Target audience

A target audience is defined by the people interested in our messages, our product or our service. The audience should be divided into segments that differ in basic characteristics such as demographics and psychographics (we divide the audience by their interests and how they spend their free time). Segmentation is therefore fairly broad, because we want to select every potential group we might be able to sell our product or service to.

• For example: if our product is aimed at men, within that group we can pick out smaller groups that differ in lifestyle and in the world they live in — selling motorcycles, our communication is aimed specifically at men (stereotypically, of course), but those men can have different traits: a different riding style, a different budget, and they can be of different ages. The message to each of these subgroups can differ, because of the values they hold.

From the selected segments we then choose the ones whose beliefs, lifestyle and demographics match the mission of our company or organisation — that stage is called targeting.

We choose one group or several, depending on the size of the segment. Bear in mind that talking to too many groups can be fatal, because some people simply will not resonate with a given message. The lifestyle mentioned above can also give us plenty of valuable insight. Audience X will browse content differently from audience Y. Even a single target group can vary internally.

Once we have chosen specific target groups, we need to think about how our product and service will land in their minds. This is where positioning comes in, and where we create the message that will reach our chosen audience.

At this stage you can start picking out, from within the target group, the persona (or personas) often described as the ideal customer.

A PERSONA, meanwhile, is a reflection of the target audience, often called the “ideal customer”. In building a picture of a persona we ask specific questions: where do they live, where do they work, what are their needs and pain points, what does a typical day look like.

You can start the search for a persona with those questions, but it is a good idea to begin by looking at the profiles of your followers on social media. You can also use surveys, interviews, conversations and Google Analytics.

The number of personas depends on the industry — some say 2, some say 4; there is no rule. It is worth keeping the number down, because otherwise the messages can end up too far apart.

Let us not look for the ideal customer in a persona, because most customers will not come close to the values of the persona we have built. We can, however, look for traits of that artificial construct in our customers and try to answer the pain points they have run into.

FAQ

Some questions may have come to mind. Let us answer them.

1. How do you determine which specific segments of the target audience are the most appropriate to focus on, especially where the demographic or psychographic data may overlap or be ambiguous?

Determining the most appropriate segments within a target audience requires a careful analysis of various factors, such as demographic and psychographic data and behavioural patterns. The process may involve market research, surveys (which give us plenty of valuable quantitative and qualitative data), data analysis (here we draw on reports such as https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-poland) and even experiments, in order to identify the segments with the greatest potential for engagement and conversion. It is important to consider not only the size of each segment, but also its specific needs, preferences and characteristics, so that you can set priorities effectively.

2. What strategies can be used to position a product or service effectively in the minds of selected customer segments, given the different preferences and behaviours within each group?

Positioning a product or service effectively in the minds of people in those segments requires a tailored approach that takes account of each group’s unique attributes and preferences. That may involve creating messaging and branding that resonate with the target audience’s values and aspirations, highlighting the key features or benefits that answer their specific needs or pain points. On top of that, using a range of marketing channels and tactics to reach the target group at different touchpoints can help reinforce the intended positioning and increase engagement.

3. How can you make sure the personas you create accurately reflect real customers? How do you avoid building an overly idealised or narrow picture?

Creating personas to represent a target audience takes a mixture of research, empathy and creativity. While it is essential to develop personas that capture the essence of ideal customers, it is just as important to make sure they reflect the diversity and complexity of real people. This can be achieved by combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, such as surveys, in-depth interviews and focus groups.