How to Choose a Target Audience
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It’s weird to think about “choosing” your audience, right? Some people might believe your audience comes to you. But, have you ever heard of the phrase: “If the mountain won’t come to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain?”
⛰ It’s time to take a trip to the mountain. ⛰
You can absolutely choose who you want to target, speak to them directly through your brand, and build a business that gives you the independence to live the life you want.
There are 2 ways of answering this question and that depends on what kind of brand you are now.
Pre-Data Stage:
✦ You haven’t launched your business and/or
✦ You haven’t made any sales and/or
✦ You’re not sure who to target
Post-Data Stage:
✦ You’ve been in business for some time and/or
✦ You have made multiple sales and/or
✦ You’re not if you are targeting the right person
If you’re at the Pre-Data Stage:
Your mission is to figure out who you want to help. Who is that ideal customer? Once you launch, there’s a 99% chance your target audience will shift a little. You’ll learn and get feedback from the sales you make and you can adjust your audience to fit what’s best for both you and them.
An important characteristic of successful brands is they have a solid foundation, yet are open to adjusting as they receive feedback from customers and what’s happening in the world. But to launch a brand, you need a foundation. You can’t build a home without a foundation. And the foundation for a brand is figuring out who you want to help—initially.
Take the time to think about who will benefit from your skill. For this person that comes to mind, get as specific as you can about who they are:
What do they value?
Where else do they spend their money?
What is their personal life like?
What are their demographics?
What are their finances like?
Where do they live and work?
What struggles are they having?
Why do they need you?
Once you get very specific about your target audience, it will be easier to create content that speaks to and attracts your audience. “Speak” to that ideal customer and show them “things” you know they will like and need.
If you’re at the Post-Data Stage:
Study the commonalities between your past customers. Not only your favorite past customers—all of them. These are the people willing to give you money in exchange for your skill. It’s ok that your audience is varied—that is actually great! Dig deep, go beyond the demographics, and truly find what they have in common. It could be what they value, their struggles, or anything else.
Once you’ve found these commonalities, follow the steps I mentioned for Pre-Data Stage brands where you identify their values, personal life, spending habits, struggles, etc.
in summary
How do I choose my target audience? You do the research! If you don’t have any sales yet, create an ideal customer you know you can help and create your content around this persona. If you have had sales, it’s about the research as well. Researching your past customers and finding what they have in common and why they bought into you in the first place.
Once you know who your audience is, you can focus on communicating with them directly through your brand messaging, services, social media posts, website, emails, blog content, as well as through the visuals/graphics that support your marketing content.
Let us know if you have other questions on target audiences!