Starting a new business is thrilling, but success begins with knowing exactly who you're trying to reach. Your target audience isn't everyone—instead, it’s a specific group of people who will truly connect with your brand. In this guide, we'll take a deep dive into how to define that audience so your marketing hits the mark every time.
Step 1: Identify Demographics
Demographics are the basic characteristics of your audience, such as age, gender, income, education, and location. Ask yourself:
-
What age group is most likely to need or want your product or service?
-
Are you targeting a specific gender, or is your product unisex?
-
Where does your audience live? Are they local, national, or global?
-
What is their income level, and how might that influence their purchasing decisions?
Step 2: Understand Psychographics
Psychographics explore your audience's interests, values, and lifestyle. Consider:
-
What are their hobbies and interests?
-
What values are important to them (e.g., sustainability, innovation, community)?
-
What lifestyle do they lead? Are they busy professionals, students, parents, etc.?
Step 3: Map Out Your Content Pillars
Content pillars are the key themes your brand consistently talks about. They help keep your messaging consistent and strategic. To define your pillars:
-
Identify what you’re really good at (your expertise).
-
Consider what your audience cares about.
-
Align with what you want to be known for.
Step 4: Research and Listen
To truly understand your audience, you need to listen to them. Here’s how:
-
Use social media listening tools to monitor conversations about your industry.
-
Participate in forums or groups where your audience hangs out.
-
Conduct surveys or interviews to get direct feedback.
In Conclusion...
Defining your target audience sets the foundation for all your marketing efforts. With a clear understanding of who you’re speaking to, you can create content that truly resonates and drives results.
Define Your Audience Worksheet
Click the pop-out icon to download and print or edit this 3-page worksheet. Whether you're refining an existing audience or starting from scratch, this worksheet will help you define your ideal customer so your content actually connects — not just floats into the void.
Add comment
Comments
It's amazing how simple this concept is, yet people overlook it.
Two examples spring to mind:
Once I was helping a Z list celebrity write a sitcom pilot to launch his acting career (spoiler alert, it was cr*p) and in the early discussions he was asked who his target audience was an he said "everybody." And he would not be shaken from this, declaring he wanted to create something that would appeal to everyone and exclude no one. A noble sentiment but an impossible ambition. We ended up with a flaccid, directionless wet paper towel of a product that pleased no one but him (including the chump who helped him write it...I mean MY customer was happy, even if I wasn't...).
The second example I think of is a roller derby team I was involved in was obsessed with the idea of going viral and mimicking viral trends to appeal to an audience that would bring no value to them (ie not people who would sign up to join the team, come to games or be remotely interested in buying merchandise). A lot of time was spent on posts containing songs like Pink Pony Club when your average derby enthusiast would be more likely to listen to the Ramones. The social media person had fun but we achieved nothing.
I'll be revisiting this article a lot, I think, as I'm trying to figure out the target audience for my latest social media outing. And I'm coming up with a blank. I can't think who in the world would be interested...