When it comes to digital marketing, identifying your target audience and understanding where they are at their purchase journey is what will make or break your success. After all, how can you effectively market your offerings to a group of people you hardly know anything about?
Whether you are a business owner or a marketer, it is your duty to find out about your audience. You need to learn who they are, what makes them tick, where they spend most of their time, and a whole lot more. Yes, understanding them takes time, but it is well worth the effort in the end. So, without any further ado, let’s explore the ways that can make this process a little less challenging.
Steps for Identifying Your Target Audience
Determine the solutions your product/service fulfills
Gain a deeper understanding of how your business is helping your customers. Why are they buying from you? What do you have that your competitors don’t? Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and think about their specific needs. Analyze how your products/services are making their daily activities easier. By learning what they can get out of your product/service and why they choose it over the competition, you can determine who they are. And essentially, help you understand their needs, wants and demands. 
Furthermore, understanding the purpose your business serves gives you a good idea of who is most likely to benefit from it. Perhaps, these are single females in highly urbanized cities or married couples in their late 40s? They might be outdoor enthusiasts or senior citizens in rural areas. If you’re uncertain who buys your product/service, then it’s time to check your current database. This leads you to the next step…
Analyze your ideal and existing demographic
Start looking at your current customers and figure out which ones need your product/service the most as well as who brings in the most sales. Examine their common characteristics and interests. Are there more young adults doing business with you? Do your products attract the GenXers? Repeat and loyal customers can show you the type of community you should concentrate on.
As you go along, consider other factors such as location, gender, income level, education level, occupation, marital and family status. You might also want to check their interests, buying behavior, hobbies, personality and lifestyle. Once you have gotten a good idea of who are primarily using your products/services, it will be easier to modify them in a way that can create an impact on your customers’ lives.
Check out your competition
Identifying your target audience could also mean observing your competition. If you are not sure who your competitors are, a quick Google search can help you discover them. Try searching a keyword related to your industry and explore which businesses come up.
Get a feel of who they are targeting by checking out their business websites and social media pages. Find out if your competitors have the same demographic as you or if you are targeting different markets. See who their current customers are and weigh whether they fit your business or not.
Takeaway:
Identifying your target audience is a win-win strategy for your business and customers. When you focus on the people who are most interested in your offerings, you make the most of your marketing efforts and resources, and your customers spend their money on what they truly need. In addition, once you know the people you are targeting, it is easier to search for the right media (e.g. Facebook Advertising) you can use to connect with them. Creating content that will resonate with them becomes a cakewalk, too!
Have you defined your target audience? Send us a message and let’s discuss how we can target your audience effectively. Learn about our services here.
