Do you really know your target audience? Do you? How can you identify, reach and grow that audience?
We’ve come up with 10 strategies that will help hone in on your market. Have you ticked all 10 off on your list?
- Create a persona
Your business must craft a ‘persona’ or image of your ideal target audience, asking all questions that characterise their interest in your brand, such as…
- How old are they?
- Are they male or female?
- Where do they live?
- What is their income or education level?
- How do they behave as customers?
- What excites or frustrates them?
There are many other factors that come into play, and often you will have multiple audience groups, but it is beneficial to narrow down the type of audience that you want to engage with to better understand what you can do for them.
- Understand their needs
Understanding what your target audience is searching helps you write your business’ content. When you understand what their needs are, you will be able to target those needs with well written calls-to-action, like ‘looking for …?’
- Speak their language
As a brand, how you communicate with your audience is crucial. Unless you are certain your target audience will understand your terminology, too much jargon can turn customers away from your business, just as writing too casually will be inappropriate in some settings. If you write conversationally without talking down to your customers and keep their motivations in the back of your mind, you will build trust and credibility with your brand.
- Learn from the competition
The best way to identify your target audience is to learn from similar businesses and others in your industry. Do your market research – see what products or services are doing well for them and how their overall company profile is succeeding. What can you change?
- Stand out
Now that you have a target audience in mind, how do you differentiate yourself from the competition? Why would they come to you over somebody else? What can you offer that gives you an edge? Tell them why they should choose you!
- Play devil’s advocate
While your brand may be prospering, taking a step back to reflect on areas for improvement is vital to longevity and extending your reach. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience and see if you can identify roadblocks that would stop them from turning into customers. Did prices increase? Do you exclude certain demographics? Is your target audience active on your social media of choice?
- Stay relevant
No doubt your business understands the importance of staying up-to-date with current trends in your given products and services. But keeping afloat with current trends extends to using the right social media channels at the right times for your audience’s consumption and, depending on your industry, producing content like eBooks and video is now the expectation in order to remain competitive in today’s market. Ask yourself, are you keeping up with the times?
- Get feedback
If you plan on remaining on the market landscape, you’ll want to ask for feedback from your clients. This can come in any form, from surveys with incentives to welcoming private and public email or social platforms for discussion. It is hard for businesses to not get bogged down by criticism amongst a majority of positive feedback, but smart ones know the best way to respond to customers is to be grateful for feedback, find room for improvement and be publicly accountable as a service to others.
- Partner with others
Do you see other brands that your target audience also interacts with? Why not get them on board and collaborate with them? Often this strategy works two-fold, where both parties benefit from cross-promotions that widen the audience reach and reveal more information about the current market.
- Re-assess often
Finally, never underestimate the importance of regular evaluations. Reassess all aspects of your brand, from its image, advertising budget, messages, offers, tone of voice, level of impact, even its constantly evolving and shifting target audience to find untapped avenues for strategy and growth. Keeping an open mind means your business has room to grow!
Target audiences are constantly changing – your average customer may be engaged with your product one day then dismiss it the next. By taking on board these strategies, remaining flexible and in touch with what your audience wants, you are giving your marketing the best chance at success.
Talk to us today on 1300 766 665 and let us put your business ahead of the pack!
