The term target audience may seem confusing at first, but it is a crucial part of business development. Knowing who you want to engage or sell to is the foundation you are building your business on.
Your target audience is the thinnest slice of the market that you can focus on, from which all of your marketing decisions are based. This audience is the focal point of your decisions, making sure that your efforts are tailor-made to find them and draw them in.
It’s the ideal customer or avatar that you have in mind when you are creating and selling. They are the image in your head when you imagine the perfect person or scenario for your product or service.
Creating an avatar is simple when you take the time to ask yourself specific questions about your people:
- Are they a man or a woman?
- How old are they?
- Where do they live?
- What do they do for a living?
- How do they spend their time?
- What is the need that you provide a solution for?
Here’s an example of an avatar created for a podcast for entrepreneurs:
Jayna is a 31 year-old woman who commutes 90 minutes to work, five days a week. She’s tired of her commute and her current work assignment. She wants to start her own business but doesn’t know where to begin. Jayna wants to be inspired by other women who have taken the risk to open their own businesses and are making it happen.
In this scenario, Jayna represents the target audience. By knowing exactly who the podcast is designed for, the podcast host and website owner can create an experience tailor made for Jayna. The colors of the website, the content of the interviews, the coaching, the resources, and the sales that come from them can all be designed specifically for her.
Having an avatar doesn’t mean you won’t sell to a wider variety of customers – you absolutely will. Having an avatar means you are clear and defined about who your ideal customer is for this product or service at this time. This allows you to create marketing materials that are on target for your client.
This post is part of a 5-Part series on defining your target audience. Read on for more:
Part 1: What is a Target Audience & How Do You Define Yours? (this post)
Part 2: Why It’s Important to Have A Firm Understanding of Who Your Target Audience Is
Part 3: How to Find Your Target Audience (Out of Billions of People)
