Keeping in contact with your target audience is an essential piece of creating your marketing plan. By knowing exactly what's going on with your ideal clients and knowing what their challenges are, you can provide the solutions exactly when they need it.

Sometimes the solutions you provide are free - either in the form of answering a question in a social network or in a blog post or an article. Not everything you do to serve your target audience should be a "paid" service. Remember, your target audience needs to get to know you and sample your work. They are more likely to move to a paid service or product when they've had a chance to build trust in you and to "try before they buy."

One key to positioning yourself as the expert in your field, is making sure you absolutely know what problems your target audience are facing and what solutions they're looking for. The ONLY way you can know that is to do your market research - consistently.

You're not going to know everything you need to know by doing a yearly or bi-annual survey. Really you should be researching what's going on with your target market weekly, even daily, at the very least monthly. Doing so will allow you to stay abreast of current trends, what's new with key industry players and allow you to tailor your offerings just so to address current challenges and problems.

Now, in saying that, I know how challenging it can be to manage a market research campaign. It could seem overwhelming even just getting started. But, the good news is, researching your market is much easier than you think. And it can be actually (gasp!) FUN!

The key to doing your market research consistently is to follow a system.

Following a system allows you to methodically and easily implement a market research campaign, review the results and follow up with some kind of action such as blog posts, new programs, teleseminars, etc. A lot of folks get "stuck" when it comes to creating that system though. It's almost like you need a system to create a system.

If you've ever felt like that, I'd love to help you get "un-stuck" in this area.

Author's Bio: 

Sydni Craig-Hart, expert marketing consultant for service professionals, supports her clients in creating success – in both their businesses and lives. Known as "The Smart Simple Marketing Coach," the tech-savvy Sydni uses a results-focused, “how to” approach in implementing simple, customized strategies so service professionals create profitable businesses in which they enjoy the lifestyle they choose. To tap into Sydni's expertise in finding clients, get your free Smart Simple Marketing Starter Kit at www.SmartSimpleMarketing.com.