Are You Reaching Your Target Audience? 6 Ways to Ensure You Are

Many marketers think that if they can just create the perfect ad campaign, they can exceed their sales goals, get their brand in front of the right people, and improve their entire business. You may find yourself constantly investing in new strategies or looking for new ways to create high-value content that will attract your audience. Unfortunately, there's just one problem: you can have the greatest ad campaign ever created, with the highest dollar production value, but if you aren't reaching the right people, it's falling on deaf ears.

Do you really know your target audience and where to find them?

How much do you really understand about your target audience?

1. Do you know their pain points?

What problems do they struggle with every day? How can your company solve these problems? A pest control company, for example, knows that their target audience likely struggles with specific types of pests or infestations. A restaurant, on the other hand, is looking for a target audience who is hungry--and has a craving for just the type of food they can provide. 

2. Do you know what platforms they are present on?

What social media platforms do they use? If they have leisure time, what types of content do they scroll through? Gen Z, for example, tends to prefer Instagram. On the other hand, millennials tend to prefer Facebook to any other platform.

3. Do you understand their viewing habits?

What shows do they watch? When do they watch them? Are they likely to watch the news, or do they prefer leisure content? What about lifestyle programs: which ones do they most often watch?

4. Do you have a solid understanding of what grabs their attention?

As you advertise on these key platforms, you also need to understand what type of content will engage your target audience. Do they respond to humor? Serious content? Information? 

5. Do you know what they need to complete a purchase?

You don't just want to grab your target audience's attention. You want to propel them to finish their purchase. For example, you might realize that your target audience needs a discount code to finalize a purchase, or that they respond to content showing how other users have fared thanks to your products. 

6. What insights do you have into their lifestyle?

You might, for example, know about your target demographic's specific buying habits, income levels, or leisure activities. Provide content that speaks to that information. 

How to Reach Your Target Audience 

You can choose from a wide range of platforms when marketing your business. You may want to explore:

• Email marketing, both through your own email lists and through a media partner's
• OTT, which will allow you to reach consumers who watch specific programs regardless of when they connect
• Running your commercials on the right channels 
• What type of programming you want to advertise alongside
• Partnering with specific events or initiatives in the community through guerilla marketing

The better you know your target audience, the more you can focus on methods that will allow you to reach them where they are. For example, if you know that your target audience is likely to support a specific local charity, your support of that charity could improve your audience's appreciation of your business. Likewise, if you know that your audience is likely to watch a specific lifestyle segment, you might consider sponsoring that segment or even appearing on it. 

As you consider your target audience and their needs, make sure that you do not narrow it too far. If you create an extremely narrow target profile, you may discover that it significantly limits the number of potential customers you can bring to your business. On the other hand, if you have a wider look at your target audience and create your ads accordingly, you may be able to reach a wider pool of potential consumers. Save your extreme targeting for segmented social media and email ads. TV does a great job of pushing people into the buying funnel. It allows you to reach a wider audience, extend your reach, and, in many cases, find customers you might not previously have considered part of your target audience. 

Time to Get Started

In order to make the most of your advertising campaign, it's critical to make sure that your marketing is actually reaching the right people. If you don't understand your target audience, including their pain points, where they spend their time, and the type of programming they watch on a regular basis, you may be casting a wide net that fails to reach the members of your ideal target audience. Luckily, you do not have to research and understand your target audience alone. By working with an experienced media partner, you can develop a stronger understanding of your target audience and get your brand in front of the right people at the right time.