How to identify the target audience of the company: methods, features and recommendations

How to make your product, product or service in demand? In the modern world, any financial expenditure, whether going to a supermarket, visiting a museum or relaxing at a resort, is perceived by people as an investment, which must necessarily solve a problem, generate income or have an ultimate goal. And the more attractive in terms of the result is this or that investment, the more money a person is willing to spend.

What is the target audience?

In order for your product to become a way for someone to achieve a real goal, you need to know how to identify the target audience. First, let's look at the essence of this concept.

The target audience is a set of potential consumers, that is, those people whose problem can be solved by your service or product. To more accurately determine the needs of a particular group, the whole aggregate of individuals is divided into segments by sex, age, social status and financial status.

When introducing a new product to the market, all manufacturers dream of making it popular and successful. But, unfortunately, very few people know how. To determine the target audience of the product means to lay the foundation, relying on which it will be possible to construct a reliable advertising campaign without any extra expenses.

Restrict or generalize?

When determining the target audience, many experts admit a common mistake. Unfortunately, it can have negative consequences. For example, they believe that a clear restriction of a certain group of people as a target audience and orientation of the promotion policy only on them will expose the product to the risk of losing consumers who could make a spontaneous purchase.

But this is a myth. To date, the share of casual purchases on the market is extremely low. Its percentage is steadily falling, which is explained by the decrease in the incomes of the population and, accordingly, by the more precise planning of costs. That is why it is very important how to correctly identify the target audience, and competently orient the promotion on it.

Characteristics of the target audience

Knowing the basic characteristics and criteria will help to understand without any problems how to determine the target audience . Such a group of people has the following characteristics:

• Interest. People should be interested in the product, look for information. It is difficult to sell a car to someone who does not know how to drive and is not going to learn.
• Ability to purchase. The group to which the promotional message is oriented should have the means to purchase and have the need to accomplish it.
• Willingness to change loyalty to the current seller when providing marketing pressure. Fanatical adherents of the brand can not be interested in even the most irony of arguments. In order to respond to your message, the buyer should be ready for dialogue.

The correct definition of the target audience implies its compliance with all three parameters at the same time, since an interested consumer who is ready to move from a competitor to you may simply not have sufficient financial capacity. Or, on the contrary, to have money and need a product, but to be a strict adherent of another brand.

More criteria!

The second, no less common mistake, allowed in the process of identifying the target groups, is the inadequacy of the criteria used. To correctly identify and take into account the needs of a certain person, it is not enough to know his age, place of residence and sex.

Inside one age group, there may be consumers with diametrically opposite passions, different psychological characteristics and a way of life. The deeper your immersion into the world of potential buyers, the more you will learn about them. And you better understand what their problems you can solve.

Ask yourself the right questions

For a clearer idea of how to determine your target audience, experienced professionals recommend making a list of questions. Responding to them in detail, you will be able to fully imagine the end user and find the shortest way to him.

1. Determine the gender of your consumer, decide for whom you are producing your product. Winter shoes can be created for both sexes, but for ladies it will be elegant boots, and for men - practical shoes.
2. Identify the age category of the people you work for. Try not to be sprayed. The sharper the border, the more precise the direction of the sending. Model winter boots with a thin hairpin are unlikely to suit older women, and teenagers prefer sneakers even in winter.
3. In which area do your customers live? And if they use your products, how? Determine the target audience of the goods is much easier if you understand that leather warmed winter boots are good for the city in the middle band, and boots for the village of the far north.
4. What is the potential buyer doing ? Where and in what position does it work? From the level of education and social status of a person directly depends on his motivation in the decision-making process. A wealthy lady head can easily decide on buying a second and even a third pair of winter boots, while the trolleybus driver will barely have enough money and imagination for one outgoing footwear for each season.
5. What excites your consumer? What are his problems? Does he want to dress warmer in winter? And maybe, to become more stylish? Or just comfortable and comfortable feel good shoes in a slushy winter? The answers to these questions are also important.

Create a description

After answering the questions, make a description of the consumer. Analyze the lifestyle of your addressee: where does he go, what TV shows he watches? Rides in the car and listens to the radio? Or maybe he reads an advertisement on the rear window of a trolleybus? In which restaurants does he drive his wife, what kind of movies does he enjoy watching with children?

A detailed story about the person for whom you created your product will quickly help you understand: where and what kind of advertising it is worth placing, in which news blocks to insert a video with promotion. And also where to put the booklet: in the mail box or on the table of the nearest beauty salon. Are you still wondering how to identify the target audience? Then we consider special cases.

Identify the audience

The organization of own business, especially at the initial stage, requires from it not only material, but also intellectual expenses. And not in the last place, along with the ability to correctly compose a business plan and develop a development strategy, there is such a need as to determine the target audience of the company. That is, understand to whom your efforts will be directed.

A feature of determining the target audience of the company is the choice between the individual buyer and the business as a consumer. The analysis of the first group is more complicated. The market, on which it is oriented, is subject to significant fluctuations, and, therefore, is characterized by low stability. The choice of the second segment as the target audience is less lability, but it requires significant development costs.

Target audience for the site

Specificity of determining the target audience of the Internet resource consists in a clear understanding of who and for what purpose this or that content may be of interest. When developing a website promotion strategy, it is important to take into account not only the gender, age and income level of potential users of the resource, but also the operating system and the browser that they use. And such a factor, as a place of residence, on the contrary, will not be of paramount importance.

Features of promoting Internet resources dictate the need for a more thorough study of the interests of the audience. But, on the other hand, they provide an opportunity to attract so-called casual consumers. For example, by promoting on-demand "self-repair car", you will bring to your site not only representatives of your target audience, but also users who have entered "car repair" or "self-repair" as a request.

Another method that will help you quickly navigate in how to determine the target audience of the site will be the use in the planning of promotion of key phrases with low and medium frequency and competitiveness. In order to maximally specify your group, do not use a comprehensive "window". Choose, for example, "wooden windows with double-glazed windows".

How to determine the target audience of the service?

Identifying the target audience is a time-consuming process that requires special education and significant experience. The success of an advertising campaign depends on how well and efficiently the potential consumers are identified and how their needs are detailed and taken into account. And the return on the funds invested in the promotion.

In addition, knowledge of how to identify the target audience and analyze the behavioral characteristics of the group will provide an opportunity to create a service that best solves the problems of consumers and surpass the capabilities of competitors. In addition, you can predict the change in buying preferences. And also the behavioral characteristics of the target audience. On the basis of this, the manufacturer will correct the promotion features in time. He will have the opportunity to identify and apply the most effective motivation, allowing to influence the decision by the addressee to make a purchase decision.