Who is your customer?

Ok...maybe a constructive and fun topic to help those making and wanting to make a business of photography. Obviously, one of the first steps of starting a business is determining who your (potential) customer is. IMO, this is one of the very first basic steps anyone starting a business must take in order to be successful. It determines how you will target, market and sell your business.
So, put it simply, who is your theoretical customer that you market to?

For me its brand managers and photo editors. I spend alot of time on the phone needless to say

For now: Small/local businesses that need quality videography and photography services, but don't have a million-dollar advertising budget. With our experience and skill, but low overhead, we can provide a superior service at the same rates charged by competitors such as the local cable company's in-house production service.

Future client: Larger businesses with a bigger advertising budget.

I figure it'll take five to ten years to establish a client network and move up the ol' budget ladder.

What would make you think that somebody would want to reveal their marketing / business plan publicly - on an internet forum - especially if successful / profitable?

High School Seniors, new parents, and assorted foliage.

Those damn trees are pretty brutal about payment though.

Married women, primarily mothers, aged 28-65. Primarily mid-to-upper-middle class and higher, except for a Latina contingent from lower-middle class and higher.

But that's hardly a secret. That is the personal photography market. Outside of wedding photography, hardly anyone else makes the actual purchasing decisions for noncommercial photography.

85% are parents of Middle School and High School athletes. 99% mothers in case that matters.....

Picture North Carolina wrote in post #13963508
What would make you think that somebody would want to reveal their marketing / business plan publicly - on an internet forum - especially if successful / profitable?

I would never ask someone to reveal their business or marketing plan...Instead, I was more interested in a much more basic answer of who people are targeting with their business. I just thought it may be an interesting topic to explore.

To add my own info, I mainly target middle income families who have kids that participate in youth sports OR pre-schools (two very different markets but I've found both to be my most profitable). After youth sports, my secondary target is families, kids and high school seniors. Third would be special events such as birthday parties, graduations and weddings (I don't really pursue wedding business but I won't turn it down). Last on the list would be product photography.....I don't market for product photography but I do have a few loyal clients who found me through referals who call me up when they need additional photos for websites and promo material.

Edit:....I guess I shouldn't leave out stock photography. For the past few years stock has always been something I do "on the side" but I've gotten to the point where I've built up a library that gets pretty regular sales. Although many complain of stock sales dying off, my personal experience has been the exact opposite....my sales keep growing....probably because I've only been selling stock for about 4 years so I have no experience with "the good 'ole days" of stock