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When it comes to finding out who will be reading your posts, watching your TikTok videos or liking your Facebook page, it’s important to have a clear plan of action.

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When I started PXCO, I knew I wanted to help other small business owners who can’t afford to hire full-time marketing teams or in-house designers. I want to be the go-to person that would help them establish their brand. Because I believe that every business deserves to have great design.

See? That’s my mission, my value proposition and my target audience all in one statement.

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By clearly defining my business boundaries, I can create a solid marketing strategy for small business owners and not medium or corporate businesses. That’s not my game.

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Whether you’ve already got your solid statement or perhaps you need a refresher to remind yourself who you’re targeting, I’m going to outline some key steps to help you get started with identifying your ideal target audience.

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Step 1: Define Your Business Goals

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Start by creating business goals. Too often, many small business owners don’t have any goals or milestones to measure their success against.

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This can leave you chasing your tail because you’re not sure at what point you consider your business successful. Is it when you make your first sale? Your 1000th? Maybe it’s once you’ve reached 1M followers on TikTok.

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Whatever your goals for your business are, write them down and visualise them. Use it as a starting point. Make sure your goals are SMART, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

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Step 2: Conduct Comprehensive Market Research

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Delve into comprehensive market research to gather invaluable insights into your industry landscape. Understanding market trends, competitors, and potential opportunities will shape your audience targeting strategy.

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Scour social media to find out who your competitors are but also, to find similar businesses in your niche and to identify what is working for them.

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Interview potential customers (your family and friends if you can’t find anyone else) and try to understand their buying habits. What would make them purchase something from your competitor? What would make them not purchase something from your competitor?

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If you can understand why your potential customers make specific decisions when it comes to purchasing, you can use that information to position yourself in a different landscape.

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For example, most designers use Adobe products because it’s industry standard. When Canva came into the picture, they knew that they needed to position themselves for people who want to design but either can’t afford Adobe products or don’t necessarily have the skills to use those products at full capacity.

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It’s not to say that Adobe doesn’t have its place, because it does. And they’re still quite successful. But Canva has positioned itself to a different target audience in a way that attracts them and meets specific needs.

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Step 3: Create Detailed Customer Personas

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Once you’ve identified your potential ideal target audience, humanize your target audience by creating detailed customer personas. These fictional but highly detailed representations of your ideal customers guide personalized marketing efforts, resulting in a more authentic connection.

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If you’re not sure where to begin with creating customer personas, you can sign up to FigJam where they have persona templates you can use.

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When you create your customer personas, think about the demographics of your ideal audience. Are they female or male or perhaps gender neutral? What are their hobbies? What are some of their most important pain points? Asking yourself these questions helps you visualise your audience to position your business in the best place.

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Step 4: Analyze and Understand Customer Behavior

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Dive deeper into understanding your customers by moving beyond demographics and exploring their behaviours and preferences.

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Leverage analytics tools like Google Analytics or SemRush to track interactions, page visits, and purchasing patterns. Analyze popular pages, and user engagement with content, and map out the customer journey for better insights.

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For e-commerce, delve into purchasing patterns and address cart abandonment. Use this data to personalize content, implement dynamic remarketing, and create targeted campaigns based on user segments.

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Continuously optimize through A/B testing and iterative improvements to refine your marketing approach. These data-driven insights empower you to make strategic decisions and enhance your overall connection with your audience.

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Step 5: Utilize Social Media Insights

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Leverage the power of social media insights to delve into your audience's online behaviour. Analyze engagement metrics, demographics, and content preferences for a comprehensive understanding. Most platforms include insights for professional accounts that allow you to measure and track performance metrics. Make use of this information to help you understand which posts your customers enjoy and engage with more.

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Final Thoughts

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Use these insights to tailor your social media strategy, ensuring it aligns seamlessly with your audience's preferences and habits. This strategic approach enhances your online presence and strengthens your connection with your target audience.

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Like this post? Be sure to fill out the feedback form and let us know your thoughts.

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Need a hand with creating a brand strategy? Reach out to us for a 1:1 session.

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If you would like to take a stab at creating your brand strategy on your own, be sure to get my FREE Ultimate Branding Checklist. It’s a Notion template with a detailed step-by-step guide. Don’t have a Notion account? Be sure to Sign Up and create a FREE Notion account.