How To Identify Your Target Audience
- Anika Watkins
- May 10, 2016
- 2 min read
We provide social media and online marketing services to businesses all over the country. When we first take on a client, our in-take process usually involves us getting to know them, their needs, and their mission. But before we are even willing to start our research we always ask - “Who is your target audience?”
It’s crazy to think how many times we have heard clients say, “everyone!”
To be frank, that’s impossible and slightly egotistical to think everyone is your customer. Yes, you would like anyone to feel the desire to purchase your product or service, but you didn’t create it with “everyone” in mind.
Being strategic about your target audience makes your marketing strategy more effective.
Let’s face it, you are already pressed for time, the last thing you need is to waste it on something that is pointless. Researching your audience will help you discover what kind of content they will potentially engage with most, so you can attract a community of devote followers.
What brands and businesses want from social media is universal and that’s sales. The reason we spend so much time creating content, is to build trust and then turn that trust into sales.
To build trust you must provide the right content to the right audience.
That means images, articles, and even verbiage must be premeditated. Deciding who your audience is will help ensure you are creating posts (and products) they actually want. And we can guarantee, if you take time to build the right relationship, your hard work will turn into sales effortlessly.
Let’s take time to explore an example. Let’s say you’re a self-employed nutritionist, a great option since you could potentially help everyone who wants nutritional advice. If you decide everyone is your customer you have to generate content that appeals to both men and women, young and old, affluent and budgeters, singles, married couples, and families.
If you decide to create a post about family meal planning, you are going to immediately lose the interest of your single clients, who could potentially have more disposable income than the families. If you post about best foods for men’s health, you will alienate your female clients immediately, and women are more likely to engage and share than men.
We aren’t saying that having your target audience be families or men is not going to generate sales, but posting about things that are un-relatable will leave your customers confused and heading straight for the door. If you spend time trying to include everyone, you could potentially exclude your most valued customer.
If you decided that you as a nutritionist wanting to help single females (or possibly newly married women, i.e. no children) who work a 9 – 5 and struggle with time and inspiration, you are already on a better path to reaching a devoted community.
Don’t think of a target audience as limiting your potential. Your potential is only limited when you don’t target the right audience.
To help you define your core audience, we thought we would give you a free worksheet to that can assist you with the vetting process.
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