No one can start a business if they don’t know where to find the people most likely to be interested in their products or services. You need people to spend money on your company, but you can’t just start marketing to almost anyone.
You need to know who your audience is and where you can find them. That’s easier said than done, though, and you might not even be sure about who would be interested in your brand.
So how do you reach out to your audience and make sure that you’re speaking to the right people? Where do you find them and what’s the best way to approach them?
Work Out Who Your Audience Is
You can’t find your audience if you don’t know who they are. You might think you know who you want to approach, but sometimes your audience chooses you, instead of you choosing them.
To start defining your target audience, you need to ask some questions about your brand.
- What problems does your product or service solve?
- If you have current customers, who are they?
- Who is your competition, and what does their typical customer look like?
These will all help you get going with defining your target audience. You can find useful resources and research to help you get deeper insights.
Tap into Direct Mailing and Telemarketing Lists
Once you know who your target audience is, you need to know how to get in touch with them. Some marketing methods are more direct, often referred to as outbound marketing, while others (inbound marketing) are more subtle and less disruptive.
While many businesses now favour inbound marketing, outbound marketing still has an important role. Direct mail and telemarketing can both be effective. And you can easily find useful lists to help you get in touch with the right people.
Lists like timeshare owner leads can help you contact certain groups of people that fit your customer profile. You can get really specific if you know your audience well.
Target Your Audience on Social Media
Social media is one of the best places to find your audience, but you need to be familiar with the different platforms. The first way to perfect your targeting is to choose the best platform for your audience.
If you’re looking for people over 50, Snapchat isn’t likely to be the best choice. However, Facebook will provide you with more opportunities to reach the best people.
Social media platforms offer advertising opportunities, which allow you to target your posts so that they’re likely to be seen by specific people. For example, on Facebook, you can target by age, location, interests, and more.
Go Where They Go
As well as social media, there are other places where your audience spend their time. By seeking these out, you can put your brand in front of them. Some of the spaces might be online, like blogs that they enjoy reading. Others could be out in the real world, including events that they might attend. Follow your audience around to convince them that they need you.
Finding your target audience isn’t too difficult, but you need to define your audience first. Find out who they are and then you can work out where they are.
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