Do most businesses welcome everyone who comes through the door? Yes. Is that your target market? It shouldn't be.
Identifying your target isn't about excluding potential customers. It's simply a tool to help focus your marketing in a way that brings you the greatest ROI.
Specific is terrific
The more specific you can be in your messaging, the more effective it will be.
Tailoring your message to a specific audience allows you to speak more directly to them and craft content that resonates more deeply with their needs, values and desires.
It also allows you to be strategic and choose marketing channels that connect you to the people who are most likely to respond.
The combination of more compelling content + the places your target is more likely to be = increased likelihood of converting prospects into customers.
Identifying what matters to them
Market segments are usually grouped according to demographics including but not limited to gender, age group, occupation/income, and location. Often, they’re further segmented by behaviour/lifestyle and characteristics such as whether they have children, own or rent their home, drive a vehicle, as well as the pastimes they enjoy. There are countless factors depending on how niche your service or product is.
By identifying who your target audience is, you can consider why the customer should care about what you’re offering. This allows you to create an ad that focuses on want or need, how your product meets that, and the benefit to the customer.
Focused messages
Many businesses have more than just one target audience. Ideally, you'll have different marketing messages specifically for each segment of your target market.
For example, an optometrist clinic serves kids, the elderly, and everyone in between. “Focused on your eye health. Book your comprehensive eye exam today” states what the clinic does and very generally why it’s important.
In contrast, an ad meant for parents and guardians of young children could focus on how vision connects to a child’s ability to succeed and the importance of back-to-school exams. An ad for seniors might cover the role that routine exams play in the early detection of debilitating eye issues like age-related glaucoma.
By honing in on their separate needs, each ad’s message will resonate more deeply with its intended audience. While generic ads have their place, the ones that compel your potential customers to act will be the ads that speak specifically to them.
The spillover
It's important to note that ads targeting specific audiences can still reach people outside these segments. While they might not connect in the same way, your ads still build familiarity and trust beyond your target audience.
Get started
You probably already have a decent idea of who your target audience is. To help with getting more specific, the Canadian Marketing Assocation NXT site has this handy guide.
Reaching specific audiences requires writing different messaging, sourcing different images, and likely placing the ads in different and distinct places from each other.
It may at times require more budget, but every dollar of that budget is working harder to deliver you results.
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