Know Your Target Audience

Know Your Target Audience

Posted on 07. Aug, 2009 by in Marketing

I have a theme that permeates all of my business building and affiliate marketing ethos – KNOW WHO YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE IS.

Who is it that your product or service can help today?  So many business people fail to understand this concept and, as a result, they are not as successful as they could be – in fact many fail.

Let’s look at the definition of a Target Audience and how know this can help your affiliate marketing efforts.

What is your Target Audience?  Many of us would define our target audience as the group of people who could benefit from our product.  This definition is often incredibly general:  Women, Men, Children, Bald Men, Short Women, People Who Like Golf, People who like to surf….

The problem with that, is that it is so incredibly broad that our advertising and the information we provide is broad and general.  Visitors to our websites don’t find the answers they are looking for and they don’t request more information or make a purchase.

We end up trying to be all things to all people – and FAIL.

Your real target audience is the percentage of visitors that will actually buy your product or service.  It is those few (or hopefully not so few) that you need to be refining your advertising and information for – you want to speak directly to those people.  Does this mean that you are ignoring the others who visit your site?  Possibly, but not really – they aren’t ready to make a buying decision yet and whilst you need to feed them information, you need to focus your attention on those who are ready to buy.

Let’s look at an example.  I am a business coach who helps people get their business online.  Now that’s a really broad definition and my target audience is “people who want to get their business online”.  Given such a broad definition, how do I describe my services in a way that someone will want to hire me?

Let me assure you that there are business people who I wouldn’t resonate with – they wouldn’t want to work with me and I wouldn’t want to work with them. The match just isn’t right.  By having such a broad definition, I am then faced with the challenge of where to advertise, what services should I be offering etc.

However, by refining my target audience a really specific definition – Women between 25 and 35 years old who have home based businesses and wish to widen their market by placing their services online – I now have a much better idea of where I can be advertising and what type of services to offer.

Does this mean that this is my only target audience?  Absolutely not!  I may have a second target audience – Men between 25 and 35 years old who have a small business and they wish to tap into a broader International market by harnessing the power of the Internet.

You really aren’t limited by the number of target audiences you define – the fact is that you should be defining these target audiences.

By defining your target audience with such specificity, you can speak directly to those who are ready to buy your product or services.

An Example always helps….

Let’s assume you have a product that teaches someone how to get their bird to sing.  The first thing to note, is that you are looking for someone who wants their bird to sing.  It’s not worth advertising to someone whos bird already sings and it’s not worth advertising to someone who doesn’t own a bird, or even wants to own a bird.

However, think of the possibilities if you refine the Target audience down to Teenagers who want to teach their bird to sing; or Single Moms who want to teach their bird to sing; or Dads who want to teach their bird to sing.  Each of these three groups have different interests, different langauge and ‘hang out’ in vastly different places.  By creating such specific definitions you are able to refine your marketing to the areas that will bring you the best Return On Investment.

So tell me, who are you talking to when you market your product or service?

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Charly Leetham is a Small Business Coach and Online Business Implementation Expert and I help small businesses take their business online. I provide services to solopreneurs and small business who wish to sell or promote their products and services online.
Online Business Implementation Expert

  • http://askcharlyleetham.com/blog/services/business-coaching/finding-your-target-audience Finding Your Target Audience | Ask Charly Leetham

    [...] my example from my last article – Know Your Target Audience – let’s look at speaking directly to your target audience who want to teach their bird [...]

  • http://dougdraws.com Doug C.

    This is something I have been struggling with since I first put my design business online. I have had countless marketer types who have done nothing but talk and provide me with no real concrete solutions.

    I think the biggest problem I’ve encountered with internet marketers is that they spend a lot of words describing the same thing over and over, but they don’t ever give any solid instructions on how to do these things.

    In the past three months I have read countless articles by marketer types and they all describe the same things – target audience, demographics, blah blah blah. But none of them really give me anything I can use.

    At this point I’m ready just to leave it alone, because it’s more of a headache for me than anything else.
    .-= Doug C.´s last blog ..Brand New? =-.

  • http://dougdraws.com Doug C.

    This is something I have been struggling with since I first put my design business online. I have had countless marketer types who have done nothing but talk and provide me with no real concrete solutions.

    I think the biggest problem I’ve encountered with internet marketers is that they spend a lot of words describing the same thing over and over, but they don’t ever give any solid instructions on how to do these things.

    In the past three months I have read countless articles by marketer types and they all describe the same things – target audience, demographics, blah blah blah. But none of them really give me anything I can use.

    At this point I’m ready just to leave it alone, because it’s more of a headache for me than anything else.
    .-= Doug C.´s last blog ..Brand New? =-.

