Hi, hello there. This is your reminder that 2022 is right around the corner and you know what that means (besides a party to send 2021 out like the jerk it is) it’s time to plan for next year. Companies tend to jump right into the planning and skip over the part where they define target audiences, meaning who you’re actually selling to. If you’re thinking to yourself that you are well aware of who your customer is, we ask you to humor us through this blog because you just might learn a thing or two.
By clearly defining your target audience you are able to effectively market your product, which is a much better approach than spray and pray.
To start, look no further than your current client base.
Reach out through a survey or take the time to meet with key clients face-to-face to get their feedback on current products and services. Ask them what you can do better, what they love, what they hate and encourage candor. The best thing you can do for your company is to get regular feedback, so put a process in place to get it – that’s an order.
What is the competition doing?
You can learn a lot by just observing. Hubspot (and us) recommend performing an analysis of your competitors to see who they’re targeting. Take a look at their customer base, online presence, and identify areas you can stand out or where you need to improve.
Build audience personas
Audience personas are semi-fictional representations (usually based on existing or past customers) of your ideal client based on data and research – the surveys and competitor analysis. Think about it. How do you sell to someone you don’t know? If you don’t understand what motivates them, how do you create content, messaging, products or services to meet their specific needs? Without personas, you’re left guessing what your customers want, which means you are developing marketing based on what you know, instead of what your audience actually needs.
Personas allow you to personalize your marketing for the different segments of your audience. We get into more detail here.
Track and measure it
You need to continually monitor how you are resonating with your target audience. Everything needs to be tied back to data. This can be done by analyzing how different content performs, do a deep dive into your analytics. Look at time on page, subscriber numbers and more. When you send an email out, what content is clicked on? Do people unsubscribe?
We recommend an investment into marketing automation, you can read more about it here.
If you don’t know where to start with your 2022 planning, get a hold of us, but know you’re behind the eight ball cause our dance card is very full.
