How to find your target audience
Finding your target audience is an essential part of your PR journey. Having a target audience does not mean you are excluding anyone who does not meet your criteria. It means that you are figuring out how to targeting individuals who are most likely to listen to what you have to say and purchase your product or service.
Look at your current audience and customer base
When you are identifying and reaching out to your target audience, start by analyzing who you are currently marketing to and how they are responding. If your current customer base is not engaging with your content or buying from you, you need to pivot your messaging and re-identify your target audience. You want to be working with an audience that is engaging and excited to hear from you!
Take a look at what you offer
When you are identifying and getting in front of your target audience, take a close look at your product or service. Ask yourself some questions:
- Does my current audience fit my offer?
- Is my current audience engaging in my existing content?
- What value does my product or service give my audience?
- What need does my product or service fulfill?
When you analyze your current offers and your audience, do not be afraid to do market research! Market research allows you to talk to your ideal customer or client and get to know where they are and how you can help them!
Choose specific demographics
When you are identifying your target audience, think about the demographics that your ideal customer base fits into. Use your content to speak to those demographics and get eyes on your product or service. Using specific demographics will get your content in front of people who are more likely to buy or learn from you.
Analyze your competition
When you are getting to know your audience and where to find them, look at competitors who are in the same industry as you.
- What content are they creating that is successful?
- What tools are they using?
- Where are they marketing their content?
- Who is their target audience?
- How is your product, service, and target audience different?
- How can you make yourself stand out from your competition?
Analyzing your business competition gives you insight into what is working within your industry. Taking a look at their content and how their audience is engaging helps you create marketing campaigns that reach your target audience and establish your uniqueness and authority.
Research where they spend time and what they are doing
When you are finding your audience, you need to do research. Your audience is out there waiting for you, your content, and your product or service. It is your job to get your message in front of them!
- How do they consume their media? Online, TV, print?
- What social media do they hang out on the most?
- Where do they like to go?
- What products or services are they already buying?
Placing yourself in your target audience’s shoes will help you figure out how to get your content in front of them. Once you have identified where they spend their time and money, you will be able to maximize your marketing.
Your audience and media placement
So how does knowing your audience help you when you are marketing? Knowing your target audience inside and out gives you insight as to where to find them and when. When you are creating content, pitches, and campaigns, knowing your audience will help you find media outlets that target the demographics of your audience.
Knowing your audience well means that you will know where they go when they are looking for information; this will help you put your content in the right places for them to see. This includes stories and pitches that you send to media outlets!
Having a target audience is an essential aspect of growing a thriving business. Speaking directly to your people allows you to use your time wisely and market to people who will want to buy or learn from you. Let us help you find your target audience so you can grow your customer base by reaching them through media placements.