The "everyone" target audience
As someone who works in the graphic design & website area it can be very frustrating when told the target audience is everyone.
I guess this approach comes from thinking 'I want to sell to as many people as I can' however a very broad target audience will not help you achieve sales goals as easily. What appeals to a 65 year old recently retired man is not going to appeal to a 15 year old cheerleader. The age old saying is still very true 'it is impossible to please everyone'.
It is so important to know the target audience for your product. This way your or your copywriter/designer/web developer/sales team can angle promotional material so it is more likely to convert.
I thought it might be helpful to start a thread for those who are not too sure about their target audience and provide some advice to get them thinking.
So here we go....
1. Know Your Product
Who would want to buy it?
- What are they interested in?
- What are their problems?
- What are their likes & dislikes?
Who would benefit most from your product?
- Why would they benefit form it?
- How would it help them?
- When would they use it?
2. If its hard to work out who would want your product try the reverse approach. Who wouldn't want your product?
If this is still too hard -think in the extremes
- What language is your product in? (that rules out a large chunk of the world just like that)
- Does a child at school really need the information you are selling?
- Will a diary farmer from South America really be interested in what you have to sell?
- What will a fisherman in Alaska want with your product?
By eliminating those who are not worth marketing too you are getting close to establishing who is. The more you know who your target audience is the more likely you can convert and sell.
From here you can look at narrowing it down further; male/female, different age brackets etc...
3. The 'One' Customer
If your product could only ever benefit one person on the planet. Who would they be?
- What is their name?
- Where do they live?
- Who are their friends?
- How many children do they have?
- What are their hobbies/ambitions/dreams
Narrowing it right down to a very specific 'person' brings it down to a more personal level and can often help you think more about their needs/wants/desires for marketing purposes.
How do you work out your target audience? Are there are key methods or ideas I have missed above?
I guess this approach comes from thinking 'I want to sell to as many people as I can' however a very broad target audience will not help you achieve sales goals as easily. What appeals to a 65 year old recently retired man is not going to appeal to a 15 year old cheerleader. The age old saying is still very true 'it is impossible to please everyone'.
It is so important to know the target audience for your product. This way your or your copywriter/designer/web developer/sales team can angle promotional material so it is more likely to convert.
I thought it might be helpful to start a thread for those who are not too sure about their target audience and provide some advice to get them thinking.
So here we go....
1. Know Your Product
Who would want to buy it?
- What are they interested in?
- What are their problems?
- What are their likes & dislikes?
Who would benefit most from your product?
- Why would they benefit form it?
- How would it help them?
- When would they use it?
2. If its hard to work out who would want your product try the reverse approach. Who wouldn't want your product?
If this is still too hard -think in the extremes
- What language is your product in? (that rules out a large chunk of the world just like that)
- Does a child at school really need the information you are selling?
- Will a diary farmer from South America really be interested in what you have to sell?
- What will a fisherman in Alaska want with your product?
By eliminating those who are not worth marketing too you are getting close to establishing who is. The more you know who your target audience is the more likely you can convert and sell.
From here you can look at narrowing it down further; male/female, different age brackets etc...
3. The 'One' Customer
If your product could only ever benefit one person on the planet. Who would they be?
- What is their name?
- Where do they live?
- Who are their friends?
- How many children do they have?
- What are their hobbies/ambitions/dreams
Narrowing it right down to a very specific 'person' brings it down to a more personal level and can often help you think more about their needs/wants/desires for marketing purposes.
How do you work out your target audience? Are there are key methods or ideas I have missed above?
Marcus Lim
Silver Bullet Publishing
Whats the latest movie you watched? Anything good?