How To Find a Target Market for your Candle Business

Everybody likes candles.

So if you make candles, everyone is your potential customer, right?

Definitely not.

That mentality is the quickest way to build a candle business that fails. 

As Marie Forleo says: If you’re talking to everyone, you’re talking to no one.

Being too broad or general with your target market (or not having one) ensures your business gets lost among the competition and ignored by consumers.

 

Why demographics don’t help you find a good target market

As consumers, we don’t pay attention to marketing messages, products, brands, or businesses that don’t spark our interest.

And to spark our interest, we must feel like we have something in common with the business.

We must feel a connection to a business, brand, or product.

Building a business for someone based on demographics such as age, gender, marital status, income level, education, etc. doesn’t create a strong connection. 

Just as we wouldn’t get excited about someone telling us:

You should meet my friend Jane. She’s the same age as you, so you’ll love her.

On the other hand if we share a common interest, then we might pay attention:

You love playing pickleball? My friend Jane plays pickleball too and is looking for someone to play with.

You need to find a way for your candle business to connect with an existing target market.

Demographics are important; knowing whether your customer is 15 or 50 will impact your products, marketing, and selling.

But demographics don’t help you find your target market and build a unique business that connects with them.

 

How to build a candle business people connect with

What connects us with other people and businesses is a common interest. 

Think of an interest or hobby you have. That might be gardening, golfing, travelling, etc. Now imagine meeting someone who shares your interest or hobby. You immediately feel a connection and want to spend more time getting to know them.

The same idea applies when a consumer realizes your business/products align with one of their interests or hobbies. They’re immediately drawn to them and want to learn more. 

So it’s best to choose an existing group of people to target, based on a psychographic such as lifestyle, interest, or hobby.

 

5 ways to find a target market for your candle business

Below are several unique ways you can find a target market.

When you find a common interest, you find a group of people you can market and sell to (once you build a business and products that appeal to that common interest).

 

1) Interest or hobby

Think about the different things you, or others, spend free time doing, collecting, learning about, etc. For example:

• Reading
• Crafting
• Gardening
• Cooking/BBQing
• Baking
• Politics
• History
• The environment
• Sports (hockey, pickleball, golf, etc.)
• Astrology
• Animals
• Music
• Working out
• Backpacking
• Running
• Fishing
• Etc.

 

2) Enthusiasts/enjoyment

You may also explore things that aren’t necessarily an interest but rather something people enjoy, are enthusiastic about, consider a guilty pleasure, etc.

• Wine or beer
• Coffee
• Pets
• Gambling
• Dressing up/cosplay
• Car enthusiast
• Retro enthusiast
• Nature enthusiast
• Etc.

 

3) Lifestyle

A business can also connect with a target market based on the type of lifestyle they live. For example:

• Sustainable lifestyle
• Zero waste living
• Minimalistic lifestyle
• Simple living
• Slow living
• Off the grid living
• Urban or rural living
• Tiny home living
• Van life
• Dorm life
• Cabin living
• Spiritual living
• Holistic lifestyle
• Bachelor lifestyle
• Etc.

Nutrition/diet/health can also work into this area. For example:

• Vegetarian
• Carnivorism
• Keto
• Paleo
• Alcohol-free
• Smoker/non-smoker
• Clean living
• Toxin-free living
• Etc.

 

4) Labels

You may also explore common labels people give themselves or that are given to them by others. These may not necessarily be based on an interest, but they’re a defining feature that might connect people with other people or businesses. 

• Parent / Mom / Dad
• Student
• Entrepreneur
• Foodie
• Fashionista or trendsetter
• Beach bum
• Party animal
• Gamer
• Yogi
• Gym rat
• Activist
• Tree hugger
• Cat lady
• Wellness warrior
• Bookworm
• Sports fanatic
• Etc.

 

5) Occassion or life event

There are also things that pique a consumer’s interest for a shorter period of time. For example, someone may be interested in all things wedding related when they’re planning their wedding. These types of temporary interests can also help you find a target market.

• Weddings
• Engagement
• Birthdays
• Graduations
• Retirement
• Pregnancy / Births / Baby showers
• Baptism
• Farewells
• Buying a new home
• Etc.

