{"id":55836,"date":"2023-01-02T06:00:31","date_gmt":"2023-01-02T11:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/?p=55836"},"modified":"2023-01-02T06:38:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T11:38:28","slug":"how-to-find-your-target-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sogolytics.com\/blog\/how-to-find-your-target-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"Target Audience 101: Find Your Ideal Customers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Regardless of the type of business you\u2019re running, it\u2019s important to figure out who your target audience is, as well as what makes them tick.<\/p>\n

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Why is this the case? If you want to be successful, you’ll need to tailor and market your products and services to meet the needs of your specific consumers, which requires understanding as much as possible about them.<\/p>\n

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In this article, we unpack all you need to know about target audiences<\/a> and walk you through how to identify your ideal customers.<\/p>\n

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Ready? Let\u2019s jump right in!<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s a target audience? How big or small should it be?<\/h2>\n

First and foremost, a target audience is defined as a group of consumers characterized by behavior and specific demographics.<\/p>\n

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In layman’s terms, it\u2019s a bunch of folks who act the same way and fall within the same demographics (they\u2019re similar in terms of ages, locations, etc.).<\/p>\n

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Now, you might be wondering\u2014how big or small can a target audience be?<\/p>\n

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Well, there\u2019s no clear-cut answer to that; it really depends on your company.<\/p>\n

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For example, if you\u2019re starting a brand selling beard products, then your target audience will be pretty niche\u2014you can only sell to bearded people.<\/p>\n

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However, if you\u2019re starting a running shoe brand, your target audience might be men and women between the ages of 25-45, who are interested in running or exercise. Obviously, in this case, you’re targeting a larger audience.<\/p>\n

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What are customer segments? How do you use them?<\/h2>\n

Continuing with the running shoe brand example: When you have different demographics of people<\/a> within your target audience, you can categorize each group of people into a segment.<\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re wondering how you should categorize or segment your audience, there are a few obvious ways to do it. For example, you can segment by age, location, or gender.<\/p>\n

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Target audience (segmented by gender<\/strong>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
Segment 1<\/td>\nSegment 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Men, ages 25-45, interested in running<\/td>\nWomen, ages 25-45, interested in running<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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However, that\u2019s not the only way to go about it. You can also segment by interests, subcultures, and more.<\/p>\n

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Target audience (segmented by interest<\/strong>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
Segment 1<\/td>\nSegment 2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Men and women, ages 25-45, interested in marathons<\/td>\nMen and women, ages 25-45, interested in short-distance running<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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In order to identify meaningful segments, you\u2019ll need to segment your customers based on the products they\u2019re likely to purchase.<\/p>\n

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For example, if you\u2019re selling stationery, it doesn\u2019t make sense to segment by gender. Both men and women can and do<\/em> use the same stationery\u2014we don\u2019t sell different types of stationery for men vs women.<\/p>\n

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However, if you\u2019re selling running shoes, the sizing and fit is obviously different between men and women. Because men and women do purchase different shoes, it therefore makes sense to segment by gender here.<\/p>\n

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The same goes for marathons vs short-distance running\u2014these are completely different activities, and the type of shoe you\u2019ll need for each type of activity differs as well.<\/p>\n

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What makes sense, then, in this specific example is to narrow down the segments even further:<\/p>\n

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Target audience (segmented by gender & interest<\/strong>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n
Segment 1<\/td>\nSegment 2<\/td>\nSegment 3<\/td>\nSegment 4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Men and women, ages 25-45, interested in marathons<\/td>\nMen, ages 25-45, interested in short-distance running<\/td>\nWomen, ages 25-45, interested in marathons<\/td>\nWomen, ages 25-45, interested in short-distance running<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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This way, you can customize your communications (emails, push notifications, etc.) to each segment. This lets you recommend more relevant products to them, and sell to them more effectively.<\/p>\n

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How to identify your target audience<\/h2>\n

With some products or services, it\u2019s easy to identify your target audience. Take beard products or running shoes, for example.<\/p>\n

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What about less straightforward cases? For example, say you\u2019re starting a wellness subscription box company. How do you figure out who your target audience is?<\/p>\n

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Here are a few methods to keep in mind:<\/p>\n

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