Why Understanding Your Audience is Crucial to Your Marketing Success
In marketing, there is a vital component that often determines the trajectory of success - understanding your target audience. Far beyond basic demographics, recognizing and responding to the needs and desires of your audience is the cornerstone upon which successful marketing strategies are built.
While demographics provide a surface-level understanding, it goes beyond age, gender and location. You need a detailed comprehension of your audience's characteristics, preferences, and behaviours. Businesses need to move beyond generalized assumptions and customize their strategies to resonate with the individuals they wish to engage.
By tailoring your products or services directly to your audience’s needs, and aligning with their interest and challenges, creating content becomes more relevant and compelling. Businesses can go beyond meeting expectations to surpassing them when they understand their target audience thoroughly.
As brands become attuned to the deeply rooted values of their audience, they not only secure loyalty but also build a community of advocates who champion the brand with genuine enthusiasm ultimately leading to building a stronger brand identity.
where to Start your research
So, now that we understand why we need to spend a lot of time researching our ideal clients. Let’s look at where you can find this information.
Visit forums where your customers - Reddit is a great resource,
Check out product reviews on - Amazon is great for this,
Visit Social Media pages: follow the comments, understand what their values are, and the questions they are asking,
Do a Google search. For example, do you want Copy written for a weight loss program? Search weight loss + pain points. What comes up?,
Look at your current audience (no matter the size). Conduct quarterly market research surveys from them. This could be as simple as a poll.
Questions to Ask Yourself While You Are Researching
What are their pain points?
What are they hoping to achieve?
How do they believe it will make them feel once they have gotten their desired result?
What would they love about this service?
Have they tried other similar services before? Why or why aren’t they using it anymore?
If someone is already using your product, what other challenges do they have that you can solve?
Consider what stage of the sales funnel is your audience in (unaware, aware, ready to purchase, etc.) Your messaging will change depending on where they sit in the funnel.
Thoroughly understand your own products/services. What are all the features of the product (i.e. What is it made out of? What are the ingredients?) then write a list of all the benefits. What will it do for your customer? Does it align with what your customer wants? Have a list of all the possible objections they may have to purchasing your product and be prepared to proactively address these objections.
Take the extra step to study the general market and understand your competition. Anticipate shifts to stay ahead so that you can pivot and adapt if need be. Businesses that prioritize ongoing research will be better suited to shape and influence market trends.
Once you’ve done the research - harness the data. This information has become a goldmine for your business, helping to guide you toward informed decision-making and strategic planning. Notice any trends or patterns that have come up in your findings. Translate the data into actionable insights, and if need be, refine your strategies, and optimize your approach to build a more meaningful connection with your audience.
Research on your target audience is not a one-time approach but an ongoing process. Consumer behaviours and preferences are always evolving, so you must commit to continuous observation so that you can be more responsive and better positioned to maintain a competitive edge.
The more effort, work and time you put into understanding your customers, products and market, the better the quality of results you will get from your marketing efforts and future promotions initiatives.
Something to consider:
While you have a deep understanding of your business, it can sometimes lead to a potential drawback as you are too close. It can create a barrier to crafting straightforward and effective copy. There’s the possibility that you may end up using jargon that the customer doesn't understand, and a confused customer doesn’t buy.
If you need support in executing this research or want to dive in to create your tailored Customer Avatar or Brand Voice Guide - Let’s talk!
