Using Analytics to Understand Your Target Audience

You’ve probably heard the term ‘target audience’, but are still a little fuzzy on what exactly that means, why it matters, and how to achieve it. Let’s break it down. Target audience refers to your ideal consumer. Identifying and reaching your target audience is a critical component of your marketing strategy, because otherwise you will be barking up the wrong tree. 

The first step in any good marketing strategy — and any good business strategy for that matter — is to specify who exactly you’re trying to reach.

The first step in any good marketing strategy — and any good business strategy for that matter — is to specify who exactly you’re trying to reach. Who is going to buy your product? Who is going to be interested in your content? What is the pain point that your product/service addresses, and who is feeling it most?

A common misconception is that your target audience is entirely made up of one sector, but that’s way off. Target audiences can consist of multiple different groups, with multiple different end goals. You’ll almost always have your ideal client/customer, but it’s also common to have your peers, your wannabe’s, or even potential business partners. In fact, it’s smart to have multiple target audiences… so if you don’t, then you should start considering how to widen your reach in a way that makes sense for your brand.

Odds are, you already have more than one audience sector established. If that’s the case, yet you’re unaware of that fact, then your content is likely not being optimized to its fullest potential. This is why it’s so important to look at your audience regularly and develop a deep understanding of who it consists of, and whether or not that aligns with your goals.

If your audience doesn't look how you expected, you can do two things: either you can adapt your tactics to try to attract the audience you want, or you could adapt your offer or create a secondary offer to appeal to the audience you already have.

In order to see who your audience is made up of, there are a number of different methods you can use. Google Analytics is a great tool to easily access your audience demographics and see a straightforward, pre-made compilation of that data. This will tell you things like the age, gender, and location of your website users. For other platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, you can glean some insights within the platform itself, but it’s also a good idea to use a third party software such as Whatagraph for a more deep-dive.

If your audience doesn't look how you expected, you can do two things: either you can adapt your tactics to try to attract the audience you want, or you could adapt your offer or create a secondary offer to appeal to the audience you already have. For example, at Social Canvas, we came to realize that a sizable portion of our audience is individuals looking to learn more about marketing. With that information, we set out to create something valuable for this secondary audience: a digital marketing course. So, if you’re not hitting your target audience, maybe it’s not such a bad thing — perhaps you can use it as an opportunity to create an additional stream of revenue.

Having an audience that doesn’t align with your primary target can also be a result of being too focused on vanity metrics.

Having an audience that doesn’t align with your primary target can also be a result of being too focused on vanity metrics. Being overly concerned with growth can lead to a scattered approach that spreads a wide net rather than relying on more focused efforts. Before you get wrapped up in data analytics and target demographics, make sure you know whether or not vanity metrics are your primary goal. If they are, then you’ll likely be less concerned with hitting a specific demographic and more eager to gain followers of any kind.

Ideally, you can find a way to strike a balance between vanity metrics and target audience. Businesses are almost always looking to spread awareness of their brand, so vanity metrics are not useless by any means. In order to reach your target audience while still hitting those growth goals, you need to be constantly looking at the data. Check who you’re currently engaging and whether that aligns with your goals. Try to understand what sort of content is bringing in the right audience, and lean further in that direction. And of course, pay close attention to your tone of voice and make sure that it aligns with who you’re trying to speak to. Keep in mind that tone of voice might benefit from a slight shift according to the platform. 

Reaching your target audience can be tricky, and it definitely takes a bit of trial and error. Be patient and stick with it. If you’re still struggling to reach your goals, Social Canvas is here to help! Schedule a consultation here to learn how we can boost your marketing efforts.