NEWS

The age-old saying holds true: if you try to appeal to everyone, you end up appealing to no one. Who is your business targeting as its audience? It is difficult to create a brand that truly connects with the right audience without a specific customer in mind.

The key to creating a thriving brand and business is to have a thorough comprehension of your target audience.

In this article, we will explore the reasons behind its significance and provide tips on developing ideal customer profiles that will attract your desired clients to your business.

The importance of identifying your target audience

A significant portion of the brand strategy stage involves getting to know who your brand is targeting. Without a clear understanding of who will be purchasing your product or benefiting from your services, it will be challenging to attract customers.

And let’s face it, without customers you have no business.

As an example when marketing anti-aging skincare items, it can be stated that the target demographic is women aged 30 to 65. However, this is a generalisation and designing a brand for such a large group may not be effective. Each woman in this age range will have unique characteristics that differentiate them from one another.

When defining your target audience, it is important to envision a specific individual who will embody one of your ideal customers. 

Begin by creating a persona for this customer.

• What is their occupation?
• Where do they live?
• How much do they earn in a year?
• What is their current relationship status?

Who is your intended audience?

Similar to how a marketing firm conducts research on the target demographic for a campaign, a new brand must also comprehend its target audience to effectively attract the appropriate customers.

To effectively reach your target audience of women aged 30 to 65, begin conducting surveys among individuals in this demographic. Begin with general questions like the ones mentioned previously, and gradually delve into more specific inquiries. 

What factors impact your choice to purchase specific items?

• How do you take care of your skin?
• What is your price range for skincare products?
• Do you have a particular brand that you are loyal to?
• Where do you usually purchase your products?
• Is online shopping something you do?

Customer profiles creation

When collaborating with new clients for branding, a frequent challenge we face is reminding them that their goal is not to appeal to their own business. Instead, they must adopt the perspective of their customer. To attract the desired clientele, it is crucial to understand their thought process.

Developing customer profiles is the most effective method for keeping specific individuals in mind during the growth of your brand and business. By putting yourself in their position, it alters your approach to your business strategy, enabling you to tailor your messaging, products, and services to cater to their needs and lifestyle. 

What is the ideal number of customer profiles to create?

To effectively target your business’s various customer segments, it would be beneficial to develop a profile for each one. These profiles should include personal details as well as information on their behaviours, objectives, motivations, and challenges. A potential template for a customer profile could resemble the following:

Personal details

• Age
• Gender
• Relationship status
• Education level
• Profession
• Location
• Salary

Lifestyle and behaviours

• What are their hobbies?
• Which social media platforms do they hang out on?
• Where do they shop?
• Do they shop online?

What motivates them?

• Do they prioritise environmental consciousness?
• What are their core values?
• What is their decision-making process?
• How do they spend their money?
• Is convenience something that holds importance to them?

What are their pain points?

• What obstacles do they encounter?
• What could improve their quality of life?

Gaining insight into your online target audience 

Armed with your customer profiles, you can now generate content that will engage them. This process starts with your website, a gold mine of audience data, guaranteeing it contains information that they will find valuable and actively search for. It also involves designing it in a manner that is easy for each of your target customers to navigate. Google Analytics can help you track the performance of different website pages and topics, as well as tracking the performance of user behaviour,  platforms such as Crazyegg, Hotjar and Mouseflow are specialist in the latter.

Be aware of the social media platforms utilised by your audience and understand their usage patterns. Your customer profiles should include information about the specific social media platforms they use. For instance, if the target audience for a skincare company mainly consists of Facebook users, you can tailor your content specifically for that platform. This saves you the effort of creating content for other platforms, such as LinkedIn, which may not reach your target audience.

Knowing where your audience will come across your content, what kind of valuable content can you offer them? What type of content will connect with them? This can vary from the types of lead magnets you provide to the marketing campaigns you implement.

If your intended demographic is not inclined to make online purchases, it is important to advertise in-store offerings. It is essential to have a thorough understanding of what your target audience will react positively to in order to avoid wasting time and money on advertising that does not cater to their preferences and habits.

Dedicating time to fully comprehend your target audience is crucial in laying a solid foundation for your business. Utilising ideal customer profiles will serve as a guide for your business ventures, whether it be promoting, launching a new product, or offering a service. If you’re prepared to do that work, you can gain a real advantage over your competitors.

For more information on how to attract the right audience for your business contact us at jake@jccreativesolutions.co.uk or call us on 07968 112871.

In the meantime why not download our FREE Customer Profile Template