Target Audience 101: How To Reach Them And Stay Connected

Reaching your desired target audience isn’t always the easiest thing brands do. With the right amount of knowledge on current trends, business competition, personalization techniques and communication strategies, you’re looking at a competitive advantage over other brands. It’s so important to build a?brand strategy?based on the specific needs of your target audience, and then craft that strategy to navigate the challenges in your niche. Additionally, staying connected to your consumers is the key, because this is what builds trust with them. After all, you want your brand to stand out, while also being relevant in your niche.

1. Read The Room

To really be successful, you absolutely need to know?what’s trending?in your industry and why. Ask yourself: What you are trying to accomplish with your brand? Additionally, compare and contrast what worked and didn’t work for your competitors. Knowing your competitors is a great way to really identify what your brand needs to do to reach your target audience. Let’s look at this on a smaller scale, for example when we go to an event, it’s natural for us to approach those with common interests. While some would consider that to be remaining in our comfort zone, others would say it’s staying relatable.?

The same mindset applies to brands. How can your brand be more relatable to your target audience? Think about what your brand has to offer those with the same mindset. What kind of audience is your brand trying to attract? It’s true that these beginning stages may take more time than the brand launch itself. However, it’s essential to know everything you can know about your niche before mindlessly casting a fishing line in the wrong pond and catching a frog. Attracting the right audience is the key.

2. Find The Need

Once you’ve found your target audience, it’s time to build a connection. To do so, you must be able to meet a need. What are the needs your brand vows to meet, that not even competitors can surpass? Why is your brand unique and why do you believe your target audience should choose you when there is plenty of other fish in the sea of brands? Stay true to your niche and convey your confidence to your target audience by guaranteeing you’ll meet their needs.?

If you are confident that your product or service works and this is what your target audience needs, go for it. Reach out to your target audience and let them know you’re there to meet their needs. Whether it’s local, global or online, get your brand and?business image?out there and provide your target audience with information that will resonate with them. Utilize the wide range of branding tools the world has to offer, such as social media sites, website design software, search engine optimization, blogging tools, print shops, advertising opportunities, networking events and much more! The options are endless for ways you can stamp your brand name on your target audience’s radar.

3. Don’t “Ghost” Your Loyal Customers

Once you’ve confidently communicated to your audience that your brand is the route they should take in order to meet their needs, stay connected to them. Many brands stop at the sale while saluting a farewell to their customers and wishing them the best. Let’s back up and think about this. Would you want to try a new product or service for the first time, only to be uncertain you’ll ever hear from the brand from which you’ve received it? What if you have questions? What if it’s not everything it’s cracked up to be and you want your money back? Sadly, many brands leave their consumers with questions like these when they don’t follow up with them.?

Thankfully, there are ways to avoid making your consumers feel like they’ve been “ghosted.” Email is a common — and sometimes annoying — way that your brand can keep up with customers after they’ve purchased your product. However, it’s not as personal. While it’s better than not following up at all, it’s still more beneficial and helpful to your customers to actually?communicate with them. Whether it’s a follow-up call about how their product or service is going, a Zoom meeting, a direct mailer with a hand-written note or even a social media shoutout, customers truly appreciate the effort. There’s something about personalization that makes people feel special and want to stick with your brand.

Concluding Thoughts

In today’s connected world, there is just no excuse for not staying in touch with consumers. Brands need to know what their customers liked — and didn’t like — about their products and services. The relationship between the business and the consumer should never end with the point of sale. Brand relationships also require constant communication. Brands need to know all current trends, what needs they are meeting, how they are doing according to consumers, what they can do to improve in their strategy, and why their consumers are sticking with them. Knowing these essential elements can help brands be more successful in the long-term.

John Rampton?is an entrepreneur, investor, and startup enthusiast. He is a founder of the calendar productivity tool?Calendar. You can sign up for early access to Calendar?here!

This article originally appeared on Forbes via YEC.????