Advertising and marketing your brand to the right type of audience can either make or break your business. If you are unable to reach out to the targeted audience, your business will experience several negative effects. The target audience should be your go-to option because they are your prospect. A prospect is a person or company that you believe could turn into a paying customer more easily than other consumers.
If you are someone who has had trouble tracking down your targeted audience, then this article is for you. Below are some suggestions which could significantly boost sales and ultimately your bottom line, i.e., profits:
Know who Your Ideal Audience Members are
Not every business is made for everyone out there. People’s preferences depend on various factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, location, etc. So, first know whom your product or service can help, i.e., who are the most likely consumers to buy from you, and preferably purchase items repeatedly. For this, you have to conduct surveys both online and offline.
Offline marketing on its own is not going to cut it. You need to find out as much as you can about the marketplace, its players, buyers and suppliers, etc. To do this effectively, your market research needs to be both online and the traditional way.
Before proceeding, it is crucial that you define your target audience in detail, and know how to get to them.
Where to Find Them
It is no good knowing who your most likely prospects are, you also need to be able to communicate with them. If they need your product but don’t know about your company, sales will never rise.
People hang out at various websites, communities, discussion boards, etc. on the Internet, depending on what they are interested in. Did you know that in the world of social media, females tend to prefer Instagram. If you sell cosmetics, ladies clothes, and hair care products, seek out watering holes that women prefer.
Older consumers, i.e., seniors, still tend to favour television as their source of entertainment, sports, and news. Painkillers for arthritis or rheumatism, therefore, should be promoted on TV.
It is important for you to know where you can find your target audience if you are serious about boosting sales.
Not Just Social Media
Mobile marketing is not limited to just social media. There are many other options that you have to look out for. The average smartphone or tablet owner uses 9 apps per day and more than 30 apps per month.
Apart from emails and social media, what are the other apps that people are using? They look up weather, use apps for commuting, play games, shop online, listen to ebooks, check currency values, pay bills and transfer money, etc.
Find out which apps your target audience favors and see whether you can promote your products or services through them.
Location of Audience
Some businesses are extremely location sensitive, while others are less so. For example, an undertaker (funeral director) consisting of just one office is not interested in getting customers from other towns, regions, or countries. Their target audience is local.
If you are selling an app that works in most types of smartphones, your marketplace is global. If your app is only in English, start by approaching people in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australasia, Nigeria, some parts of the Caribbean, and South Africa.
Use Fresh Data
The data that you have about your audience is going to matter a lot here. It is like fashion – what mattered last week or month won’t necessarily be relevant next month or week. In some sectors, change is fast, while in others it is sudden and unexpected. If your industry changes very slowly, you are lucky because your data remains relevant for relatively longer.
You can use your own data or partner up with a data management firm. Either way, you need to make sure that all the information you have is up-to-date and relevant to your current marketing requirements.
‘Keep Them Warm’
Do not place limits on identifying and reaching out to your target audience. It is crucial that you are regularly in touch with members of your target audience, i.e., your prospects. In the world of sales, we say: “Keep your leads warm.”
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Interesting related article: “What is Digital Marketing?“