Whether you are just starting your business or you’re established and growing, we all have one goal in mind: getting clients or customers. 

Increasing customers and clients will increase income, and ultimately the reason you took a step into the entrepreneur world in the first place. So, how exactly do you find potential customers and clients? That’s where determining your target audience can come into play. Once you find your target audience, you can market to them directly. 

Why is it important? 

Determining your target audience will help you to stop wasting your time and resources. Sure, you can market to everyone and hope someone is attracted to your pitch and takes the bait. But, more times than not, when you market to everyone, you often end up marketing too vaguely. When you are specific in who you’re marketing to, you’ll know where to find them and how to attract them. 

Say, for example, you’re starting your business as a finance coach. Do you want to support personal or business finances? Large businesses or small businesses? Local businesses or businesses abroad? These are all questions that will help you determine who your target audience is. 

Here are three ways to help you determine your target audience.

Create the ideal client

Take a minute to create the ideal client. If the perfect client existed for your products or services who would they be? Consider their age, gender, education level, marital status, occupation or industry, and anything else you can think of. Be as specific as possible. Remember, you are creating the PERFECT client.  

Use the right marketing insight tools

Both Facebook and Instagram have insight tools that break down your current audience into age, gender, and location. There are other insight tools as well, but chances are you’re already using and have a following on Facebook and Instagram. Instagram also keeps track of when your audience is online the most, meaning you can use this to ensure your posting content at an effective time when your audience will see it. 

Survey your audience

If you already have clients or customers purchasing your services and products, reach out to them for feedback. Asking clients how they heard about you, why they decided to purchase your products, and why they keep coming back will provide valuable insights into where and how you can market your products and services. You can also offer incentives for providing reviews, testimonials, feedback, or referrals, like free shipping, a credit to purchase products, or money off a service or product. 

It’s never too late to define (or refine) who your target audience is, especially if you’re struggling to gain more clients or customers. Find out who they are, where they are, and how you can reach them best. The more you know about them, the more you’ll have. If you need help narrowing down your target audience, don’t hesitate to reach out! We’re always here to help!