How to Identify Your Target Audience

Written by Katrina Noble

One of the first questions I ask a new client is who is their target audience?   Most say “everyone” but unless you are McDonalds with a huge ad budget, you need to determine what your best customers look like in order to make the most of your marketing investment.  Where do you start?

1)    Create a customer profile – put together a detailed description of who is currently buying your products or services.

a.    What is their age group? – are they in their 20’s, seniors, etc…

b.    Guys or gals? –  sexes respond to messages in different ways

c.    Income level?  – do they have a lot of disposable income or more fixed budget

d.    Geographic location?  Are they coming from a specific area, zip code, etc.

2)    Conduct Research

a.    Distribute surveys to existing and potential customers through paper, email or web-based survey like Survey Monkey

b.    Talk to your customers to determine how and why they used your service or purchased a product from you

3)    Reassess your offering and profile – when you have your target audience profile in place, take a fresh look at your current products and services.

a.    Determine which features and benefits are most likely to attract new customers

b.    Make sure your marketing message match the target audience you want to reach

c.    Where you need to market   (internet, radio, television, etc)

Guest post written by Katrina Noble and our Friends at Bolchalk FReY Marketing