Talking to?

Marketing Material

Have you ever come across marketing material that feels like it’s speaking directly to you? That’s the kind of reaction your brochures, social media posts, and ads should aim for when promoting your business.

However, if you don’t know who your target audience is, it becomes challenging to create a tailored message that speaks to them specifically. When you try to reach everyone instead of honing in on the people who are most likely to work with or buy from you, your message can become diluted and not stand out. Some of our clients truly freak out when we talk to them about this, usually the ones that freak out are those that have just started their business and understandably they want sales. We always say “anyone” or “everyone” is not your target audience. The truth is trying to focus on talking to everyone will result in few people even listening at all.

The Target Audience.

Your target audience/ buyer personas/ideal client means the group of individuals who are most interested in your products or services, and it’s important to understand their specific characteristics. These may include behaviors and demographics that unite them as a cohesive group. By understanding your target market on a deep level, you can craft marketing messages that resonate with them specifically. While broad categories like entrepreneurs or mums can provide an initial starting point, it’s necessary to dig much deeper for best results. Don’t fear getting highly specific with your targeting efforts. Think about characteristics such as geographical, demographical, pyschological and behavioural.

It’s important to remember that individuals outside of your targeted demographic may still purchase from you – they simply are not who you are focussed on talking to directly.

We have a whole process for helping you with this plus converts the understanding into content creation pillars. There are heaps of free youtube video’s and other resources. Here’s some starting tips.

Look at characteristics of your existing customers (or if about to start think about your dream/ideal clients and list their characteristics)

While your current customer base may appear to come from different backgrounds, it’s likely they have some similarities or common interests. If you have the resources you can also do a survey of your existing customers to help you understand them better. Identifying these shared characteristics can help you better tailor your messages to them and attract new customers who share similar traits or passions.

Assess your social media followers.

What type of people follow your social media accounts? Does it differ across different social media platforms? Which types of posts do they engage with the most?

Examine some of your competitors.

Assess their website, ads (where do they advertise) marketing material and social media. Who do you feel they are targeting? What social media platforms are they on? Is their messaging and intended audience similar to yours or different.

Define who your target isn’t.

Knowing who you don’t serve is just as important. If you only cater for a specific geographical area for example you will want to make that clear in your marketing material. Write them all down.

Final thoughts.

I will use my first business as an example. When I first started it (no social media) I was targeting ANYONE (I just wanted people to come to class!) that lived in the area where I had my yoga studio. This fine as a starting point but as time went on I got smarter about my marketing and targeting specific types of people that would benefit from the style of yoga and yoga therapy that I offered. Surprise Surprise! I got way more clients the more specifically I spoke to my ideal clients.

Small businesses often say they don’t have time to consider this however knowing who you are as a brand and who you are doing it for means you avoid a lot of pain, money and time. Defining your brand and identifying your target audience can be a daunting task for some, but that’s why we exist and who we serve! By using a process we have developed over the years, we can assist you in defining your brand and target audience to creating your content strategy for maximum impact. Our team is well-equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to guide you through this process seamlessly. We’ll work closely with you every step of the way so that together we can create content that resonates with your clients while also reflecting your brand identity accurately.