As a business owner, you are ambitious, persistent, and passionate about what you do. Your organization is your lifeline; you care deeply about your mission to provide your customers with unique and compelling products and services. But your business is more than a logo and a website with messages saying, “Buy this now!” To be successful, you’ll need to connect with your audience on a profound level. And you won’t resonate with them until you understand who your audience is and establish long-lasting authenticity.
Today’s Consumers are Looking for Authentic Brands
Consumers today want to make meaningful connections with the brands they support. This connection allows your business to establish trust and authenticity. And as you build that relationship, you earn the opportunity to offer a critical solution to their problems and pain points.
But you can’t establish trust until you better understand who your audience is and the problems they face. Then, you’ll more effectively show them why you are the brand they need to solve those problems. You can build traction when you know how to convey your brand in a way that speaks to your audience directly and personally, showing them how you can serve them and why they should choose your business over other competitors.
Bottom line – your customers keep you in business: why not get to know them?
Who Is Your Target Audience?
Brand strategy master Stephen Houraghan succinctly asks the most vital question when determining who an audience is,
“What group of people have the greatest desire to acquire the outcome that our solution provides?”
Of course, the answer to this question is your target audience, the people seeking your products or services to solve their pain points.
Bridging the Gap
Audit other brands similar to yours and note what groups of people they interact with. Where are consumers’ needs not being met, and how does your brand fill that gap? When you clearly identify your target audience and where competitors are falling short, it becomes easier to get their attention because their needs are being addressed, by your brand, directly.
Once you know who your target audience is, your messaging needs to connect with them on an emotional level. To achieve this, you must tap into their subconscious: the part of the brain driving our decision-making process. You’ll then profoundly understand your audience and why they choose one brand over another.
Understand your Audience to Hone Your Message
Understanding your audience means you genuinely listen to them. As a business, you must understand your audience’s journey to find your product and know what makes them decide to take action (e.g., sign up for a newsletter or make that purchase). Ultimately, you’ll need to meet their needs in a unique way that resonates with them on an emotional level. If the message you’re conveying is too broad, you won’t reach the desired customer, nor are you going to catch their attention. If your brand sends out ads and emails to the other without knowing who you are trying to talk to, you will not get very far. You’ll fall into the chatter of the busy internet world; the odds are stacked against you. But, listening to and researching your audience gives you the advantage of being the best-equipped brand to solve a customer’s problems and pain points. It narrows who you need to build your messages for, making your marketing more effective and direct.
It also builds trust and loyalty when customers feel heard and taken care of without hesitation. Your audience wants the assurance that your product is authentic, reliable, and will give them the outcome they’re expecting every time. Without this vital communication, you will find it hard to keep returning customers.
Understanding your audience will help your business stand out among the rest, as it gives your brand a personalized and authentic feel. It gives you an edge competitively. And it helps narrow your messaging and target individuals who hold the same values as your business, reaching people who connect with your company’s mission. Then, your business will grow, and you’ll foster brand loyalty. Individuals want to feel good about their purchases, and aligning themselves with brands that create a positive buying experience is impactful and leads to long-term customers. Long-term customers share about brands they love, allowing you to reach an even larger customer base by creating brand awareness through already established customers.
Know your audience, listen to their needs, speak to them directly and foster that emotional connection. You’ll be a head above the rest, guaranteed!
Do you need help discovering who your audience is? At CreativCat, we specialize in building brands that speak with purpose and power.