This may sound like a given, but you’d think most businesses will know who their target audience is. Yet, when I ask prospects, I sometimes get answers like “everyone” or “anyone.”
You might have heard this saying: “Marketing to everyone is marketing to no one.” That’s because when you cannot identify your target audience, you can’t comprehend their thought process or step in their shoes.
If I were to give you a product to sell without telling you your target audience, the most natural approach would be to sell its technical benefits. But if I were to describe the target audience, e.g. young, busy working adults who are health conscious, you can probably find someone around you who fits the bill. This would tighten your selling approach, your tone and even the way you focus on the product’s health and convenience benefits that best address their interest and concerns.
So, what if we can dig up more details on the target audience? Wouldn’t you be able to craft your marketing message and content to better cater to them? Developing a clear understanding of your social media target audience helps you sharpen your overall messaging and how you would communicate with them.
Here are some pointers to get started.
- Age group: Identify their stage of life (e.g. studying, married, young parent, retiree, etc.). No need for an exact age—a range is good enough.
- Income range: Determine their income range and spending power.
- Interest: What would they be keen to learn more about? What kind of information are they consuming online that is beneficial to them? People follow content that offers value.
- Challenges they may face (that your business can solve): What are their pain points? People are more motivated to avoid pain than seek pleasure.
To further understand your audience, below are also some questions that you may want to address: - Who is your dream customer, and how would you describe them?
- What result(s) do they want to achieve, and in what timeframe?
You can also use the template provided in the link to guide yourself through the process.
Once these questions are answered we will be able to have a more meaningful 1-to-1 conversation about crafting content that creates conversations with your target audience.
Good luck!