Perhaps some of you sell products and services that are appealing to a variety of customers, customers with different ages, genders, social classes, etc. However, if your product or service is one that is geared towards a certain group of people, there are a few very important reasons why you should get to know that group. This is your target audience.
Though you may not be able to pinpoint your ideal customer’s exact age, gender, race or social class, I assure you that your company attracts a certain “type” of person. Whether it is men vs. women, senior citizens vs young adults, your ideal customer is who you should be speaking to with every advertisement or piece of literature you publish.
Make the Sale
By understanding the wants and needs of your target audience, you can develop a marketing approach that is a little less “one-size-fits-all” and a little more direct.
Forbes made this statement when discussing how to handle your target audience, “One of the best ways to make this happen is looking at who actually makes or influences the buying decision. From there, you look at their needs or problems, what they’re trying to achieve, how they can be successful and their budgets.”
Who influences or makes the decision to purchase your product or service? How can you better sway them to make that decision or influence it positively?
Make Wise Decisions
If you know your target audience, you know where your customers are most likely getting their information from. Knowing your target audience can not only tell you where to advertise but also let you know if it is crucial to your business to run a blog, send emails, set up a website, use social media or even send text messages, or if your audience is not so tech-savvy.
Characteristics of your consumers such as income, education level, gender, age, marital status and if they have children or not can give you a lot of insight into which media to buy and which to leave alone.
Gain More Useful Feedback
Your target audience is the perfect group to ask for opinions and feedback. By allowing them to tell you what they think of your products/services, the problems they might have with them and the things that they admire, you can better align yourself with that audience – gaining and retaining your ideal customers.
