“If you want to create messages that resonate with your audience, you need to know what they care about.” – Nate Elliott
Social media is a fantastic tool for reaching and creating relationships with potential customers, but it won’t work effectively if you haven’t taken the time to understand who that customer is.
It goes without saying, you should be focusing your marketing efforts towards the people who are most likely to be purchasing the goods or service you provide. Knowing specific characteristics about that audience enables your business to effectively market and efficiently communicate with them. By accurately refining and understanding your target audience, you’ll be able to spend less money by reaching the right people and see a better return on your investment.
The Gabby Girl experts are here to help ensure your brand is reaching the right people across the world wide web.
Here’s a great starting point to help you identify your target audience:
What are some of their individual characteristics?
1. Age & life stage: comparing someone age 45 to someone who’s 57 may not make a big difference, but what about a person who is 25 vs 63? Those people are decades apart and experiencing different life stages. Each of those people have considerably different goals, views and needs. It’s time to think about who your product or service is best suited for. Will you be trying to reach young adults, mature seniors or somewhere in between?
2. Where are they located and can you reach them: Consider your business’ physical location(s) and where your products and/or services are available. If you run an automotive repair service in Edmonton, then you’ll likely only be taking clients in areas directly in your physical servicing area. But, if you manufacture cell phone accessories, it’s possible that you can ship all over the country and the world - thus broadening your customer reach.
3. What they do for a living: for some organizations, their customers may come from all over and your product or service isn’t dependent on their occupation, while for others it's imperative that their customer comes from a specific sector. Knowing what they have in common or not at all is key! You wouldn’t try selling advanced computer coding software to a wedding cake designer, would you?
What else are your customers interested in?
You clearly want to target people that are going to be interested in what your business has to offer, but business is more than just the product or service you provide. You’re entering a new relationship with each person you reach. The advantage of social media is that it enables companies to communicate their values and connect with consumers who are looking for brands that align with their own values. If you discover that a large portion of your audience values supporting the local community, you may want to highlight your company’s philanthropic endeavors, such as volunteering or supporting local charities and organizations.
How do your customers learn about what you have to offer?
Is your business getting with the times? Society has moved forward and people are no longer relying solely on the lengthy process of enticing potential customers to a brick & mortar store in hopes they may make a sale. Social Media doesn’t only speed up the consumer’s journey but it can also enhance the overall buying experience. Now, you can reach people outside your physical location, connect with the buyer when they need you most, and target new customers - anywhere and anytime.
How do you set your business apart from the competition?
Do you know who your competition is? Have you taken the time to analyze them? It’s time to dig deep and find out exactly what they do and how it resonates with their consumers. What do you think works or doesn’t? Now, look closely at what your business does and how your customers are affected. What is the difference? Why do their customers choose them, and why do your customers choose you? Use this information to set goals, push yourself forward and make your next move.
If you’re still feeling a bit overwhelmed and not sure where to start, take a look at your Facebook/Instagram Insights. You’ll be able to examine the audience you’re currently reaching and interacting with. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to existing customers! Ask them why they chose your business, how they heard about you and other basic questions. Their answers might surprise you and give you valuable feedback to learn from.
Answering these questions is just a start, there are many more things you can research, learn and analyze about your prospective customers.
At Gabby Girl we fully analyze all our clients. We strive to understand your customers, audiences, goals and future potential. This helps us to clarify our marketing and advertising strategies as well as set social media goals to help improve your relationship with your customers.
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