  • Charly Leetham

    Hi Doug,

    I really understand how you feel! I’m a business person first and got ‘caught’ by the Internet Marketing bug.

    I think it happens to a lot of us, we leave our business brain at the door, as one of my good friends would say.

    The thing to remember is that the analysis of our market really doesn’t change whether we are targetting clients offline or online. We still have to ‘get into their heads’, find out what they want and then work out how best to speak directly to them.

    A lot of what I have read when I looked at starting an online business didn’t really talk about being specific!

    Specificity is important. If I want to speak directly to the Home Based Business Mom, who has children that she needs to get to Preschool or Playgroup – then I need to talk to her, not the corporate business man or even the ‘career woman’. Even the language they use is different.

    The techniques described by Internet Marketers certainly work for driving traffic however, sometimes we need to sacrifice the volume of traffic for targetted traffic. I would rather get 1000 visits from people who are my target audience than 1 million visits from anyone else.

    So, I’m going to ask you – what is your challenge? Is it that you’re not getting traffic or is it that your getting traffic and not converting that traffic to paying customers?

    If it’s the latter – then consider what you are offering and who your ideal client really is and then review what your offering and see if it speaks directly to that person.

    Finally, you need to look at where your traffic is coming from – if you’re getting lots of visits and not converting, are the visits from your target audience? If not, where does your target audience really ‘hang out’? For example, if I knew that my target audience were readers of Women In Business magazines (online and offline), I would look for sites that matched that description – many online sites have forums that I can participate in and develop credibility and over time gain customers from doing so. I would even consider taking paid advertising on the site, because I know that my advert would be in front of my target audiences eyes.

    I’m currently working with a couple of businesses to help them define this view – who are they really talking to and how can they get their offer in front of those peoples eyes… It’s a very rewarding task.

    Hope this helps a little and I wish you well!

  • http://dougdraws.com Doug C.

    See, this is what I was talking about…

    “So, I’m going to ask you – what is your challenge? Is it that you’re not getting traffic or is it that your getting traffic and not converting that traffic to paying customers?

    If it’s the latter – then consider what you are offering and who your ideal client really is and then review what your offering and see if it speaks directly to that person.

    Finally, you need to look at where your traffic is coming from – if you’re getting lots of visits and not converting, are the visits from your target audience? If not, where does your target audience really ‘hang out’?”

    A whole bunch of talk (in this case questions), but not a single detailed answer as to “how” to do any of those things. For example, if you were to actually explain how to find my “target audience” then that would be something I could use.

  • http://dougdraws.com Doug C.

    See, this is what I was talking about…

    “So, I’m going to ask you – what is your challenge? Is it that you’re not getting traffic or is it that your getting traffic and not converting that traffic to paying customers?

    If it’s the latter – then consider what you are offering and who your ideal client really is and then review what your offering and see if it speaks directly to that person.

    Finally, you need to look at where your traffic is coming from – if you’re getting lots of visits and not converting, are the visits from your target audience? If not, where does your target audience really ‘hang out’?”

    A whole bunch of talk (in this case questions), but not a single detailed answer as to “how” to do any of those things. For example, if you were to actually explain how to find my “target audience” then that would be something I could use.

  • Charly Leetham

    Doug,

    I’m not sure if you’re asking ‘who your target audience’ is, or where the best places to interface with them are.

    If you’re looking for places to connect, you’re going to have to do some legwork and research. Unfortunately, there isn’t a white pages or yellow pages that breaks sites up into the ‘target audience’ groups.

    If your service is offering a how to on ‘souping up your hotrod engine’, look for forums where the revheads gather to discuss their latest and greatest vehicle.

    If your service is how to toilet train a toddler, than forums and blogs where Moms and Dads discuss their parenting challeges are a good places to connect with them.

    Using http://www.bigboards.com is a good place to start to find forums around your niche, a search of blogsearch.google.com will also give you places to start. Quantcast.com provides some great statistics on the visitors to different sites, it’s worthwhile looking at.

    If you’re looking for “how-to’s” on describing your target audience, I have an article that gives an overview of how to describe your audience:
    Do You Know Your Client

    Of course, you can always work with a business coach to help you gain a deeper level of clarity.

    The articles that you are reading are designed exactly to give an overview. The detailed how-to’s are generally included in the paid for products and in coaching services. You need to invest in your business for it to succeed and if you’re not getting what you need from the free articles, then you need to go deeper and invest.

  • http://dougdraws.com Doug C.

    I don’t need descriptions – I need instructions. That is my point. Don’t describe the same thing to me over and over. Instead, tell me how to do those things. Tell me how to find my target audience, for example. Describe step by step how I would go about doing something like this.

