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So you’re starting a business, but you haven’t yet nailed your target audience. If you’re putting this off to do other things in your business, then stop everything.
Your target audience is arguably the single most important piece to identify in your business. More important than your website, more important than setting up your bank accounts, and more important than buying your products. Why?
Because without a clearly defined target market, what will your brand look like? What kind of messaging will you use? How do you expect your marketing to successfully sell your product if you have no idea who you’re selling to?
We’ll show you how to run a target audience workshop like a pro, so you can set yourself up for success.
What You'll Learn
Why Should I Define My Target Market?
This is a question just about every client asks. Why should I niche down? Why should I pick a specific audience? Can’t we just cast the net wide and capture as many people as possible?
It’s common to think that by being uber-specific, you’re missing a share of the market in the people you don’t consider in your planning. But, marketers will tell you that this way of thinking is flawed. You can certainly try and cast your net wide, but it’s proven to be not as effective as identifying and targeting a specific audience.
Look at every successful brand out there, they all have specific branding and messaging that speaks directly to their target audience. You want to be as explicit as possible. Being clear on who you’re targeting helps you to create a brand that speaks directly to the person who is most likely to buy your product.
Once you’ve identified who you’re targeting by creating 2-3 customer avatars, you can then build a brand that your target audience will know, love, and trust.
What is a Customer Avatar?
A customer avatar is simply just a profile for your potential target audience. If you’ve ever enjoyed playing The Sims or Animal Crossing, then you’ll love creating avatars.
A customer avatar is a fictional character who has a real need for your product. You create them by using demographics, psychographics, preferences, and pain points.
The point of creating a customer avatar is to put a theory into reality, so it’s easier for you to build your brand and market your product in the most effective way. And although these will be fictional, your client avatars will represent a group or groups of similar people who you can target.
In the next section, you’ll learn how to run a target audience workshop like a pro.
How to Run a Target Audience Workshop Like a Pro
You can absolutely create avatars on your own, and this might be a great way to start, especially if you're a one-person show. But it can be more effective to run a target audience workshop with two or more people (either a colleague, a good friend, or a partner) so you can brainstorm together.
Grab a sheet of paper, or a whiteboard, or start a Google Doc and title it “Customer Avatar 1.” Then fill out the following information:
Demographics
Name
Age
Gender
Location
Ethnicity
Marital Status
Job/Industry
Income
Education
Religious Beliefs
Political Beliefs
Psychographics
Values
Interests
Hobbies
Needs
Wants
Fears
Hopes/Aspirations
Preferences
Favorite books
Favorite blogs/websites
Favorite magazines
Favorite music/podcasts
Favorite mentor/idols/influencers
Prefer online or in-store shopping
Prefer print or digital media
Social media platforms and usage
Goals in life
Values in life
Pain Points
Problems your product can solve
Objections why they won’t buy it
Challenges they’re currently facing
Elaborate as much as possible when filling in details about your customer avatar.
Great. Now do two more.
These avatars will be one of your most important assets in your business. Any time you hire someone new, show them these so they understand who you're speaking and selling to.
Speak Directly to Your Customer Avatars
Now you have a fundamental piece to your overall business puzzle. When you build your brand, your website, and marketing campaigns, you'll know who your target audience is and you’ll be able to speak directly to them by using your avatars.
If you’re stuck, get in touch. We’re here to help you.
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