Want to better understand your target audience and how to reach them? This guide provides 6 simple steps that will help you do just that. <\/p>\n
What does life look like without knowing your target audience?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s like going to the grocery store without a shopping list.<\/p>\n
You end up spending money on food you don\u2019t need or, worse, coming home empty-handed.<\/p>\n
And yet, that\u2019s what you do by making assumptions about who your customers are and what they want.<\/p>\n
Businesses and marketers miss many potential customers because they are, in effect, not checking their pantries.<\/p>\n
In fact, billions are wasted in ad spend every year from advertisements that fail to engage the target audience.<\/p>\n
We know you don\u2019t want to waste that kind of money, and that\u2019s why this post will walk you through six simple steps to define your target audience.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s jump in.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A target audience is a subset of people defined by specific characteristics like age, gender, location, socioeconomic status, as well as their attitudes, beliefs, fears, and aspirations.<\/p>\n
Identifying these attributes of your ideal customers allows you to speak to and influence them effectively with your marketing efforts.<\/p>\n
In short, your target audience is the people most likely to become your customers because they match your products and services well.<\/p>\n
The ultimate goal of defining your target audience is to convert a group of people into raving fans and, ultimately, customers.<\/p>\n
For example, Smart Blogger strives to transform aspiring and amateur writers into proficient bloggers<\/a> and freelance writers.<\/a><\/p>\n And because we understand our audience, we\u2019re generating revenue<\/a> and can afford to produce more content \u2014 reaching more writers and serving more students.<\/p>\n A win-win!<\/p>\n Let\u2019s begin by saying that you can\u2019t be all things to all people, no matter how great your product or service may be.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing, there isn\u2019t enough of you to go around.<\/p>\n Instead, focus on serving a core group of people by listening to what they want and need and then delivering value that improves their lives.<\/p>\n Move forward with this mindset.<\/p>\n Taking inventory of your current customer list and identifying what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not can yield invaluable insights.<\/p>\n Start by looking at your existing customers\u2019 buying behaviors:<\/p>\n Determine whether customers are happy with your products and services:<\/p>\n And, finally, make sure you know where to find your customers:<\/p>\n Studying your existing customers affords you the clarity to create an effective marketing strategy (or at least to get started).<\/p>\n And if you\u2019re a new business, you\u2019ll find it helpful to keep these questions in mind as your customer base grows.<\/p>\n Pain points are one of the most intimate ways to know your target audience.<\/p>\n Discovering what pain your customers are experiencing and providing them with helpful insights and perspectives will win their trust.<\/p>\n The key here is to articulate your customer\u2019s suffering using by showing that you understand their problems. In other words: empathize with them.<\/p>\n Dig into their pain points by asking:<\/p>\n Answer these questions and you\u2019ll deeper insights into what motivates your target audience, informing your marketing strategy.<\/p>\n Psychographics is the art of segmenting people by their behavioral traits such as attitudes, beliefs, personality, lifestyle, and values.<\/p>\n The best way to obtain this information is through interviews and surveys.<\/p>\n Surveying your existing customer base to get their feedback is a great way to start this process. Automated survey applications like Survey Planet<\/a>, Typeform<\/a>, and Survey Monkey<\/a> simply this process.<\/p>\n Target demographics include more tangible attributes of a person, like:<\/p>\n A persona is a fictional character that you develop based on your market research.<\/p>\n A target persona includes traits like:<\/p>\n Persona Example:<\/b>\u00a0Jane Doe is a 25-year-old social worker located in Columbus, Ohio. Her interests are in the community and giving back.\u00a0She likes to donate every other weekend to the local homeless shelter to help provide meals.\u00a0She rarely has time between her job and volunteer work to pamper herself as she feels selfish. And you can find her championing causes on social media that support the underprivileged.<\/p>\n Having a persona of your ideal customer gets you to the nitty-gritty of who your best customer might be.<\/p>\n Depending on the group of people you plan to target, you may find that some of your best research comes from social media.