“In trying to please all, he had pleased none.”— Aesop's Fables
Resist the temptation to appeal to everyone.
Sure, a wider audience might seem like the best way to sell more, but you cannot engage effectively if you water down your message to please different demographics. For example, marketing to women is problematic if you don’t offer specifics. What will strongly appeal to a teenage girl is not likely to resonate with a middle-aged mother of three, so what are you going to do?
The answer is simple: Narrow your target audience.
This will help you customize your marketing efforts to meet their needs. Think of it as a shortcut to success, requiring fewer resources to achieve positive results. It’s an essential part of your marketing and sales strategy.
However, it does take some doing. Targeting the right audience for your marketing efforts involves an in-depth knowledge of your product/service and your potential buyers. It is not enough to engage a professional writing service to develop your content. First you must know what topic is likely to provide value to you audience, and for that you have to do the research.
There are many approaches to audience research, and they vary in degrees of complexity. If you want to make it as easy as possible, read on. Below is how to target the right audience in five simple steps:
1. Do a survey on social media.
The first (and most enjoyable) step in identifying key audience demographics is through social media. LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook provide insight into the types of people likely to patronize your business. Aside from posts and hashtags, social networks have analytical tools you can use to find out who uses or searches for keywords related to your product or service. Check out these third-party tools for social media analysis.
Post survey questions on your website, which will keep you updated on what’s going on with your visitors. You can create and embed questionnaires from apps such as SurveyMonkey (for in-depth surveys) or ClickInsights (for simpler surveys) in your posts. Polls take very little effort, and most people love to offer their opinion.
[RELATED: Learn how to create content that makes a difference to your bottom line at the Brand Storytelling and Content Marketing Conference at The Coca-Cola Company.]
2. Send out email and online surveys.
Your established customers are a trove of information—if you ask the right questions. Send regular emails asking about products they bought or what improvements they want for your website. This will provide indirect data about buyer personae.
3. Tabulate current customer information.
The behavior and profile of your existing customers provide vital data about the characteristics of your target audience. Make a table of your current clients and fill in the blanks about who they are and what they do. Among other things, find out their:
- Age
- Place of residence
- Sex
- Marital status
- Average income
- Profession
- Interests
In addition, find out how you reached them in the first place. It could be from social media, through referrals, or due to your SEO or marketing efforts for your website. Tabulating and analyzing this readily available information can help you refine your target audience and lessen your cost and energy in making sales.
You should also encourage you customers to post feedback on your posts and website. Though these may be subjective, doing so gives you an idea of what your clients want and think. Take this aspect of audience research seriously.
4. Check out the competition.
Examine what your competition is doing, especially the top players in your market niche. Learn from them, instead of going the costly trial-and-error route.
Check out their marketing efforts, and look for gaps in the market. Visit their website, and use tools such as Spyfu to see what keywords they use and Google Trends to see how you compare against them. Set up alerts to see how often they (and you) get mentions online through Google Alerts.
5. Put it together.
With all the information from your surveys, polls, emails and competitor analysis, create a detailed profile of the different buyer personae for your company. Creating a buyer persona is easy if you follow this map for beginners. These profiles will help you focus your marketing efforts and refine your sales process.
Once you have created your buyer personae, you will have an easier time understanding them as people rather than abstract ideas. Give them as many human qualities as you can, including a name. They can become your allies in planning your marketing and improving your conversion.
Your target audience is a crucial aspect of your marketing and sales. Make every effort to define it as early as possible. Without clear identification of your established and potential customers, you risk wasting money and effort in promoting your organization.
Laura Buckler is a freelance social media marketing professional. Follow her on Twitter.(Image via)
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