Everyday Marketing Ideas

You Can’t Aim Without a Target

Have you defined your target audience?

Think this topic is too easy? Think again.

When I first learned I should define my target audience, I thought “This is great. I write copy for businesses. Every business needs copy. So my target audience is any business.”

Sounds like I hit the jackpot, doesn’t it?

Wrong.

Sure, I’m willing to write copy for any business. But I can’t effectively market myself unless I narrow my focus on who my market is.

What about you – have you thought about who your target audience is?

If not, try this:

Think about your ideal client. Consider factors like age, gender, and income. Are they parents? Are they individuals, businesses, or both?

What needs do you meet in the work you do? What group has those needs?

Who do you love to work with?

Think too about who you are and what you bring to your work that’s unique. For example, my own commitment to living a spiritually centered life, and my experience and knowledge of holistic and spiritual practices led me to target holistic and spiritual practitioners as my audience.

You do need to be practical. If you choose a group that’s too small, doesn’t have enough income, or isn’t highly motivated to use your product or service, you may not succeed.

The joy of meeting your clients’ needs

Some people see this as meaning you cannot pursue your passion. I see it as meaning that you must look at the needs of others, and in the process you may need to forgo some of your goals.

This can be discouraging initially. But you’ll be able to get passionate about meeting needs.

I once wanted to be a fiction writer. But there are so many of those, there is no need. And no money, either. So pursuing that path was frustrating.

There is a need for copywriting. And I can tell you that it’s much more exciting to be helping people reach their goals through copywriting than it is to write fiction that nobody will read.

Summing it all up

There’s a lot of freedom in choosing your target market. So don’t think your job is to find the one perfect audience. Instead look at the possibilities and weigh them.

Don’t freak out if you can’t figure this out right away. It took me a year or so. Just doing the exercise will help you make marketing decisions with more focus, even if you don’t come up with a definitive answer.

Janet Beatrice is a website consultant and copywriter. You can learn about building a successful website at http://www.website-building-4-newbies.com Knowing your target audience is one of the important steps!