How to gain more insight, and be more appealing to your target audience

One of the first things that any budding entrepreneur needs to establish – before even setting up a small business such as a coffee shop, gym, or dental clinic – is to determine their target audience for their product or service.

Remember that you need to provide products and services that someone out there needs – and more to the point, you need many such people. For example, suppose there isn’t much interest in your Batman-themed hotel in a small northern post-industrial town. In that case, you’ll need to think again about whether there is a sustainable target audience.

That’s not to say that an especially niche business can’t succeed if it gets things right to target its audience. You might be interested in reading about the experiences of various niche brands in this article in The Telegraph, in which Richard Turnbull – the founder and chief executive of nootropics supplement brand Utmost Me – advises: “Don’t try to create something for which no one is looking… there must be people looking for what you have”.

Defining a target audience is not ‘limiting’ your business

It has been suggested by some entrepreneurs over the years that going into the trouble of defining a target audience is actually a bad thing for your business. The argument is that it’s a limiting thing to do and that you shouldn’t exclude potential customers from your business before you’ve even started selling anything.

In the real world, though, defining a target audience is something your firm has to do for efficiency. When you’re just starting out in business and don’t have deep pockets for marketing anyway, you’ll want to channel your efforts toward those who are most likely to buy from you, rather than waste any time on those who almost certainly won’t.

What characteristics make up your target customer?

So, what is the demographic profile of those who might actually buy from you? Think carefully about such factors as your typical customer’s likely age, gender, income level, occupation, buying habits, and so on.

Some of the tasks of pinpointing a typical customer may seem like common sense. For example, run a salon or gym in an unfashionable small town. Your target audience will almost certainly be local people for the most part, rather than people visiting for the day. Naturally, there’s also little point in spending a lot of time targeting men if you are selling women-oriented beauty products, allowing for the possibility of men buying such products for their wives.

Also, remember that your target audience will almost certainly evolve over time as your business does. So if your firm is going through a transitional phase, sit down with your team and discuss whether any alterations need to be made to your customer profiling.

Then, it’s simply a case of the target, target, target

Your chosen target audience will shape your small business’s entire approach to its day-to-day operations and the finer points of its marketing. That means it’s imperative to be sharp about targeting those customers.

• Does your company website say the right things about your brand to such an audience?
• What about your brand messaging, logo and colours, or the nature and regularity of your social media updates?
• Are you on the right advertising platforms?
• Have you considered the merits of major eCommerce marketplaces such as Groupon?

There really is a lot to contemplate when it comes to learning about and better appealing to your target audience. So, don’t be complacent – think and work hard and sharp to ensure this crucial aspect of your business operation is a success.

Making Your Business More Appealing

Businesses can take the following steps to appeal more to their target audience.

Conduct Market Research

To appeal to their target audience, businesses must first understand their needs, preferences, and behaviours. Conducting market research can provide insights into customer demographics, their buying patterns, and what influences their purchasing decisions.

Develop a Strong Brand Identity

Building a solid brand identity helps businesses stand out in a crowded market. A brand identity includes a company’s name, logo, tagline, and messaging, which should align with the values and preferences of the target audience.

Focus on Customer Experience

To appeal to their target audience, businesses must provide a positive customer experience at every touchpoint, from the website and social media to the sales process and post-purchase follow-up. Personalized experiences that cater to individual customer needs can go a long way in building brand loyalty.

Provide Value

Businesses should offer products or services that meet the needs of their target audience and provide value. They should communicate the benefits of their products or services in a way that resonates with their customers.

Leverage Social Media

Social media is a powerful tool businesses can use to connect with their target audience. Businesses can build brand awareness, trust, and loyalty by creating engaging content and responding to customer inquiries and feedback

Offer Incentives

Incentives such as discounts, free trials, and loyalty programs can entice customers to try a product or service and build long-term relationships.

By implementing these strategies, businesses can increase their appeal to their target audience, build brand awareness and loyalty, and ultimately drive growth and revenue.