    Heck, I can give detailed instructions on how to build a logo. No one has to pay me to tell them how to do that. That’s why I think marketers are such a scam. They talk for hours and hours, but as soon as you ask them to describe “how” to do something they’re all like, “Um, right, well…you see…um, yeah…”

    And I have tried working with business “coaches” and in my opinion they’re just like marketers – all talk and no do.
    .-= Doug C.´s last blog ..Brand New? =-.

  • http://dougdraws.com Doug C.

    I don’t need descriptions – I need instructions. That is my point. Don’t describe the same thing to me over and over. Instead, tell me how to do those things. Tell me how to find my target audience, for example. Describe step by step how I would go about doing something like this.

    Heck, I can give detailed instructions on how to build a logo. No one has to pay me to tell them how to do that. That’s why I think marketers are such a scam. They talk for hours and hours, but as soon as you ask them to describe “how” to do something they’re all like, “Um, right, well…you see…um, yeah…”

    And I have tried working with business “coaches” and in my opinion they’re just like marketers – all talk and no do.
    .-= Doug C.´s last blog ..Brand New? =-.

  • Charly Leetham

    Thanks for the great conversation Doug however, I don’t think I can help you any further.

    I’ve given you some great information here and all you need to do is act on it, put one foot in front of the other and do it.

    If it’s not enough for you, then maybe someone else can help you better.

    Good luck with your business

  • http://dougdraws.com Doug C.

    And that is usually how my conversations with marketers ends, “Thanks for the great conversation Doug however, I don’t think I can help you any further.”

    Which just goes to prove my point.
    .-= Doug C.´s last blog ..Brand New? =-.

  • http://dougdraws.com Doug C.

    And that is usually how my conversations with marketers ends, “Thanks for the great conversation Doug however, I don’t think I can help you any further.”

    Which just goes to prove my point.
    .-= Doug C.´s last blog ..Brand New? =-.

  • http://www.runlancaster.com/blog Carol Deckert, Networking Coac

    Doug, I think that you are avoiding one major point in all of the discussions you just had with Charly.

    You are looking for a “Show me how to do it,” “tell me what to do to be successful” and in essence are looking for someone to “just do it and use your name as the source!”

    Listen carefully to what Charly has written. There’s lots of good advice in her comments. Coaches are NOT like other marketers – coaches are here to help guide you to arrive at the success point you choose, not to actually do the work for you. So if your interviews of coaches included asking them to just do it for you, no wonder you have such a low opinon of coaches.

    All the coaches I have followed, read their blogs, and/or worked with have been instrumental in helping me develop my business, helping me fine-tune my goals and encouraged me to do it right, not fast.

    Personally, I DO work with Charly and she’s top notch in my book. Not only is she patient with those of us who sometimes learn the “hard way” but she is so creative and her technical knowledge beats many, hands down, in this global marketplace.

    I wish you well, Doug and hope you decide to listen to whatever choice you make for a coach, be open to new ideas and suggestions and be ready to make some decisions, some hard, others not so hard, in order to be a successful business owner.

    To Your Networking Success!
    Carol Deckert, Networking Coach
    .-= Carol Deckert, Networking Coach´s last blog ..Unwritten Upfront Contract – Go Giver Law of Value =-.

  • http://www.runlancaster.com/blog Carol Deckert, Networking Coach

    Doug, I think that you are avoiding one major point in all of the discussions you just had with Charly.

    You are looking for a “Show me how to do it,” “tell me what to do to be successful” and in essence are looking for someone to “just do it and use your name as the source!”

    Listen carefully to what Charly has written. There’s lots of good advice in her comments. Coaches are NOT like other marketers – coaches are here to help guide you to arrive at the success point you choose, not to actually do the work for you. So if your interviews of coaches included asking them to just do it for you, no wonder you have such a low opinon of coaches.

    All the coaches I have followed, read their blogs, and/or worked with have been instrumental in helping me develop my business, helping me fine-tune my goals and encouraged me to do it right, not fast.

    Personally, I DO work with Charly and she’s top notch in my book. Not only is she patient with those of us who sometimes learn the “hard way” but she is so creative and her technical knowledge beats many, hands down, in this global marketplace.

    I wish you well, Doug and hope you decide to listen to whatever choice you make for a coach, be open to new ideas and suggestions and be ready to make some decisions, some hard, others not so hard, in order to be a successful business owner.

    To Your Networking Success!
    Carol Deckert, Networking Coach
    .-= Carol Deckert, Networking Coach´s last blog ..Unwritten Upfront Contract – Go Giver Law of Value =-.

  • Charly Leetham

    Oh Wow! Thanks so much Carol for the great kudos. I’m pleased that I am helping you.

    You are correct, my approach is to guide people to their success, not do it for them. However, everyone has different needs and, it’s best to keep searching until you find that 1 person who can help you, the way you need.

    All the best!

    Charly.

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