As you start running your business, you may come across the term “target audience”. But what is a target audience exactly? And why is a target audience so important?

This blog aims to teach business owners how to identify and find their target audience.

The definition of a target audience

A target audience is the main group of people whom you intend to reach with your marketing efforts. These people are usually associated with common demographics or psychographics which makes them keen buyers of the products or services that you offer. 

The benefits of understanding your target audience

Today’s consumers are surrounded by a wealth of choices. They are no longer passive buyers thanks to the rise of digital marketing. Since consumers are exposed to multiple forms of advertisement, they can choose how and when they want to engage with businesses online.

It is highly impossible to appeal to everyone with your products and services. While you can sell to everyone, you can’t target all of them. If you aim to reach a broad audience, you might find that your efforts are in vain. This is because your marketing campaign would be too broad and will fail to truly engage with anyone specifically.

For a business to be successful, you need to understand your target audience before initiating any marketing efforts. This is because the information about your target audience will influence every aspect of your digital marketing plan. 

Let us give you a quick example. Airing an advertisement on TV might seem like a great method to reach a large audience. However, what if your target audience no longer watches TV and relies on other platforms for entertainment? This would be a huge waste of money as it will not bring in any sales to your business.

Contrarily, if you’ve developed a well-rounded understanding of your target audience, you might realize that your target audience is most active on TikTok. Then, you would know how to select the right social media platform and content to increase your ROI (return on investments). 

On top of optimizing ROI, understanding your target audience allows you to strengthen connections with your customers. You will know how to communicate with a brand voice that resonates with them. This includes addressing their pain-points and engaging in authentic conversations. In return, your customers are more attracted to your brand and more willing to purchase your products or services. Ultimately, your relationships with customers will convert into brand loyalty.

How to identify your target audience

Identifying your target audience is a crucial step in your marketing initiatives. You want to be as detailed as possible to achieve the best results.

For starters, you should analyze your products or services. In a list, jot down how your product or services will benefit a consumer. Think about the type of people who would need your products or services. Why do they need it? This process requires you to have an intimate knowledge of the products or services you offer. 

Look into existing customers who already support your brand. What are the types of people who engage most with your business? Then, draw out the main categories that make your target audience distinct from other consumers. This is known as demographic data. Some leading questions to consider can be: Is your target audience mostly men or women? Are they millennials or elderly seniors? Do they have children or not? 

Upon further research, you will generate deeper and more specific information on your target audience. It can be a long process, but you’re in luck because we’re giving you a head-start. Here are more examples of demographic data to consider when identifying your target audience. 

Age

Which stage of life is your product or services aimed to benefit? For example, school-aged children versus seniors. Does your target audience fall within a certain generation? 

Knowing your target audience’s age group can help you narrow down which marketing channels would be most effective. For example, high school children are more likely to be on social media. Whereas elderlies are mostly reached through traditional forms of marketing. 

Location

We’re not asking you to stalk your customer’s home address. But you should at least know the general area where they reside. Can your customers be reached locally? Or are they spread across the world? 

When you understand the geographic areas to target, you'll know where to set up your physical store. Alternatively, if most of your target audience lives in another country, setting up an online store might be more effective. Due to differences in time zones, you might also learn that there are particular hours that are best for business activity. For example, with this information, you’ll be able to gauge the best time to post on Instagram. 

Gender

Gender plays an important role in determining the tone of your marketing campaign. Are you expressing femininity or masculinity? Perhaps, your products or services are targeted at the LGBTQ+ community. 

Ethnicity

People have particular needs depending on their racial background. Your products or services might be known to benefit a certain community. For example, Chinese people are more likely going to purchase traditional Chinese food because it is part of their culture.

Language

Language is the key to communication. As much as you want to understand your target audience, you also want them to be able to relate to you. This includes familiarizing yourself with slangs or lingos that are commonly used by them. 

Never assume what language your target audience speaks. 

As you dig deeper into the identity of your target audience, you’ll want to know more about their psychological attributes. Tapping into the minds of your target audience is a vital step that will enhance your marketing strategy drastically. This is because you would know their interests, values, and buying pattern. 

