You have a general idea of who your perfect customer is, but are still struggling to reach them. You know your product or service would greatly benefit them, and just need to somehow get the point across. Here we’ll cover how to reach your target audience.
Target ONE person
When you’re creating advertising or marketing content, it’s best to act as if your audience is one person. The more specific you can get the better. If you can narrow it down to an exact age, gender, relationship status, and job/salary, you’re doing a pretty good job. Big ad agencies or companies such as P&G, a real pioneer in target marketing, will go as far as naming the individual and their children, and can even tell you what car they drive.
What’s the purpose of getting so specific? Wouldn’t it be better to reach as many people as possible than to limit the scope of your pitch? What you’ll find is that smaller groups of people who are more likely to have a want or need for your product or service will create greater returns than larger groups of people who are completely uninterested in what you have to say. Narrowing down your target audience makes it easier to think like a consumer.
Think like a consumer
Do some research, spend some time with people who fall into your target category. What sort of things do they like to do in their spare time? Where do they like to hang out? What sorts of publications do they read? What shows do they watch? True, you’re a small business and probably don’t have the budget or desire to advertise on national television. However, knowing these things about your target audience gives you more insight into their lives, the challenges they face, and the things that they might want or need. The more capable of thinking like a consumer you are, the easier it will be to get your message in front of them.
Get your message in front of your target audience
Now that you’re able to think like your target audience, it will be easier to get your message in front of them. Does your audience spend more time on one social network then all the others? If so, direct the majority of your social strategy to that platform. Do they frequently shop at one specific store? It may be worth your while to purchase advertising at that location. Use your target’s lingo, post stories when they are most active online, offer useful information that they might be interested in. Thinking like your audience and deliver what they want.
Wrapping up
The days of interruption marketing are over. With so many products and services available, consumers can no longer be pressured or bullied into choosing a product. The consumer truly is king and it is your job to provide them with quality. Check your ego and make sure you provide the consumer with what they want.
