Each year, our town puts on the nation’s second largest street fair. Each food stand is set up to raise money for a charity. To do this they sell food and beverages and we all get fat and happy for a week.

I’ve seen a number of marketing strategies. Some stands pull you in by doing one food amazingly well; others offer as many types of food as possible hoping something will catch your attention. Some serve the most unique food they can think of – we host chocolate covered bacon, brain sandwiches, kangaroo jerky and fried kool-aid amongst others. Then of course there are staples like corn dogs – for stands selling those, it’s not unusual to see price wars start. Some will offer a dirt cheap price and charge for condiments.

I’ll admit, I love seeing how various stands set themselves apart.

One of the main sellers at the Fall Fest is apple cider. It comes in a variety of flavors and this year, an enterprising group branched into pumpkin spice cider. They crafted a sign to sell it that I thought was… inspired.

Pumpkin Spice Cider: I Can’t Even

There’s definitely a specific target market for all things pumpkin spice. By providing a direct reference to their target market with a well-placed joke, they differentiate themselves while simultaneously drawing the attention of their potential customers in a positive way.

Rather than trying to target any living, breathing person in the hopes that they MIGHT buy a product, this booth targeted a specific market with a specific product, and in doing so won the hearts of customers and marketers alike.

It’s worthwhile to know who your most likely potential customers are so that you can decrease your ad spend while simultaneously increasing your potential revenue. What’s not to love about spending less money to make more?

If you still think your potential target market is everyone, ask yourself this: do you have a typical customer who is most likely to convert? How are you most likely to reach them? You may find that your target market has been right in front of you all along.