Taking a one-size-fits-all approach to your marketing can be costly and inefficient, so it’s crucial that you target the right audience.
Your product or service may not appeal to absolutely everybody, so it’s pointless wasting your time promoting things to certain groups that don’t want or need your offering.
Instead, you should focus your time and resources on trying to reach the people who would use your product or service so you can sell them on its benefits.
Often, this is easier said than done, but luckily there are some simple ways to connect with the right customers.
Here are some tips to better reach your target audience:
Define your target audience
To reach your target audience effectively, you need to know who they are.
The first thing to do when identifying your target customer or niche is to figure out what need your product or service fulfils or the problem that it solves.
Look at who is most likely to be interested in it and consider demographic factors like age, gender, buying power and location.
Creating a marketing persona, which is a fictional example of the kind of person who would buy or use your product, can help you understand your audience’s needs and buying habits.
Once you have an idea of who your target audience is, get as much data on them as possible, whether it’s through a formal survey, online research or by asking the people around you.
Build trust with your audience
Businesses can stand out from the pack by establishing themselves as trusted authorities in their field.
One way to build trust with your audience is to regularly publish informative articles that help customers with their research and decision-making.
These articles should offer genuine, impartial advice about the topic, otherwise they may come across as inauthentic and salesy.
That said, you can always include a call to action at the end of each article to highlight how your business can help people, in case they are interested.
Create a referral system
A referral system is a great way to spread the word about your business, especially if you are just starting out.
All you need to do is offer referrers an incentive like a discount or special promotion on their next purchase, as well as referral codes to keep track of your new leads.
The key is to provide incentives that are enticing enough that people are motivated to find people to refer to.
Use targeted advertising
When setting up a communications framework for your audience, start by identifying which media channels they’re using as a way of choosing the right places to focus your efforts.
“Try and consider a day in the life of your customer,” said Assemblo’s founding director Steve de Niese.
“Think about where they go, what they read, what they watch and the kinds of jobs they do. These things can help you identify the places you need to be. Consider geographic factors like where your customers live or regularly travel to, and whether they use public transport or drive.”
In the age of the smartphone, digital channels are a safe bet for most target audiences.
Digital advertising platforms, such as Google Ads or paid social media ads, offer some of the most precise targeting when set up properly and can complement your offline advertising.
You can also tailor your digital ads based on demographics and interests to make sure they are shown only to people who fit your audience profile, so that you’re not wasting advertising dollars.
If you want to speak to people in a particular location, you can use geo-marketing or location-based marketing activities to advertise specifically to people in an area.
Anyone using digital advertising should also set up a retargeting strategy, also known as remarketing, to encourage customers back to your business once they have left your website or social media profile.
Need help with reaching your target audience?
There are many ways to reach your target audience, however these activities can prove complicated and overwhelming for beginners.
Assemblo is a full-service marketing agency based in Melbourne and has helped countless businesses reach their target audiences through effective marketing activities and strategies.
If you need help reaching your target audience, give us a call on (03) 9079 2555 or drop us a note via the contact form below.