Understanding Your Audience Better – Tips and Tricks!
Is your approach to marketing akin to a scattergun...simply throwing your content out into the universe and hoping it will stick with someone somewhere? You’re not alone!
But imagine the difference if your social post or latest email shares a story that relates to exactly how your customer is feeling? Or the new product you’re promoting is introduced to your customer at just the point in time when they need it?
That is the power of understanding your audience better. By asking questions, doing your research and most importantly, listening to your audience, you can tap into a wealth of knowledge that will better inform your content, your timing and your delivery.
Not sure how? Here’s our top tips, tools and techniques, to getting under the skin of your ideal audience.
1. Ask questions...
Don’t be afraid to ask questions of your customers, worrying that you’re revealing a weakness, being nosey or interrupting their day. Asking a question is a great way to start a conversation and is showing them how much you value their opinion. You’ll be surprised how much more engaged with you they’ll become.
You could use the sticker feature on Instagram, ask them in person when they visit or email them post purchase. Questions can be specific...’Which of my services is your favourite and why?’ or fun, ‘What would be your dream workshop?’. The point is, by asking questions, you’ll get to know your customers on much deeper level.
2. Social polls...tick
Polls are a fun way to instantly find out more about your customers or followers. Instagram, Twitter and Facebook all have simple poll features that make finding out more about your customers incredibly easy. And as lazy beasts, we humans like a multiple choice!
Questions could be investigative such as ‘What radio station do you listen to?’ or seek votes like, ‘Which product do you prefer?’ There could be some interesting responses that really inspire your marketing.
3. Look at what they’re already saying
Look at your commonly asked questions, comments and DM’s – is there a pattern emerging? Perhaps it’s a regular request for a new product or service. Or maybe it’s a wall that they hit when trying to make a purchase that needs explaining better.
Listening to your customers in this way could inspire a series of FAQ posts, a blog topic or even a limited time offer. Moreover it’s an easy way to talk about the things that matter to your audience and retain the customers you already have.
Top tip! Closely examine the language they use when commenting as these are the words you’ll want to replicate in your own content to attract like-minded customers.
4. Social listening
It may sound like a buzz word, but out simply, social listening is about reading your reviews, looking at posts and stories you’ve been tagged in and listening to feedback on your social media platforms.
But how do you use the information you gather I hear you ask. Well, if you’re recommended for your creativity, then you know your customers are struggling with a lack of inspiration. Or if you get great feedback on your speed, then you know customers need quick solutions. When you understand the struggles of your target audience, you can ensure your marketing messages provide solutions that will attract new customers with the same struggles and help you keep the customers you already have.
5. Use insights
Social platforms and email marketing tools all have insight functions. But do you pay any attention? Understanding your most popular posts or email links tells you so much about what your customers are interested in. This then helps you create future content that they’ll love and engage with. Insights can also give you basic demographic details such as gender, location and age, all of which help you build a better picture of your perfect customer
6. Distribute a survey
Surveys are a great way to get under the skin of what your customers want and how they feel on a much deeper level. We wouldn’t recommend inundating your customers with these as most people are time poor, but us common folk do love to give our two penneth! Keep them short and sweet, adding an incentive to help encourage customers to fill them in. The reward...a wealth of knowledge that money just can’t buy!
7. Harness the power of Chatgpt
AI platforms like ChatGPT can serve as a valuable tool to discover more and validate your customer research. Engaging in conversations with ChatGPT can help confirm the accuracy of your customer profiles or uncover additional insights you might have missed. For example you can provide it with your current customer personas or profiles and ask it to review the information and suggest any potential gaps or areas that require validation. For instance, you could inquire, "Based on our customer profiles, are there any additional characteristics or preferences we should consider?"
You can also use it to simulate interviews with fictional customers based on your existing research. Ask ChatGPT to play the role of the customer, providing responses and feedback to help uncover hidden insights or validate the accuracy of your current data.
In truth, there will be so much information about who your target audience is that comes from your gut and your experience and we would encourage you to always follow your instinct! However, it’s just as important to never stop listening. Without listening to customers, it’s easy to make huge assumptions, hold outdated views or miss out on vital opportunity that’ll take your marketing to the next level.
Feeling inspired? We’ve got plenty more where that came from, sign up to our newsletter for loads of practical tips on how to get the most out of your marketing efforts.