[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtlmVtrbkcI[/embedyt]
“A Jack of all trades, is a master of none”
“One cannot be all things to all people”.
What both of the above quotes are saying in essence is: Choose an area of expertise, as well as, who you serve in the marketplace!
In the highly competitive business world we now live in, gaining expertise in a specific area and having a specific group of people you target through your marketing, is highly important for your business success.
As a new start-up or small business, it is almost impossible to have a product or service that meets the needs of everyone. You must identify your target audience based on:
Demographics: Age, Gender, Level of education, Income, business type, etc
Psychographics: Hobbies, Interests, Lifestyle Choices, Desires, Pain Points, etc
In addition, You must learn How to reach this Target Audience Online.
Why? Because there are now over 3.7 billion people on the internet – almost half of the world population!
This week, I am answering questions from the Excel Woman Show , on: “How to Identify your Ideal Customer(s) and Market to them Online”
Question: Who are my Customers (Target Audience)?
Let’s talk about your target audience.
The individual, business or organisation that wants your product, has a keen interest in your product, as well as, the buying power to purchase your product, is your Target Audience! For example, If you design children’s clothing, part of your target audience will be parents of children of that particular age range, because they make the overall decisions and have the buying power to pay for your product.
Your target audience may also be other business owners, for example, I run a social media consultancy, so my target audience includes businesses who want to build their brand and business using social media. Also, governmental bodies and charitable organisations could be your audience too.
Whatever you do, make sure that your target audience exists and are easily identifiable.
Defining your target audience affords you the opportunity of knowing who you are speaking to, and becoming a master at serving that specific group of people.
You can define your audience by focusing on the following:
Who do you like working with or want to work with? Are they:
Individuals – Gender, age, income level, level of education, shopping habits, hobbies and so on
Businesses – Micro, small or medium-sized businesses; large corporates; start-ups or established businesses
Governmental organisations – Local, State, National or International level
Charity Organisations – Health, Economic, Education areas and so on
All these are very important because knowing your target audience will help you to accurately identify those who need your products and services and the avenue through which you can make these solutions (your products and / services) available to them so that they are willing to buy from you.
Be sure to research on your target audience, interview some people, check websites like Amazon and EBay for the books people are buying currently in your field of expertise, look at your competitors, what are they doing? If you have none, find out why?
Question: Where do I find my Customers (Target Audience)?
You need to determine which social media platform is right for your target audience.
There are various social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and more. As an example, I always say to my clients, if your business is very much based on people being able to see your products and services before buying from you, e.g. Caterers, bakers, decorators, florists, event planners, personal and fashion stylists, then Instagram is a great social media platform for you to promote your business on, because it is a highly-visual platform.
It is important that you think deeply about your target audience and the kind of content you will be sharing before choosing the social media platform or platforms you will be connecting with them on.
You may also choose more than one social media platform to market your business through. Again, I always advise my clients (especially sole proprietors), not to learn and newly start using more than two social media platforms for their business at the same time, except they have someone else helping them. The reason I say this is because, it can easily lead to overwhelm – learning to use various tools for your business at the same time, while still carrying on with other core business activities. What then happens is, you may spread yourself too thin, and end up not doing much or achieving any reasonable results from your social media efforts.
Start with two platforms, learn those platforms, share content on them, get to know your audience, get established on them before you move on to learn, and use more social media platforms to market your business if you wish.
One very important thing to share on Social Media is valuable content or information from your area of expertise – What tips and tricks do your target audience want to know? Which “How-to-information” can you make available to them? What value can you give your target audience that is going to make them want to follow you on social media? Sharing value on your area of expertise with your target audience is what will position you as their “go-to expert” in your field!
Remember to “Inspire, Educate and Entertain your target audience”
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