How to Define a Target Audience

There’s a common myth about running an online business. And it’s this – if you aren’t making money, you need to get your product or service in front of more people.

But that’s not the case. Your problem isn’t that you aren’t doing enough selling; it’s that you are selling to the wrong people.

It’s a common mistake. The internet has adjusted the way we do business. When we market online, we are potentially reaching millions of people.

But that brings some unique challenges, and one of those challenges is knowing how to target the right audience. This guide will take you through several ways to define a target audience for your product or service.

Learn About Your Existing Customers

The easiest way to define whom you target is to profile people who currently buy from you. Start with a survey of existing customers to learn more about who they are.

You can also use analytics data to get a feel for where your customers discover you and what they do on your website. That will give you a profile of their typical online behavior before buying.

See What Your Competitors Are Doing

Competitor analysis is an excellent opportunity to understand your target market and broaden your target audience.

Start with some inbound marketing tools. These will give you an insight into whom your competitors are targeting and how your competitors are reaching out to people.

Check out your competitors’ ad campaigns too. The angle of an ad campaign will give you a good indication of whom the company wants to target.

Discover Industry Trends

Industry trends will give you an insight into groups who might want your product. Google trends is a good starting place, as this will tell you what keywords people are searching for online.

Pinterest trends are another source to check. That will show you topics of interest and popular products.

Check Social Media

Defining a target audience goes beyond demographics. You need to get a thorough insight into your target customer, what they like, how they behave, and what motivates them.

Social media is hugely valuable for getting this sort of information. Take a look at the type of people following you and your customers online.

Join relevant Facebook groups to discover what questions people ask and recommendations people pass on to their friends and connections.

Test Your Assumptions

Gathering intelligence on your target audience isn’t complete until you have data to back it up. Once you have a target audience, run a test marketing or advertising campaign to that demographic to see how it fares.

That will give you an excellent insight into who responds well to your marketing messages and what demographic converts from prospect to lead to buyer.

Define a Target Audience Before Your Next Marketing Campaign

Once you clearly define a target audience, you’ll see a measurable impact on your marketing campaigns. So there is value in understanding your audience as intimately as you can.

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