Target audience research is one of those phrases you might have heard about. But do you actually know what it means?
To put it differently, have you ever done a target audience research? Of course, perhaps your role doesn’t entice a target audience research.
However, I would argue that anyone working on literally any project should at least know who it is aimed at.
And that is exactly what a target audience research does. Finding out who you are addressing with your project, music, business, product, persona etc.
How to find out about your target audience?
In order to be able to properly address your target audience, you firstly need to find out who represents it.
There are certain questions that can help you along the way.
What are some age groups you are trying to reach? Where do they spend the most time online? From which locations are they from. What is their online behaviour like?
By all means, if you already have a Facebook or Instagram Page, use this. You can work the Insights to gather information about the people that already interact with your profile.
Spotify for Artists also has a data backend that can be helpful. Literally use any data insight you can get your hands on.
By the same token, make use of the Google Analytics implemented in your website.
Important to realise, don’t just assume that your target audience is simply a look-a-like of you!
They don’t always want what you want either. Nor do they necessarily click through a website or ad in the same way or response to the same content as you.
Use a Buyers Persona in order to avoid ‘operational blindness’
As I mentioned above, it is very tempting to assume your target audience is synonymous with your own character or lifestyle.
Don’t fall for this imaginary trick. One thing you can do is using a ‘Buyers Persona’.
Buyers Personas are semi-fictional representations of your ideal customers based on data and research.
*source: HubSpot
This way, you can clearly identify the specific needs and interests of your target audience. Important to realise, the target audience does not equal fan base.
If you want to grow your band or career, you need to know the people outside of your fanbase. Otherwise, you won’t see growth and development.
As a matter of fact, you can create more than one Buyers Persona. This comes in handy when you try to push for more than one goal.
Also, when you’ve identified vastly different territories that you want to tap into. Once you’ve figured your audience out, you can start working on a strategy on how to conquer them!
Competition Analysis/ Identifying Influencers can help you further
Additionally, you can do competition analysis and identify influencers in your field. A competition analysis means that you use resources like Spotify for Artists to find out who is directly competing with you.
After you identified your competition you can stalk their fanbase for some sweet target audience research!
In like manner, identifying important influencers in your field and research their following can have huge benefits for your own research.
What is more, you can also try and pitch to an influencer and see if you can do a collaboration in order to enhance your growth.
A target audience research also can give your work ethic a boost
Once you’ve clearly mapped your target audience, you will feel a boost to your project and work ethic. The more precise you can imagine the people you aim at, the better it will work out. And that, for sure, gives you a huge boost!