Meeting Client Expectations for Success

Target Audience
Determining the target audience guides how a product is designed. As different customers have unique needs, not all manufacturers aim for the high-end market. Back in early 2006, there were not as many network camera players as there are now — only two manufacturers made network cameras in Taiwan. That was when one company realized there was a market for entry-level IP products. Pricing is the primary concern for customers looking for budget solutions. According to a source, the company kept things cost-friendly for its target audience. However, it could not compete with the prices of manufacturers in China, because it would have been difficult to keep R&D at the same level of quality. Finding a niche helps a brand blossom. “We have been in the DIY market for 15 years and are now the leaders in DIY security products — h o l d i n g the No. 1 m a r k e t share in N o r t h America,” Worndl said.

Any brand must be able to meet the target client's expectations. “When a company is positioned in the high-end market segment, it is met with more competitors each day, which is why it is important to transmit trust to the customers through the product,” said Carlos Bonilha, CEO of Digifort. “When we started our business 13 years ago, we suffered from doubt regarding our product's creditability. But over the course of the last 10 years, we were able to prove to the market that our product is reliable and thus have now become one of the most well known software companies in Latin America, with more than 80-percent market share for IP surveillance software in Brazil.”

Marketing tactics must match the perceived quality of the products. “For strategically important projects, a long-term investment is made in a system that adds significant value to the user,” Hayes said. “It is important to match the quality of the products and supplier with the significance of the project. Real high-end quality starts from component supply through to long-term support very many years into the future, matched with robust processes that support all these functions. When marketing into these markets, it is important to only position products that can support these needs.

The high-end market sector is dominated by global brands, which have proven their innovation and reliability matches their pricing. “We have a world-class development and manufacturing background formed in the niche, high-precision markets right through to mass consumer markets,” Smith said. “This has allowed us to develop very advanced design and manufacturing techniques, and as a result, we have developed a number of core technologies. We generally operate in the mid- to high-end market because that is where our technology can create the most value for our customers.

Responsibility does not end once the product leaves the factory. Value for users in the high-end market includes exceptional customer service. “This is why our company has decided to invest in building a world-class technical support service,” Hayes said. “We have also begun a new training program which focuses on satisfying customer needs for nonproduct-centric education.” Larger companies also have access to a larger pool of resources. “Thanks to high innovation, acquisitions and strategic alliances with powerful partners, we have established a very good position in the business of security products and systems,” Krebs said. Ultimately, the clients decide the position of a company and its products. A large part of targeting the correct audience lies in understanding customer needs. “We always need to keep an eye on the market, listen to and know our customer's needs and create new features, because these are the paths that will lead us to a good positioning in the market,” Bonilha said