<\/p>\n By tuning in with the following questions in mind, you can better understand your target audiences\u2019 needs and desires.<\/p>\n Monitor who is commenting on and liking your existing social channels.<\/p>\n From there, you can gain insights into who they are and how they think.<\/p>\n Although this research can be invaluable for understanding your target market, know that just because people are commenting or liking your posts doesn\u2019t necessarily mean they are your target audience.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll want to dig in further with more research.<\/p>\n When you know why your customer is following you on social media, you become better equipped to understand what they need from you.<\/p>\n Luckily, many social media listening tools can streamline this process for you, like BrandMentions<\/a>, Hootsuite<\/a>, Sprout Social<\/a>, and Buzzsumo<\/a>.<\/p>\n Paying attention to your post\u2019s feedback will allow you to become more thoughtful about how you approach your audience and help them, ultimately shaping your marketing in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n Your competition can be an invaluable asset because their target audience will, in many instances, be the same as or overlap with yours.<\/p>\n Reconnaissance work on your competition\u2019s target audience can pay off, especially if you\u2019re starting out and don\u2019t have a significant following yet.<\/p>\n Ask questions like:<\/p>\n For more step-by-step instructions on how to do this, read: \u00a0How to Do Competitor Research on Social Media.<\/a><\/p>\n When you want to know something, you typically \u201cGoogle\u201d it.<\/p>\n And you can be sure that your potential customers are doing the same.<\/p>\n So how do you tap into the \u201cGoogle Gods\u201d and find out what\u2019s trending and what\u2019s not?<\/p>\n Enter Google Analytics.<\/p>\n Google Analytics provides you with key information that can help you define\u00a0your target audience like:<\/p>\n To get the most out of utilizing this tool, check out Moz\u2019s Absolute Beginners Guide To Using Google Analytics.<\/a><\/p>\n Once you uncover your target audience, it\u2019s tempting to view it as the \u201cbe all end all.\u201d<\/p>\n However, this can create a blind spot if you\u2019re not careful.<\/p>\n You could leave out customers that would like to purchase your product by accidentally dismissing them in your target marketing.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why it\u2019s essential to revisit and revamp your target audience as often as you can.<\/p>\n Your standard operating procedure should include refreshing your target audience research periodically.<\/p>\n Doing so will allow you to pick up and include new people coming into your market.<\/p>\n Established in 1993 and founded by Steve Ellis, Chipotle is a chain of fast-casual restaurants focused on offering healthier fare.<\/p>\n According to the blog post<\/a>, \u201cChipotle\u2019s Segmentation and Target Marketing: Millennials,\u201d Chipotle\u2019s core focus is offering \u201cfood with integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n Their target market is millennials (born 1981 \u2013 1996), as evidenced by visiting one of their restaurants.<\/p>\n Chipotle opted against using traditional marketing channels to reach its target audience because Millennials view traditional media as being \u201cless authentic\u201d.<\/p>\n Instead Chipotle focused on building an online presence and strengthening its social media game<\/a> to gain attention.<\/p>\n Based on this group\u2019s persona and typical traits, Chipotle discovered that this millennial audience values environmental causes and is concerned with the integrity of food production.<\/p>\nDefine Your Target Audience in 6 Simple Steps<\/h2>\n
1. Tap Into Your Existing Customer Base<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
2. Know Your Customers\u2019 Pain Points & Aspirations<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\n
3. Target Audience Details: Psychographics, Demographics, and Persona<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Psychographics: How Do They Shape My Target Audience?<\/h4>\n
Target Demographics: Just the Facts<\/h4>\n
\n
Target Persona<\/h4>\n
\n
4. Tune In with Social Listening<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Who Is Already Following You On Social Media?<\/h4>\n
What Information Is Your Potential Customer Looking For And Why?<\/h4>\n
5. Study the Competition<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\n
6. Google Analytics Shaping Your SEO Search<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
\n
The Pitfalls of Defining Your Target Audience<\/h2>\n
Target Audience Examples In Action<\/h2>\n
Chipotle Mexican Grill: A Fast-Food Restaurant Targeting Millennials<\/h3>\n