How do you identify your target audience? “What does my customer/client look like?” should be the first question you ask as you zero in on your bullseye target audience.
It’s the P&A “22 in 22” social media tip No. 3! Once you have determined your goals and figured out how you would like to measure your progress, it is time to reach some real people. By that, we mean to skip out on buying fake Instagram followers and focus on reaching your target audience. These are the consumers who will interact with your brand to help you reach your SMART goals.
This may sound simple, but it can be a complex thing to wade through the field of customers out there who are ready and raring to eat up all that you have to offer. This blog isn’t about how to reach your target audience either (we will save that for next time), but instead how you figure out who your target audience is. It is an important step that is often missed by companies who launch into their social media strategies with gusto, wanting to cast as wide of a net as possible.
Who am I targeting?
A target audience is a group of people defined by certain demographics and behaviors. Understanding the target audience specific to your brand can help you to focus on crafting your unique message and branding to suit this population of people. For example, if you are selling specialty equipment for the aging population, you probably don’t want to target someone who is in their 20s and just moved out of their parent’s house.
You can start figuring out your target audience by brainstorming your ideal customer, getting as specific as possible about gender, age, education, type of work, income level, where they live, whether they have children and what their aspirations are as well as what they like to do in their free time. From there, you can begin to look for your ideal customer online. Which Facebook pages do they gravitate towards? What are their social media scrolling habits? Are they more likely to engage with posts involving humor or a sale? Who do they aspire to be like or identify with?
If you already have followers who you feel are part of your target audience, you can send an email survey campaign to get more information about their social media preferences as well as what drives them to purchase a product. This research will go a long way in making sure you are not casting too wide of a net, just hoping to grab the right people. Instead, you will be strategically planning your social media so that you know you are.
You can sell to everyone
An important idea to keep in mind is that you are simply looking for a target audience so that you can tailor your content, messaging and other parts of your social media strategy specifically toward those who will become customers. This will streamline all that you do relative to your social media marketing strategy. It doesn’t, however, mean that you can’t sell to those outside of your target audience. In fact, anyone who wants to can (and is more than welcome) to interact with your brand, right?
Marketing bullseye
Finding your ideal target audience is vital to the success of your social media marketing campaign, no matter your brand or business. Afterall, there is no point in having a huge number of followers if none of them will end up interacting with your brand with the intention of purchasing your product or service and helping you to achieve those SMART goals you have created.
Now, get to work brainstorming about your ideal customer, and we will meet back here next time to talk about how to reach this consumer in a way that will be impactful and create movement for your business. As a shameless plug, Pickett & Associates has a proven process for drilling down to identify your target audience. For more information, feel free to contact us!