 

Choose one common interest

Based on the examples shared here, or one you come up with, choose just one interest, hobby, lifestyle, label, occasion, or life event you’ll use to find and connect with a target market. 

It’s important to choose a target market that already exists. 

Meaning, don’t make up a label or group you wish existed because it fits what you already sell.

For example, targeting “mason jar enthusiasts” because I sell candles in mason jars won’t help me. That’s not a target market that exists and knowing someone likes mason jars doesn’t help me find them.

Choosing from an existing target market ensures you don’t have to spend time educating your customers or trying to form new groups to market to.

 

Make sure it’s a fit

Once you’ve chosen a target market based on a common interest, you need to ensure it’s a good fit for your business. 

The main purpose of choosing a target market is so you know where to find your customers.

If you can’t find them, you can’t sell to them.

So a good indicator that you’ve chosen a good target market if their common interest draws them to a/an: 

• Specialty store
• Blog
• Magazine
• Forum
• Online group
• Influencer
• Event
• Etc. 

This ensures you’ll have plenty of places to market and sell your candles. 

For example, if I’ve chosen my target market based on their shared interest in baking, I’d want to consider if there are existing places my target market is coming together and that those places are ideal for me to market and sell my candles through. Such as:

• Bakeries
• Kitchen or home stores that sell baking tools/ingredients/etc.
• Baking classes
• Baking blogs and recipe sites
• Baking magazines
• Baking influencers
• Online baking groups
• Baking conferences
• Etc.

These are all places I can either market/advertise my candles, or sell them through (e.g. bakeries and kitchen shops would be interested in carrying my baking-themed candles).

List all the places your target market might visit or shop based on the common interest you’ve chosen. 

Are those places appropriate for you to market and/or sell your candles through?

 

How to apply a common interest to your candle business

The other thing you’ll want to ensure before settling on a target market and common interest is how well you can apply it to your business, products, and brand. 

Make a list of product features, touchpoints, and business elements.

For example:

• Candle scents
• Candle ingredients
• Candle size
• Candle shapes
• Candle containers
• Candle labels
• Candle packaging (boxes the candles come in)
• Product line & collections
• Shipping materials
• Customer service
• Business vision and mission
• Branding
• Product names & descriptions
• Photography
• Website design
• Craft show display
• Etc.

Then consider where you can apply the common interest. 

For example, if my target market is bakers:

>> I would create scents based on baked goods, such as glazed donut, chocolate chip cookies, croissant, etc. and name them as such. I would focus my product line on baked goods sents and build collections based on the type of baked goods. For example:

• • A Cookies collection:
    • Chocolate chip cookie scented candle
    • Ginger cookie scented candle
    • Sugar cookie scented candle
  • A Pastry collection:
    • Croissant scented candle
    • Eclair scented candle
    • Strudel scented candle
  • A Donut collection:
    • Glazed donut scented candle
    • Mini donut scented candle
    • Chocolate donut scented candle

>> I would choose containers that look good on a kitchen countertop, since that’s where they’ll likely be burned.

>> I might package each candle in a box that looks like a pastry box. 

>> When photographing my candles for my Etsy shop, I could use a background that looks like a kitchen countertop and backsplash and add food props that match the scent.

>> My branding would have a bakery feel; pink and white stripes, whimsical feel, etc.

>> At a craft show, I would make my space feel like a bakery; pink and white striped tablecloth, cake stands as risers, I’d dress the part and wear an apron and a baker’s hat, etc.

>> My website would have the same bakery theme.

 

Your chosen interest won’t apply to every aspect of your business, but the more places it does, the better.

That ensures your target market instantly recognizes your business was made for them and they’ll feel a stronger connection to it.

 

Conclusion

This isn’t the only way to find a target market but it’s the way that I find to be the most effective. 

• It ensures you’re targeting a market that already exists and is easy to access
• Comes with a built-in USP (e.g. targeting bakers produces baked goods-themed candles, which is unique)
• Helps you find your potential customers
• Makes it easy to find the best places to market and sell your candles

Try it for your candle business and let me know what you come up with!