That way, their efforts are wasted in users that may not be at all interested in their products/services, for various reasons and thus, their engagement in social media won’t be as popular and effective. Which as you may have seen, sooner or later leads to frustration, loss of enthusiasm and ends in ghost social media pages that brands completely abandon or keep scarcely updated in order to just ‘’maintain a presence’’ in social media.
This, can be avoided only if each brand’s content and campaigns are optimized to the exact target group they wish to reach out to. If a brand knows exactly it’s target group along with a few more essential details, then the strategy and digital marketing plans will be very easy to figure out.
The knowledge of one’s audience helps create engaging and inspiring content which leads to conversation, awareness, credibility, trust, respect and prestige.
Social Media Today has published one of the most detailed and to-the-point questionnaires considering all the questions you should ask regarding your target audience that will lead you to all the crucial information you need to be aware of before you even start creating your social media identity. Take a look:
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10 Things You Must Know About Your Audience1. Who is your audience?
• How old are they?
• What is their education?
• Where do they live?
• Where do they work?
• What do they do for fun?
• What is their lifestyle?
• Where do they hangout when not at work?
• Where do they hangout when online?
• What types of conversation are they having?
• Are they talking with your partners? With your competition?
• How much money do they make?
• What is their lingo? Tone? Casual? Professional?
*The list goes on and on here. You get my point by now, hopefully!2. What are their pain points?
• Why do they need your product?
• Why do they experience the pain that requires them to need your product?
• What is the financial, emotional and life impact of the pain? How bad is it?
• What happens if they don’t have your product or service? What alternative products and services are there?
• Will they mitigate or reduce the pain themselves if you don’t help them?3. What does your product or service do to minimize or mitigate their pain?
• How does it solve the business pain?
• What relief does it give them? For how long?
• Does it improve efficiencies?
• Does it help them better sustain their business?
• Does it help them increase return on investment?
• Does it help simplify their business?
• Does it help them better serve their customers and increase customer satisfaction?
• Does it help them better inspire and connect with their audiences and customers?4. How can your product or service inspire and help them personally and professionally?
• Does it give them hope?
• Does it help them have a better day?
• Does it make their family more at peace?
• Does it help them keep their job?
• Does it help them live a longer life?
• Does it improve their career opportunities?5. How is your product or service positioned?
• What are the replacement product or services to yours? This includes competition, alternative products and do-it-yourself.
• Why would they choose a do-it-yourself product? Is it time, money, lack of trust or all of the above?
• Do they choose an alternative or do-it-yourself option because the pain isn’t bad enough to justify the investment or time spent?
• Where does your product or service sit in comparison to competition? Is it better? Worse? Why?
• What value does your audience place on your product?
• Why do they place value on your offering?
• What are the complimentary products to yours? Who do they buy them and why? Who do they buy them from?6. How are you different?
• How is your product or service differentiated?
• Do they believe your story of differentiation?
• Do they understand why you are different?
• Why should they buy from you versus other options?
• What market lead do you have regarding competition? How long until your competition catches up to you?7. What is your competition up to?
• How is your audience engaging with your competition?
• What is your competition doing that you aren’t?
• Why are they doing such things different? Do they have a competitive differentiator because of this or do you have the leg up. Remember, different isn’t always better. You may be on the right track.
• What type of response are they receiving online and offline from your target audiences? Is it different than how your audience is engaging with you?
• Does your competition have a consistent tone, message and brand? If not, how can you enhance yours to zoom faster?
• Is your competition engaging in a way their audience expects them to? Casual when they’re expecting professional or opposite?
• What are the weaknesses to how your competition is engaging and leveraging social media that you can use to your advantage?8. What are the replacement products or services to what you offer?
• If they don’t buy your product or service, what will they buy?
• What are the top industry competing products and services to yours?
• What are the top industry free products that could be used as a replacement?
• Is not buying your product or service really going to impact their business or life?9. What’s your audience up to both online and offline?
• Where do they hang out online? Offline?
• What conversations are they having?
• Who are they talking to?
• What is the tone of conversation?
• Does the tone differ based upon who they talk to? Does it differ based upon social platform (i.e., different on LinkedIn vs. Facebook and Twitter?)
• How are they engaging and responding to your business partners, local businesses and competition?10. What are the emotional reasons for them to buy from you?
• Do they have a need for belonging?
• Do they want to be part of something bigger than themselves, maybe even bigger than me and you?
• Do they need to become more educated?
• Are they seeking higher status?
• Are they looking to increase their position in the market, industry, niche?
• Are they looking to be simply inspired?
• Do they need you to inspire them?
Our Social Media and Digital Marketing solutions can help you build communities instead of a business presence. Ask us!