Episode #24: How to Connect with Your Target Audience

A target audience is defined by a specific group of consumers with similar traits such as age, gender, education, purchasing power, social class, location, goals, interests, consumption habits, and problems.

Once a business has defined this group they can direct their marketing actions at these consumers to build brand awareness.

Your brand is not built on the products and services you sell. It’s built by the customers who purchase your products and services.

That is why it is critical that you find your ideal customer.

If you try to be everything to everyone, you may get a lot of hits on your website, but no one will be buying, because they are not your audience.

Only your audience, the people who you build a relationship with and share your common values, will connect with you.

Brands who try to appease the masses, lose their authenticity and the trust of the consumer.

Once you have discovered precisely who your ideal customer is, you should learn everything you can about them.

You need to understand their needs, their challenges, and their passion.

And then, you must consistently cultivate that relationship by providing them with the best service and unexpected personal interaction.

When your top customers feel special, valued, and part of a unified community, they will feel obligated to give back to the brand by purchasing their products or services.

These are the customers who will become loyal brand advocates.

They will tell their friends and family members about your brand, share photos of your products on social media, and basically market your brand for free.

OK, so you should now understand that your audience is who will decide if your brand succeeds or just quietly disappears into the marketplace.

To help you get started, Here are 10 ways to connect with your target audience:

1. Discover Who They Are
   The first step is to collect some basic information about the people who your products or services are intended for.Whether you are just starting product development or you’ve been in a business a while, you should have a decent idea of who that is. Look for demographic data like their Age, Gender, Location, and Income.Your warm audience are the customers who have already purchased from you. These people should be immediately included in your target audience because they are more likely to buy from you again.Also, pay close attention to who is purchasing your competitors’ products.
2. Find Out Where They Are
   People are constantly searching for, and consuming information, both online and offline. This could be on social media, youtube channels, facebook groups, blogs, local organizations, public gatherings, trade shows, festivals, etc.Once you have located your audience, communicate to them in their language so they know you are part of their tribe.
3. Determine Their Needs and Desires
   Now that you know who your people are, and where to find them, start investigating their wants, needs, goals, and desires. When you know what your customer wants it will make prospecting and marketing to them much easier.
4. Solve Their Problems
   In addition to learning what your audience needs, you’ll also want to determine their problems and daily pain points. Put yourself in their shoes. If your product solves these problems, then they are your target demographic.
5. Consider Their Negative Experiences
   You not only want to learn what your audience loves, but also what they hate. This is powerful information. If you know what your potential customer considers negative, then you have a better chance of captivating them and gaining their approval.
6. Gain Their Trust
   The reputation of your brand is one of the most important factors in building brand equity and retaining loyal customers. No one purchases a product or service from a company they don’t know or trust. To gain the trust of your audience, be sure you are always keeping your promise to the consumer, be authentic, and never waver from your core values.
7. Use Social Media
   Unitize the constant on-demand social media channels to connect with your followers. Ask engaging questions and interact with them on a daily basis through Q&A’s, free giveaways, and special offers. Create a safe and collaborative environment where they can actively participate and communicate with your brand.
8. Speak to them often and ask questions
   Talk to your customers and gather data about their experiences with your brand. Encourage them to be open and honest. When your customers feel like their opinion matters, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to make them happy, you will form a lasting emotional connection with them.
9. Don’t make assumptions
   Successful marketing campaigns are not created based on what you think. They become successful when they are built around the particular wants and desires of your target audience. Don’t assume you know what they need, or what their problems are. Take all the data you have gathered, and use it.
10. Refine the audience
    Finding your target audience is not a one time thing. The marketplace is constantly changing, trends come and go, and peoples opinions and perceptions are always evolving. It’s inevitable that you will need to refine and adjust your audience based on several factors that are out of your control. Your data will show you whether you are still engaging with your audience, or if one particular demographic has lost interest.

If there is one single most important point I’d like to drive home here it’s to always communicate and stay in touch with your audience.

The moment you ignore your customer, they will feel devalued, and unappreciated.

They will immediately disengage with your brand and migrate to your competition.

Even worse, they may speak negatively about you, which can cause a lasting effect on your brand equity.

So there you have it. You must define, locate, and target your ideal customer to not only generate the best ROI on all your marketing campaigns, but to also build that community of loyal brand advocates that is so important in today’s highly competitive marketplace.