How to choose the target group you are addressing?

If you have embarked on an adventure called “writing online” or “posting on social media”, the two most common questions that arise and to which you must have a ready answer are: 

• What is your niche? 

• Who is your target audience? 

On the topic of niches I will write a different blog post because one is too small to answer all the questions that arise, the target group you are addressing deserves more attention at this moment. 

You will be in line with the ones who read your content or buy your products. Make your posts relevant and direct, call your audience to action, and make the right move, such as hiring you or buying your products. 

Let's start from the beginning - what is the target group? 

If you have done the research, the target group is the one you focus on your hypothesis, questionnaire/survey, research methodology. 

If you are preparing a marketing campaign, the target group is a certain number of people who are the central motive to which your activities are directed, which will lead to the desired results, such as clicking, buying, leaving data to send a newsletter, etc.… 

One of the conditions that facilitate work markers is that members of the target group have the same or similar interest or field of interest, and their system of interest revolves around this point. 

One of the posts I use as a source mentions a platform for creating illustrations, for example, Canva, which has teachers as one of the target groups, since they need to make a presentation, and/or new teaching units in a visually acceptable way. That’s why Canva offers options for creating a variety of content of visual additions and in ways that are acceptable to work with. 

On the other hand, another type of target group is marketers, who find Canva useful in creating content for the various social networking platforms used to communicate with their target group. 

Why is it important to define the target group? 

The amount of time and money invested in paid campaigns is measured by the number of clicks and actions taken by those to whom your activities are directed. If there is no feedback from the target group, consider the time and money invested as a missed opportunity. 

Before embarking on a paid campaign, you need to be aware of a few things and ask yourself questions, because the answers to them will help you be more successful in promoting the campaigns you implement: 

• Find a specific area of ​​interest of your target group, if you meet their needs, your campaigns will have more effect; 

• By selecting a target group, you can fund your campaigns with more focus and determine your goals and expected results more precisely; 

• By recognizing the target group, you can more easily communicate your brand, which you have built on their sphere of interest. 

• Communication through precise messages, allows you to build a loyal audience, which communicates with you and raises visibility on social networks of your brand, product, or service. 

How to find the target audience? 

• Check first what do you have? 

• What is your product, to whom do you offer it, what do customers get by buying products, services, your goods? 

• Do you already have at least some critical mass, from which you can start? 

There are a few things you can do before you start advertising your product: 

• Check the demographics available on social networks, research on social media profiles (Facebook is for the older target group, Instagram for the younger, TikTok is the most dynamic…)

• All social networks employ algorithms that recommend when and what kind of content to publish. 

• Creating a “Byer persona” can help develop your campaign strategy and your brand’s communication with the target group. 

Izvor: Pixabay

Forget about spontaneity here, because randomly publishing everything that comes to your mind - "doesn't work" anymore. To avoid chaos in your posts, plan your activities and create product content posts to engage your audience and awaken their engagement. 

Leave spontaneity for the look of your illustrations, let them be light, gentle, romantic… 

To determine who you are addressing, consider the following questions and try to find answers to them (print these questions as a checklist, it would be easier when you cross them one by one):

 

1. Who is your current target group?

Who is already following you and reacting to your posts? This way you can find an audience and determine gender, age, location, and interests according to your offer. 

2. What content do they follow? What is the most common content they react to what's new, price, discounts? Do they come back to your profiles because they are useful or fun to them? 

Depending on what gets the most reaction on social media, you can plan your strategy and create your posts. 

3. What does the audience get from the information they read on your site or social media profiles? How does it benefit from your content? 

It is also important where they usually stay with the information they receive from you and whether they share it further or leave after reading from your site. One of the tasks of each of your campaigns is to engage the target group and share your content. That is why it is useful for the amount of content to be measured, published at the time when the target audience is there, on the channels that they usually follow. 

4. What does your audience like or dislike? Do you communicate with them? 

When a customer sees that his attitude has been heard, that something has changed after he has made a suggestion or criticism, he will know that he is appreciated and respected.  It can restore brand awareness because the target group is aware that the brand respects their opinion. Ask them, ask for comments and ratings, do or do something to show that their ratings have changed, and get a loyal audience coming back to your products. 

It is also important to respond to every mention of others on social networks because that is how you build the reputation of your business, brand, and product. 

Adapt content to different platforms 

Remember we already wrote that there is no spontaneity? 

The same is true with post planning. If you thought to post the same post on your brand's FB page and TikTok account, cancel immediately. 

• The target group is not the same in terms of demographic parameters. 

• The audience expects different content. 

• The audience communicates differently with the content on different platforms. 

If you are ready to build your brand and invest money in the strategy, take a little more time to adapt the content to different communication channels. In case you lack inspiration, here are some ways to prepare the content: 

• Take an A / B test, send different content to different segments (parts) of your target group. This way you can test the best time to post, the best way to provoke an audience reaction, whether it's by clicking on a link, share or buying your product. 

• Customize the content to the different stages of your sales funnel. Entertainment has more effect on parts of the target group that is in the awareness stage. Informative content is intended primarily for those who are in the consideration stage of your sales funnel. 

(You can read more about the stages of a sales funnel by clicking HERE. If you still think it deserves a special text on my blog, feel free to write to me?)

• Respect the opinion of your target group. Take content analysis seriously. And not just by statistical analysis, read direct messages, comments, and product ratings that customers leave on your page or profiles of your brand. Try to put yourself in "their shoes", predict the context from which they are writing to you. They will be more willing to engage if they notice that their opinion is valued and respected. 

The first step towards a better understanding of the term target group has been made. It remains for you to prepare well and start working on building your brand.

Good luck!

PS You can find a translated version in Serbian language on the link HERE.