Let's talk target market!
Did your parents ever tell you that the quality of your friends matters more than the quantity? We are firm believers in our relationships as business owners with our clients. In our case, our clients are the ones we create for. They’re the ones we dream with and the ones who inspire us to grow in our talents.
Depending on your business, your clients may be the ones who take your courses or order custom-made products from you. In any case, the business-client relationship is an important one. For this and many other reasons, it’s essential to reach your target market.
This audience of people is who will benefit most from your services. They will also relate to your “why,” believe in your purpose, and have a deeper investment in your mission. Don’t cast a net that seeks to catch anyone and everyone! Your efforts are better spent finding the right customers. Understanding your target audience is a process, and we’re here to help! We have boiled this down to 6 steps to help you attract your target audience. Ultimately, this gains more brand loyalty and generates more qualified leads. If you’re ready to start casting your net the right way, keep reading!
Start With Why
Attracting your target market starts with you! It’s essential to dive deep into your motivations, passions, and “why.” This step should come before identifying who will benefit the most from your business. Defining your “why” showcases the drive behind your business existence in the first place. It also communicates what you hope to achieve. If you can’t articulate your passion and inspiration, it’s going to be difficult at best to communicate this to your audience.
As we’ve spoken on in the past, authenticity and vulnerability are core to achieving success regarding your “why.” Work to understand these significant parts of your business. Then, you can have a more precise and focused idea of what type of customers are fit for your services.
For example, let’s take a look at REI. REI is a well-known outdoor co-op. Their core purpose is to “…inspire, educate and outfit for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship.” Their statement tells their audience what they do and why they do it. It’s clear that their “why” is locked down. They infuse this purpose into everything they do, including an intriguing Black Friday campaign. This campaign called for people to “opt outside” instead of spending time shopping as is typical.
REI owns their “why” and embraces transparency about what matters. Because of this, they attract customers who sincerely believe in the same mission. The transparency builds brand loyalty and ensures they gain customers who identify with and benefit from REI’s more significant purpose. Ultimately, the better grasp you have on the “why” behind your business, the better you can identify and serve your target market.
Build Your Brand
Essential to your overall business and especially your connection with your audience is the process of building your brand. If you haven’t already focused on your branding, the time is now! Your brand is more than just the colors or logo you choose. As we point out in our blog on rebranding, the visual aspects of a brand are essential. However, a brand isn’t going to go far without including the mission behind what makes your business tick.
That is why we suggest starting with your “why” then moving on to your brand. Your brand influences everything from the content you post to the images you design for your site. Your brand is the voice of who you are- not just what you do. Customers who feel more loyal to your brand will often do so based on the customer service you provide, how you tell your story, and how you choose to interact.
Your brand is how you engage and interact; for example, how you respond to customer concerns and what you decide to post on social media. Look at your spending habits. It probably isn’t surprising that the brand often influences what customers come their way. Aim for your branding to focus on your overall mission and your authenticity. With this focus, you are more likely to draw in customers from your target market. Those customers who relate to your brand voice are the ones who identify with your mission. They are more likely to connect with and benefit from your overall business.
Create a User Persona
To sell a product or a service, you have to show up in a way that speaks to your ideal client. You have to know your ideal client and be where your target market is. Just like with friends and family, the relationship between your business and your audience will strengthen the more you know each other.
This is where a user persona comes into play. According to Adobe, “user personas are archetypical users whose goals and characteristics represent the needs of a larger group of users.”
Creating a user persona allows you to understand better the people’s needs, desires, and interests in your target audience. This persona includes behaviors, background information, goals, and more. At Molo, we create a “person.” They have personalities, characteristics, struggles, questions they seek answers for, and things they excel in. A user persona helps you understand an individual in your target audience. Ultimately, this enables you to strategize and work more intentionally when speaking to your target market. Are you struggling to speak to or reach your target audience? Start with a user persona. Create a story for an individual that would be interested in your product or service, speak to them, and watch how this helps reach your target market.
Compose Clear Messaging and a Thoughtful Call to Action
Once you’ve established the user persona of your target audience, it’s time to start communicating! How you choose to compose messages to your audience impacts how they see your business overall. Your messaging has the potential to do more than tell about your business. Clear, intentional messaging is the vehicle with which you tell the story of your business, your brand, and your connection to your audience. Since you now understand who you’re speaking to, make sure your messaging appeals to that person!
What are their desires, passions, and dreams? You should now utilize the information that you gathered in your user persona to tell your story. Tell it in a way that not only engages your audience but drives them to action! Whether you’re writing a social media post or a blog for your website, a call to action, or CTA, is a necessary part of the process. While the messaging tells the story, a call to action spurs your target audience on to what’s next. A CTA should ultimately move people through your sales funnel and, with strategic messaging, ensure the people in that funnel are qualified leads.
Take, for example, the video ad from Volvo. Volvo isn’t concerned with selling the audience why they should buy their cars throughout this short film. Instead, Volvo uses the ad as an opportunity to tell the stories of some of their customers, which no doubt will hit home with many viewing the video. The storytelling brings the “why” behind Volvo’s mission to life. It isn’t just about cars–it’s about the lives people live inside of their vehicles. Similarly, your business has the potential to tell a captivating story and include a call to action that helps your audience take the next step.
Focus on Your Customer
Using the example above, Volvo does a great job focusing on the customer. In the end, your business is about the people. Your customers are real people, and people are attracted to real-life stories they can connect with and relate to. To relate to your customers in this way, it’s important to remember to remain authentic. It’s tempting to try and “fit the mold” of other existing businesses. However, what sets you apart from those businesses will help you focus on your customer and reach your ideal clients. So what happens when you shed the expectations and focus on authenticity?
First, this enables you to connect with your customers more emotionally. Whether this looks like telling stories about how you dreamed up your business or posting polls to get to know your customers better, this allows room for you to focus on the personal side of the connection. As Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it and what you do simply proves what you believe.”
Next, it’s obvious but worth noting that the more authentically you can share, the more relatable your customers will find you. When a business owner shares how their product assists them daily, it is a powerful complement to customer reviews. Suddenly, there’s a face behind the business and a relatable connection that inspires your customers to purchase, which ultimately helps to attract more ideal clients.
Lastly, the more you know your audience, the more it will guide what you provide them, from solutions to specific products. When you’re connecting authentically, you have more of an inside look at what your customers value, desire, and need. This helps shape what content you post, what you take on as a business, and how you help meet your customers’ needs. Focusing on your customers helps narrow down your focus and ensure you’re giving attention to what truly matters.
Provide Consistent Quality Content
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again–quality over quantity! This is true of most things in life and especially true for content. Instead of worrying over producing more, spend your time and resources finding out what content matters most to your ideal client and serving them in this way.
People are much more likely to return to a source when the content it pushes is practical, engaging, and thought-provoking. There’s enough noise on the many feeds–let’s not add to it.
Identifying and connecting with your target market is a non-negotiable if you want long-term success. No matter what your business focuses on, there is an audience out there just waiting to discover what you have to offer. As you build your brand, create a user persona, focus on an individual rather than trying to reach a large population, and don’t forget to put your “why” at the forefront of all you do.
Utilizing these tips will ensure a robust and healthy connection that will help your audience grow along with your business. As always, we are ready to serve you. Our blog and social media contain plenty of free, helpful content to assist you in establishing and growing your business. If you’re ready for more one-on-one help, reach out today! Either way, we’re cheering you on, and we know you’ve got this!
