Uncertain of who our target audience is

An awful lot goes into running a successful digital marketing campaign. Different industries and companies require different techniques and approaches. However, every successful campaign has one thing in common: a clear target audience.

Embarking on a marketing campaign of any kind without a clear target audience in mind is much like building a house without foundations. Will it save you a bit of time and money? Yes. Will it pay off in the long run? Nope.

But identifying your target audience is easier said than done. So, we decided to round up five top tips to help you get there. Before we get to them though, let’s remind ourselves of what a target audience is – and why you need to determine yours.

Defining a target audience – and the benefits of doing so

In a nutshell, your target audience is the group (or groups) of people who are most likely to convert on your website, whether that means adding a product to their basket or completing a contact form to book a service.

An example target audience for a gym could be ‘male fitness enthusiasts between the ages of 20 and 30’. The more accurately you’re able to define your target audience, the more likely your campaign is to be successful.

Your target audience can be extremely niche (you could cater exclusively to people within your local area, for instance) or extremely broad. There’s no right or wrong approach here: it’s all about what’s right for your business.

It’s worth noting here that it’s just as important to determine who isn’t your target audience as who is. By ruling out certain groups of people and sharpening your focus on the groups you want to target, you’re more likely to achieve what you set out to with your marketing campaigns.

So, how do you find your target audience anyway? Here are some top tips to get you started.

Speak to existing customers

This is perhaps the easiest and most obvious solution, and a great starting point. If your business is already established, take full advantage of that fact and speak to some of your existing customers. You could always email them a survey link and entice them to complete it by entering them into a prize draw, for example.

Keep an eye on trends

Are there any up-and-coming competitors that have seemingly spotted a gap in the market? You should always keep tabs on your rivals and see who they’re targeting. Maybe you’re missing a trick.

Take advantage of Analytics

Google Analytics is an extremely insightful tool. If you haven’t already, we’d recommend setting up tracking on your website to learn a little more about who is using your website. If you’ve not used Analytics before, you’ll be surprised at just how much information it can provide. From the devices your site’s visitors are using to their demographics and interests, Analytics has so much to offer. You can get similar insights on your social media accounts too, so don’t forget to utilise that data.

Feed your data into ‘personas’

Once you’ve collected data using the methods above, try to feed that into individual ‘buyer personas’. In other words, create characters that sum up different sections of your audience. Do you want your campaign to win over ‘Beginner Bob’ or ‘Expert Edward’? Creating these fictional personas and assigning them different attributes will help you target them more effectively (and we’re sure you can think of better names for yours).

Leave your assumptions behind

Last but definitely not least, a reminder to leave all of your assumptions at the door. You might think you already know who your target audience is, but you could be wrong… and any assumptions you make early on could limit the effectiveness of your campaign. Throughout the process, make sure you remain objective – and that any assertions you make about your target audience can be backed up with cold, hard facts.