When it comes to sales, to really be successful you have to understand who you’re selling to.  Why is this so important?  Because everyone is not your customer.  Defining target audience is the foundation of a successful marketing strategy.

The better you understand who your customers are, the better you’ll be able to market to them and ultimately dominate your market.  As your level of understanding of just who your customers are, the more you’ll be able to adjust your strategy.  Once you really home in on your target audience, you’re sure to see a higher Return on Investment (ROI).  You’re not looking to ostracize anyone, but rather to market to those who are simply more likely to convert to a customer.

Who Is Your Target Audience?

Now that we’ve talked about why identifying your target audience is important, let’s talk about the how.  How do you go about identifying your target audience?  If you’ve been in the business for a little while, then you already probably have an idea who exactly your customer is.  If you’re just getting started, keep an open mind and start by looking at who your competitor is targeting. 

Who is Your Current Client?

A great first step to identifying who your target audience is, is to compile data on who your current customers are.  What do your current customers have in common?  When you compile this information, you don’t need to get uber specific, but would rather place them in groupings or brackets.  Some demographics you may want to consider breaking your existing customers into are:

Age: Again, you don’t need to get overly specific, but rather break them down into groups.  For instance, 18-24; 25-34; 35-44; 45-54; 55+ or something similar.  When you’re advertising on social media, you’re able to get pretty specific in the demographics you select for targeting.

Location: Are your current clients local to you?  Or are they spread across the U.S.?  Are there certain areas more prevalent than others? When determining location, you should also take into account time zones. If your target audience is in another time zone than you, consider shifting your marketing to times when they are most active.

Language: Never make assumptions - especially about whether your customers speak the same language as you.

Spending Powers: How much spending power do your current clients have?  Do they have a larger or smaller disposable income? Knowing this can help you more effectively market your products or services.

Interests:  Outside of using your products or services, what other interests do your customers have? What businesses are they interacting with on social media?  Think of it like this: If you are selling a product or service geared towards pet owners, your clients may also like pages for pet friendly restaurants, dog parks, hiking, groomers, pet sitting, etc.

Stage of Life: Are your customers new parents?  Are they getting ready to retire?  Are they college students?

For those in the B2B industry, your categories may differ slightly.  When identifying B2B clients, you may want to consider collecting information on the size of their company, the titles of those in a position to make decisions, etc.  However, remember that even CEOs are humans and so those demographics listed above may still be relevant, especially for social media marketing.

Check Your Analytics

Another great place to find some key information is in analytics.  Google Analytics can help you identify what technology they’re using (are they using desktops or mobile devices), what time and day of the week users are accessing your website most, what pages interest them most, etc.  Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter all allow insights into how your followers interact with your business page.

Who is Your Competition Targeting?

It’s not cheating to check out the competition.  Who are they targeting?  Who is interacting with their social media pages?  Knowing this can help you answer some key questions such as identifying whether you’re targeting the same market segments and how they’re positioning themselves.  You won’t be able to get as detailed of information as you can from your own insights and analytics, but it’s a great starting point for those just diving in and to ensure that you’re on the right track in your own approach.

Having a clear understanding of who you’re selling to can help you greatly improve your ROI and ultimately save you time and money not to mention a few headaches.  You’ll want to run through this process periodically to ensure your marketing efforts remain effective.  People change and the economy plays a huge role in buyers' spending power.  So, don’t be afraid to review for accuracy.

SalesGig creates seamless lead generation with limitless opportunities by connecting companies with referral partners.  Sign-up today and Get Connected.