Why defining your Target Audience will make you more money

You talkin’ to me?

No really, who are you talking to? If the customers you’re envisioning are ambiguous grey shapes or a faceless sea of people, stop what you’re doing; we’ve got some work to do!

You need a target audience: a specific group of people that you’re selling your product or service to. Why? Because you most likely are not the only person on the planet offering your product or service. There’s probably a bunch of others in your state, city and even neighbourhood. So how do you get your dream customers to notice you? To choose you? You cut through the noise and speak so clearly to them that they have to stop what they’re doing and listen.

Psst… at the bottom of this post you’ll find a gift that is really gonna help 😉  

Why narrow down my audience?

It may seem counterintuitive to narrow down your target audience and reduce your potential client market. However, if you try to appeal to everyone, your message can become too general and broad to appeal to anyone. There is a cacophony of noise on the internet, and personalising your messaging allows you to cut through to potential customers and make them feel as though you are speaking directly to them. Communicating to a specific target audience on a deeper level will translate into a much more successful business and a closer connection to your client base.

As Maya Angelou says, “When you speak to everyone, you speak to no-one.”

The aim is to really understand what your potential client wants or needs, and to be able to provide the perfect solution in a way that’s unique to you. Asking questions such as: Who are they? What do they need? What is their problem or ‘pain point’? How do you help your client overcome this? Tailoring your messaging in line with these answers will move you towards your target audience. Ideally, you want to attract the type of people you want to sell to or work with. So many hard yards go into building a business, and you deserve to reward yourself with beautiful clients.

Creating an avatar

No, no – not the very blue but still very good-looking Sam Worthington. In the business world an avatar refers to your perfect customer. It’s a constructed person, complete with backstory; a personality, life history and interests. Invoking a ‘real’ human as your target audience will help you speak directly to them (and people just like them). Get to know their wants and needs, what will appeal to them and what their pain points are. This clarity will positively influence every area of your business, improving the products and services you offer and determining the direction of your branding and marketing.

To create your ideal customer avatar, you can use an existing client who was a dream to work with, and if you’re new to the game, you could imagine your dream client instead. Fill out a profile with their age, gender, location, job — even how old their children are!

Once your ideal customer has an outline, you can colour them in with their personality. Give them interests, hobbies, and values. Determine what their goals and aspirations are, what their challenges or pain points are. What are their fears, what are their buying motivations and what are their buying concerns?

An easy way to answer all these questions is to find your ideal customer and ask them! If you’re feeling a little shy, you can opt for some good old-fashioned research. Use online forums and blogs to understand the questions people are asking, what information they want and what they are having trouble with in relation to the product or service you are offering. You can also look to a leader in your field and check the comments that are left on their websites or blogs as well.

How to use your avatar

Assembling all of this information into a fully-realised person allows your business to cater to their needs. You can also determine if your target audience is different from your competitors’, and leverage any distinction as your point of difference. Once your target audience is clear, you can direct your marketing through the most effective channels in order to reach them. Start your next social media post calling out your target audience, for example: “Calling all Interior Designers!” and see if you notice a difference in engagement. Then send me a message and let me know the result! Your website is also the perfect place to speak directly to your target audience, helping them to feel seen and understood which builds trust in you – and if you need help with that – check out my website services over here!

And guess what?! I’ve already created a Brand Strategy Simplified workbook for you that will help you nail your Avatar, and you can download for FREE right HERE: