12 Proven Marketing Tips to Identify Your Target Audience

7. Do your homework.

“I researched who I knew in high-level positions and segmented them by industry and profession. I also asked for insight from my peers. This included my centers of influence from networking events, professional connections, and all social media platforms that I am active on. Once my list was compiled, I found my target audience.”

– Amber Dixon, President and CEO of Amber Gold Marketing, LLC., @amldixon

8. Consider who you want to help.

“I’ve found that there is one thing that will stand out more than anything else. [Ask yourself,] ‘Who do you want to be a hero to? Who do you want to be a shining knight for [sic]?’ Ask those questions and you’ll get a lot further, a lot faster, and a lot easier!”

– Ely Delaney, Co-Founder of Your Marketing University, @elydelaney

9. Gather relevant customer data.

“We thought about our target customer in the same way we thought about ourselves. We took a deep look at who we were as people and what we liked and didn’t like. On top of that, we did a lot of analysis on who bought our shoes. Data doesn’t lie, and the people who raised their hand, signed up for our newsletter, and bought our shoes told us a lot about our target audience.”

– Raaja Nemani, Co-Founder and CEO of BucketFeet, @BucketFeet

10. Look no further than you personal sphere of influence.

“It’s easiest to create something you personally would use. I created [our product] because, as a Zumba instructor, I knew my students needed them and that I could sell them in my own Zumba classes. Because I was part of the market I was trying to sell to, I knew where they gathered and who they listened to. That helped to establish my target audience.”

– Katie Hughes, CEO of Slip-On Dancers, @katiehughes

11. Stop guessing and let customers guide you.

“You can guess all day, but you don’t know until your product makes first contact with the market. We designed Loop with hotels and restaurants in mind, then thought why not open it up so any business can use it and see what happens. We were pulled by customers from unexpected categories.”

– Rajit Marwah, Co-Founder and CEO of Loop, @LoopSurvey

12. Communicate your message clearly.

“In order to identify your target audience, you need to be able to articulate who you are, what you care about, and how what you do matters to others. Our focus is helping business and non-profits tell their own story through video. Being able to articulate who we are makes it easy for us to attract our target audience.”

– Ryan Koral, Owner of Tell, @ryankoral