You can have the most aesthetically appealing Facebook page, paired with a seamless Instagram flow, an easy-to-navigate website promoting the highest quality products and top-notch customer service. However, none of this matters if you aren’t engaging with the right target audience for your brand. Therefore, in order to target the right audience, drive traffic to your online brand and increase sales, one needs to determine who the qualified audience is for your brand. Along these lines, you need to determine who they are, what they value and how they use each online channel at the various stages of their purchase journey, from interest and validation through to decision and advocacy.
What is a Target Audience?
A target audience is the specific, defined group of individuals you want to reach with your marketing message. They are a group of individuals who are most likely to purchase your products or services. A target audience is united by common characteristics like particular demographics, needs or behaviours.
Specificity is key! The more clearly you define your target audience, the better you can understand how, why and where to reach your best business prospects. With this said however, your target market should be based on audience research. Not a gut feeling! You need to be willing to learn as you go, adapt as you fly. It is your responsibility to put in the necessary time and effort into discovering who your ideal client is.
Here follow 4 fundamental guidelines for successful target marketing;
Create the Ideal Customer Profile
As marketers and business operators, we have an immeasurable amount of data at our disposal. Certain applications offer us insight into this data, and help us interpret it accordingly. (eg: Google Analytics, Search Console, Facebook Insights and Ad Manager).
It is your responsibility to utilise these tools to unearth valuable insights into the demographics and psychographics of your current customers and potential clients. Demographics include for example age, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, education, and employment. In contrast, psychographics include values, affinities, interests and motivations.This valuable information can aid you in generating a better understanding of the needs, wants and drives of your target audience.
Speak your Audience’s Language
The linguistic and visual tones of your communication with prospective audiences are fundamental for durable digital marketing strategies. Therefore, in order to connect with your audience you need to speak their language. You cannot attract a Millennial techno-geek with formal, rambling messages. In this same way, you will struggle to engage with older audiences through GIFS and memes. Utilising appropriate dialect, tone and visual elements will ensure increased interest and engagement. You want to build an identity that can be recognised.
Prioritise your SEO
Ade Holder (2019), digital marketing consultant states that organic SEO is considered the best audience targeting tool around. He explains that “there is nothing better than simply being in front of the customer when they search for exactly what you are able to offer.”
When your business is ranked highly for relevant terms, it is targeting everyone actively searching for the products or services offered by your business. In this same way, SEO allows you to analyse ‘search’ terms as a clear sign of the buying intent of consumers.
Undoubtedly, keyword research is fundamental to SEO. Therefore, one should ensure these are well-researched, carefully chosen and relevant to your company. Keywords should be judiciously used in the content you generate for your business. Effective keyword use in on-page and off-page optimisation will significantly influence the productivity and success of your digital marketing. Take a look at the SEO packages The Web Shack has to offer.
Analyse the Competition
As a digital marketer or business operator, you should have an idea of who your competition is. However learning more about their marketing habits will help you identify ways in which you can improve your own strategies. Additionally, knowing your competitors next move will help you identify potential gaps in the market, and how you can fill it.
Do keyword research relating to your industry to get an idea of who is ranking for these keywords. Learn the ins-and-outs of competitive services, products and marketing efforts so you can generate new, creative marketing ideas. With the right research, you’ll be able to identify what the competition is doing differently, and how you can do it better.
