23 Jun Targeting: Why Its Import

Targeting Audiences

There’s two things I know, never underestimate the importance of targeting and you can’t please everyone. I remember learning that it’s impossible to please everyone. However, recently it occurred to me that those lessons are related to a business environment too.

If you aren’t marketing to a specific target, you are essentially spraying the market like a sprinkler waters a lawn and hoping for results. If you target a specific audience, your marketing is designed to appeal to them. Therefore they’ll be more likely to want to do business with you.

I saw a webinar on the importance of targeting, with the tagline “why marketing to “anyone” will put you out of business”. Maybe marketing to everyone won’t hurt your business, but will probably lead to less than ideal business results, and inefficient use of resources.

What Areas Should Targeting Address?

Targeting involves the following areas:

1. Demographic Information – statistical aspects of consumers such as gender, ethnicity, income, qualification and marital status
2. Psychographic Information – quantitative aspects of consumers such as sociological, psychological and anthropological factors
3. Behavioural Information – consumer behaviours and attitudes that effect how they make purchase decisions
4. Geographic Information – this is essentially where the customer is located
5. Lifestyle – a person’s pattern of behaviour which is closely related to a consumer’s personality and values

A detailed description of your target audience using these areas will give you a clearer picture of who you are targeting and where they are.

Examples of Targeting Audiences

Age

Age range

Ethnicity

Marital status

Education level

Geographic area

City

Country

Neighbourhood

Gender

Industry

Interests

Channel

Income

Hobbies

Occupation

Personality

Purchasing behaviour

Past purchases

Values