How to establish and understand your target audience

Lionel Richie’s 1980s hit “Hello” is very familiar to most people, and many companies communicate in a way not too far removed from the title of the song – by spreading their message in a way that involves asking whether you’re looking for them. This, however, is too vague.

If you shout loud enough, there is a greater chance that you will meet someone who is actually looking for you and your offer. But all research shows that in order to reach out and communicate in a good way, you should approach more directly. So how are you going to be able to create successful marketing communications? The first commandment is to know your target audience. If you know who you are talking to, it is also easier to know what and how to say something. How do you find your target audience and get to know it? Well, here are some tips.

Know your own brand

The first thing you need to do is know who you are and what you have to offer. There’s an old Norwegian saying: på seg selv kjenner en andre, meaning more or less “It takes one to know one” in English. Does your company have a clear vision? What’s the objective of the company and your brand? Are you clear about what you sell? If you have a crystal clear view of your objective with your brand, you’ll also find it easier to know who you should approach. In other words, you have to know yourself first in order to know what and how you should communicate.

Chart your target group

Only when you know your own brand can you start to look outwards. Your first step then is to chart your target group. Who are your typical customers or clients? Forming a picture of your typical customers will also help you to define how you should communicate. What other brands and services attract your customers? People often identify with the brands they surround themselves with – or, more correctly, people surround themselves with brands that reflect who they want to be. Therefore, chart their brand landscape – not necessarily just your direct competitors, but other brands as well. This will allow you to see what customers like and don’t like, as well as their price level priorities for services and goods. Your brand will be positioned in this brand landscape. This will then give you a good indication of how to sharpen up your communication so that it’s targeted more accurately.

“Hello! Is it me you are looking for?”

Chart demand and trends

Markets and trends are developing increasingly quickly, and the picture is becoming increasingly complex. Consumers often contradict themselves too. For example, a number of market surveys show that people say they want organic foods, but when push comes to shove they often choose the less expensive non-organic products in shops. Finances and situations often determine what goods and services people choose to buy. That’s why it’s important to know what the expressed demand is, but also to take into account the fact that this knowledge may not necessarily be correct. In other words, it’s important to know what the current trends are, but equally important is to remember that trends can be replaced with new trends in the blink of an eye.

Don’t respond to needs, create something new

Do not necessarily think that your target audience knows what they want. If one is to rely on customer feedback, they will most likely tell you that they want something similar to what another popular company offers. For this reason, it is important to rather tell customers what they want. Henry Ford once said that if he asked people what they wanted, they would answer a stronger horse, simply because they did not think anything new was possible. If you look at companies that are considered unique in their field, the common denominator is that they have a strong vision. They are clear on who they are and what they offer. They are often also groundbreaking when it comes to innovation. They rarely follow others, but are themselves creators of new trends. And consequently others follow them and not the other way around. This is the market position you should aim for.