The key to a successful marketing strategy is first and foremost knowing your audience. What is a target audience? Your target audience is the people that you want to drive in to eventually become consistent consumers. Without knowing your target audience, your company will never fully thrive like it could through social media. If you know who you are writing to specifically, you will be able to hit all the key points necessary to give you the traffic you were working towards.
What is the desired action of your target audience?
- Buying your products or services
- Donations to your company or organization
- Educating others and spreading the word
What demographic groups are most likely to take this desired action?
- Age group
- Education level
- Gender
- Location (local, regional, national, urban, suburban, or rural)
- Income level
- Marital/Family status
- Occupation
Here you must figure out who will not only be purchasing your products and services but also who will be most likely to take the requested actions (donate, volunteering, etc.)
How does your audience think?
- Attitudes
- Behaviors
- Hobbies
- Interests
- Lifestyles
- Personality types
- Values
What challenges, frustrations, and needs do your audience have?
- Knowing these important questions about your audience will give you a head start in shifting the pitch from how they can help you to how you can help them. Showing your audience that they are not just another dollar sign, they are in fact valuable and you need them will provide humility and appreciation.
How does your idea, product, or service help your target audience?
- What will motivate your audience to purchase it?
- What problems will it solve?
- How will it make their lives easier?
What drives your audience to make purchasing decisions?
- Donating
- Volunteering
- Sharing
What obstacles lay in their way? What motivates them to take that final step?
What media do they currently use?
- Magazines
- Television
- Movies
- Websites
- Social media – With social media find out during what times they are most active and the content they tend to engage with (follows, clicks, comments, shares, likes, etc.)
How can you best reach your target audience?
- Depending on the age, gender, interest, etc. of your audience you will be able to decipher the best ways to reach your target audience such as, Facebook, twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
Are you confident in the target audience you have chosen?
- If you are driving in only a handful of customers, you may have broken down your target audience a little too far
- If you try to appeal to everyone, you will more than likely appeal to no one
- Be sure to question your assumptions. “Will they really benefit from my products and services?” “Do you truly understand what goes into their decision making process?” “How realistic is it that you will be able to effectively reach them with your message?”
It is crucial to understand the necessity of marketing target audiences. If you understand the core make up of your target audience, you will be better positioned to write the perfect messages to drive in your desired audience.
