey. You may also draft your own and simply send it to your customers. Include a self-addressed and stamped envelope to ensure they return the survey.

Future Customers

Information does not only come from existing customers, especially if you don't have a customer base yet. If you are just starting out, you may find information about potential customers or groups of customers with the help of available survey results. The Small Business Administration (SBA) or the U.S. Census Bureau provides survey results to the general public and may be available online.

Another resource that is free and contains detailed information about your target market is the results of surveys conducted by market research firms, organizations that provide products or services to the same industry or customers, or surveys conducted by your competitors.