As such, other than retrieving demographic data, you’ll need to determine your target audience’s psychographics. Here are some examples of psychographic data that you can consider when identifying your target audience.

Lifestyle

Outline a day of the life of your target audience. How do they interact with the world around them? Where are the places that they usually frequent? Who do they spend time with? 

Social class

Your target audience’s financial status affects how they approach your price range. How much money is your target audience willing to spend on your products or services? Do they have economic strains that prevent them from buying from your brand?

If your target audience has higher spending power, would they question your product or service quality if the price range is too low? 

Interests 

What makes your target audience happy? What do they enjoy doing? Do they look up to a certain celebrity? Is there a TV show that they all watch? Are they passionate about environmental sustainability? Do they love animals? 

Know your target audience’s likes and dislikes.

Problems

What does your target audience need to achieve a better quality of life? Once you’re able to spot their pain points, you will know the best approach to promote your business and address those challenges. 

For example, your target audience might be dealing with weight and body image issues, but they do not have the time to work out. Highlight these problems in your marketing campaigns and explain how your dieting pills are the best option. 

The identity of your target audience should be analyzed based on both demographic and psychographic data. This way, you will know who your buyer is, and why they buy. 

Where to reach your target audience

Now that you know the group of people you’re targeting, the next question to ask is: What are the best marketing channels to reach them? 

The channel(s) you select to employ your marketing strategies should make it easy for your target audience to connect with your brand. 

If you’ve done your demographic and psychographic research well, you would notice that particular channels are more effective at reaching your target audience than others. For example, your target audience may check their emails more often than their social media messages. Within social media platforms, specific groups may be more active on one platform than another. Here are some methods to locate your target audience and widen your reach. 

Learn from your competitors

The best and easiest way to discover your target audience is by checking out your competition. Since they’re in the same business industry and offer similar products or services, it only makes sense that they’ve been engaging with most of your target audience. 

Visit their website and social pages to monitor their marketing campaigns. You can also take this opportunity to fill the gaps that your competitors might’ve missed and create a more well-rounded marketing strategy. 

Practice social listening

When you practice social listening, you collect data that is relevant to your brand’s online engagement. This means actively monitoring the conversations that involve your brand. What are the positive and negative things that they’ve brought up? Did someone comment on how your products or services can be improved? 

Social listening also helps you keep up with new trends. This ensures your marketing efforts are up-to-date. 

Experiment

There is nothing wrong with implementing unconventional methods to your marketing plan. Especially if your business is expanding in a new field and does not have many competitors. So put on your thinking hats and start brainstorming for new ideas. As long as you have a clear understanding of your target audience, your strategies should bring in results. 

Final Thoughts

It’s always exciting to discover your target audience and be able to connect with them. However, it is easy to jump to conclusions and make false assumptions. Remember that building your target audience’s profile takes time and proper research. 

Before you can increase your ROI and develop brand loyalty, you need to know who you’re selling to and why they’d want to buy from you. 

As the saying goes, change is the only constant. Be sure to reevaluate the demographics and psychographics of your target audience. The last thing you want is to be stuck on an outdated target audience profile.

FAQs

How do I know that I am reaching my target audience?

To measure success keep track of your progress and review it from time to time. There are tools, such as Google Analytics or Adobe Audience Manager, to help businesses manage data. These insights into your target audience profiles will inform you of any adjustments that are needed to improve your marketing strategy.

What is the difference between a buyer persona and a target audience?

A buyer persona is a fictional character who is meant to represent your target audience. Basically, you talk and treat this buyer persona as if it’s a real person. The purpose of a buyer persona is to allow business owners and marketers to put themselves in the shoes of their target audience. Some businesses go as far as printing a life-sized model of their target audience to serve as a stronger buyer persona. 

Can you have more than one target audience?

It’s no surprise that your products or services are suitable across various groups of people. This is why some businesses establish multiple marketing strategies to reach their different target audiences. 

You can even categorize your target audience into the primary and secondary target audience. Your primary target audience should have the highest demand for your products or services. This will help you determine which marketing efforts to prioritize. 

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