Stop selling to everyone: how to find your audience

How do you define a target audience and stop selling to everyone? First it is important to drop the idea that your product is needed by everybody. The wider and vaguer the audience, the harder it is to build clear communication.

Many entrepreneurs at the start have the thought: “My product suits everyone.”

But when you try to address everyone at once, your offer may fail to interest anyone in particular.

For a beginning business this is an understandable situation. The main thing is to work out who really needs your product or service.

It is like talking to a person who does not understand you. Not because you explain badly, but because your words are not connected with their needs and wishes.

A similar principle works in business. Without understanding the audience, messages become blurry, the advertising budget may be spent ineffectively and it is harder for the product to stand out.

Who your client is

Stating only age is not enough to draw up a portrait of the target audience.

Suppose you target people aged 18 to 30.

But who is in this group?

• A student who wants to save money.
• A young professional for whom status matters.
• A young parent who cares about comfort.
• An entrepreneur who needs speed and efficiency.

These are four different segments. Each has its own needs, motives and expectations.

So different advertising messages, communication approaches and visual solutions may be needed for them.

What helps define the target audience

1. Segmentation

Divide the audience not only by age and gender but also by other characteristics:

• lifestyle;
• values;
• needs and wishes;
• financial means;
• media behavior.

It is important to understand where potential clients can be found: on Instagram, Telegram or in offline communities.

2. Analysis of problems and motives

Try to answer the questions:

• What holds the client back?
• What are they afraid of?
• What do they want most?
• Which problem are they trying to get rid of?

3. Testing hypotheses

Sometimes it is more useful not to try to find the perfect message right away but to test several options.

Change the tone, the emphasis and the formats of communication. Then assess which messages get a stronger response.

4. Immersion in the client’s life

Think about which offers and messages will interest them.

Which gifts would they like to receive? Which advertising will catch their attention? What matters more to them — service, emotions, price or speed?

When you know the answers, it becomes easier to sell not only the product itself but also the emotions and feelings tied to it.

Do not forget to analyze competitors either. Their actions can be a source of examples or help you avoid others’ mistakes.

The main rule of working with an audience

A target audience is not defined once solely on the basis of assumptions.

Understanding clients develops in the course of growing the business and studying people’s real needs and behavior.

So it is important not just to choose an audience but to keep clarifying who really needs your product and how best to build communication with these people.