Your audience is never going to include “everyone.” There is that old adage that those who sell to everyone might end up selling to no one, and it makes sense. Why? Because marketing done broadly or with a “scattergun” approach is like speaking to a dark auditorium – someone might be listening, but then again, maybe not. That is why audience targeting is such an essential part of your success, and particularly with digital marketing.

Because digital marketing is done online, your messages potentially go out to the entire world! You don’t want to find yourself shouting into the dark and wasting precious resources that could be speaking to your strongest audience.

Audience Targeting 101

The good news is that audience targeting today is a bit easier, thanks to the resource known as the internet and basic steps in marketing research. Using them, you can perform some of the most effective steps in understanding, defining, and refining your target audience in order to make your digital marketing as effective as possible.

The goal of your initial marketing research is usually two-fold and begins with you decoding or better understanding the audience’s most significant “pain” or concern.  In other words, your research should tell you who your customers are, what it is that concerns them the most and what factors they will use in buying decisions.

This information can then help you to begin forming a strategy that can reach them more effectively, including refining keyword strategies. The second goal of the research, then, is to enable you to make the most focused and effective content. Whether it shows you that videos are the way to go or that specific subjects are required, your research will give you the answers.

How is the research done? Consider everything from online and email surveys to social media polls, and asking existing customers for information…even analyzing your competitors can help. The goal is to then create that persona or clear portrait of your ideal client that can then steer your digital marketing.

Digital Marketing Requires Strategy

Naturally, audience targeting is not where it ends. You have to create a strategy that works for that audience. As noted, you might find that your crowd is most often found on Instagram or that your competitors seem to do better there than other social media platforms. You might learn that DIY videos are what your audience craves over blogs or other content.

In the end, audience targeting is all about knowing precisely who you are talking to. In fact, it can be about figuring out who to talk to and then what to say as you begin a new business or refine your existing digital marketing strategies.

When you need help with all of this, it is best to turn to proven experts. At Organically, you get the benefit of a skilled team of professionals that are adept at marketing, research, and helping you to discover your strongest audience, as well as speaking to them effectively.