How to Appeal to Your Target Audience

BY MEREDITH JIA ~ Published: December 24, 2023

You know you’re the best. You have what it takes to succeed. But how do you convince people of that? A lot of the time, people aren’t willing to branch out if they already have something that works. How do you convince them to give you and your service or product a chance? 

The art of customer persuasion is one that has to be refined through trial and error. It isn’t something anyone can get right off the bat, but REA Insider is here today to show you a few things you can do to get started:

 Credit: NAHFA

1. The Basics

2. The Target

3. The Persona

4. The Content

5. The Competitor

The Basics

One of the most important parts of appealing to your target audience is what you are offering. In order to convince others, you first need to convince yourself. Do you understand the service you are offering? The problem you are aiming to solve? You need to make a customer wonder if they need a solution for this problem, framing it in such a way that a solution is needed rather than suggested. 

Doing this requires prompting. Make a customer ponder over the little inconveniences, what their life is lacking, and what you and your product can bring to the table. You can do this by asking rhetorical questions, talking about the experiences of yourself and others, and by appealing to emotion through specific language — using hyperboles to exaggerate the annoyance of a certain situation, for example, in order to get the consumer to think about their own inconveniences as well as to seem more relatable. 

The Target

Accept that not everyone will be interested in your service, but there must be a set target in mind when marketing a product. Of course, you can eventually branch out to try and appeal to general consumers later on, but when first starting out, it is better and oftentimes more effective to pool your focus towards a specific group or niche.

Decide who your primary audience is going to be and then create a marketing campaign surrounding them. You can choose your target audience through designations such as gender, age, preferences, profession, or a combination of all of them. The most important part is making sure you have a target and a large enough audience to  appeal to within that target.

The Persona

A marketing persona is meant to be a sort of template. It will reflect a certain group within your target audience and is helpful in building a stronger marketing campaign. Think of them as fictional characters with their own needs that they are looking to meet; your role as the marketer is to appeal to their goals. This makes for good practice when the time comes to actually interact with customers in real life. Personas are a way to guide you as they put you in the customer’s shoes and help you learn to tailor to someone’s specific needs as well as further refine your marketing strategy. 

It may be helpful to create multiple personas, each representing different characteristics of your target audience. Up to five is typically a good amount as you don’t want to create too many (they are meant to be a guide and nothing more). Personas are fictional, but they must be based on real life. What problems do actual customers have? Do you understand your customer? Do you know what they’re for? What goals do they have? If you cannot confidently answer these questions, chances are, your marketing persona will be less effective. 

The Content

Now is the time to create content. Whether to compare, advertise, or entertain, a consistent stream of content is the key to success. It should have value to the customer, and will likely promote your service in some way.

Content keeps people engaged and interested. Keep a steady but flexible schedule. Although it is better if it is unique and encourages discussion, the most important part is to focus on quality and consistency.

The Competitor

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Keep an eye out for businesses with similar products and demographics as you. Knowing yourself isn’t enough — is your competitor offering something you aren’t? Does your brand stand out from the rest? What is the image your competitor has built? What are their most common complaints?

Treat your competitor almost as an outline for feedback — look at what they’re doing effectively and what could be better, and apply what you have learned to revise your own plans. Are you both making the same mistakes? Knowing your competitor provides you an outlet to improve yourself. When fighting for the same customers, you should not be focused only on yourself but aim to keep a view of the broader industry, too.

Conclusion

Persuasion is a skill learned through experience. It is not something that can be learned overnight. However, these are some methods to help you start a few steps ahead. Everyone is different and will have different goals. It is your job to try and appeal to the largest audience you can, and then try and tailor something towards everyone. 

Entrepreneurship For You

The decision to start your own business is one that will inevitably have vast impacts on your life. Regardless of which direction you choose, remember that hard work pays off, and that there are people and services out there to help you on your journey.

Building a business from scratch may seem like a daunting task, but Rising Entrepreneurs Alliance can help with a free business plan evaluation, branding and marketing services, and even graphic designing. Contact us on Instagram at @risingentrepreneursalliance or at info.risingentrepreneursalliance@gmail.com to get started today.