I am going to start this blog with a simple question. Do you believe your business is targeting the right audience with its marketing campaigns? The answer may be “no” if you are reading this blog. But not to worry because this is an easily overlooked step in marketing. This means that you are already ahead of your competitors simply by being here. In this blog, you will find the steps you need to follow to find your ideal target audience online, what content to create, and how to adjust your campaigns based on real-time data. So without further ado, let’s begin!
#1 – What are you selling?
First of all, you need to figure out what it is you are looking to promote online. If you are selling a new product, find what makes it stand out in the market. Look for all of its unique qualities. What makes this the best product on the market? Your business will not be targeting the right audience without you first understanding the product inside and out. Only then can you begin to look at how you will fit into the marketplace, where to target, and how to get the results that you are looking for from your marketing. So really get in and understand your product before carrying on into the next steps.
#2 – Who are your competitors?
Now that you fully understand your product the next step on your marketing journey is to understand who your competitors are. Complete some searches online for products similar to yours. What makes their product stand out? How are they marketing their product? Who is the target audience? What could you do better within your own marketing efforts? Completing a competitor analysis is a great way to ensure that you are targeting the right audience with your own marketing efforts. You may find new niche audiences that can end up being very profitable, or new platforms which can provide an increase in traffic.
#3 – Finding and targeting the right audience.
With the information you have collected so far it is now time to find your ideal target audience. Now, how do you make sure that we are targeting the right audience? Well, first of all, think about who is going to be interested in the product that you are selling. Create a list of general audience types based on demographic factors such as age, gender, and occupation. Use your list of competitors and their target audiences to support you with finding your own target audience. Creating buyer personas will allow you to really nail down exactly who your target audience is. Observing their occupation and shared struggles will show you how your product can solve these problems. This information will then form the backbone of your marketing campaigns as we move into the next steps.
#4 – Choosing the correct marketing channels and content to target the right audience
With your buyer personas in place, it is now time to look at the right channels to target. But what is a marketing channel? Essentially, a marketing channel is any platform online or offline that allows your company to interact with your audience in some way. So let’s say your buyer personas focus on an older male demographic including 40-50 and 50+ who are looking for more long form content. You are unlikely to focus all of your marketing efforts on a platform such as Tik Tok. That is because this platform will not be able to provide the kind of content your target audience are looking for. You would want to focus on platforms such as Facebook, and Twitter as the demographic you are after would be much more focused in these areas.
You can pick anything from one to five marketing channels, to begin with. Each platform calls for slightly different content so it is important to adjust your content accordingly. Research into your chosen platforms and find what works, and perhaps more importantly what does not work. DO NOT go for too much at once. The key to promoting online is consistency across the brand, message and simply ensuring that you are posting often. This will be hard to do if you spread your efforts too thinly. Start small and work your way up.
#5 – How to make your campaigns as effective as possible
Ensure that your content is fit for purpose. Even if you are targeting the right audience and have picked the right channels to reach them. Without having great content, all of your efforts will be for nothing. Think about what makes your business stand out, and shout about this in your campaigns. Create unique content that encourages customer interaction, as well as pushes them further along the sales funnel. As your campaigns are in progress, look at ways in which you can improve. Check out the insights and match them against your SMART goals. You can then make adjustments to ensure you are always on the right path!
In Conclusion
So there you have it, the key to targeting the right audience is to simply put the effort in and really understand your audience. Who are they? What makes them tick? How can your product help them with their pain points? You must then aim for content on the right channels that highlight how your product can solve your customer’s problems.
Here at Sefas, we offer the HC Suite. This is a selection of tools built for perfecting your customer communications. Whether you are looking to design the perfect communications or are looking for a hybrid mailing system that can save you many hours of labor on your external communications. The HC Suite is the complete package. To find out more, please do not hesitate to get in contact today.
Adam Turner, Marketing Manager, Sefas UK