How to REALLY Breakdown Your Target Audience

September 21, 2021

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For most new business owners, there’s a lot of mystery around who their real target audience is. Oftentimes, we start selling our product or service to almost anybody that would buy it because we just want to make a sale. Yet, we forget that this kind of selling can ultimately hurt us in the end. For example, it can water down our messaging and start to muddy the waters as to who we REALLY are speaking to. Before we know it, we’ve positioned ourselves in a certain manner that’s hard to get out of, and we may start attracting an audience that is not in alignment with our brand. For service providers, it’s the people who constantly challenge your skills or ask for discounts. So let’s chat about identifying the people you REALLY want to work with and support (aka your target market)

I always suggest that you go back and think of past clients (if applicable). Was there someone or a group of people you absolutely loved working with? If so, consider the following points.

  1. Clearly define who you want to serve and the solution that you provide. To do this, you should review key demographics. What’s their age, gender, economic status, and ethnicity?
  2. Then take a look into their psychographics. This is all about their personality, values, interests, and lifestyle. Psychographics help to identify the beliefs and the emotions of your target audience. Also, keep in mind that not all individuals that you may have loved working with in the past will have the same demographic and psychographic group. Those differences will make them unique in how you should target them.
  3. Next, review their buying habits. Try to find out as much as you can about the people you’re talking to. Are they impulsive? Do they do heavy research before buying? Do they have certain routine purchases? Their buying decisions all depend on their buying behavior.
  4. Lastly, you should determine what your consumers value. What they value can be difficult to pin down because value means different things to different people. Do they value money? Time? Convenience? Understanding their values will help you understand their needs and perceptions.

There are a ton of benefits that come from understanding your target audience. It makes your messaging/visuals/and emotional connection so much easier because you’re able to tailor the content on all touchpoints (i.e. emails marketing, social media, etc). You’re also able to keep the same content pillars and repurpose as needed. Second, it allows you to cut through the noise or everyone else (ie. competing brands, etc) if you’ve narrowed down and niched in your people. For things such as Google and FB ads you’re able to create unique audiences for targeting. In turn you’ll have higher conversion rates and a lower cost. Lastly, it keeps you focused; especially as a creative/multi-passionate person. Understanding who you want to sell to and connect with allows you to stick to the script for that business; unless you’re looking to add on other creative endeavors. It gives us a sense of boundaries/lines to play within so we still look organized and professional. 

Now that you understand the multiple components that makeup a target audience and the benefits of knowing yours, think about what you could do differently in your business. Ask yourself if you’ve been clear with who you’re marketing to. What are your audience interests? What do they stand for? 

If you need any help rebranding your business and ensuring your brand magic (messaging, visuals, and emotional connection) is in alignment  feel free to reach out! I will be more than happy to give you business advice and tips on strategic planning.