Hitting the Bullseye on your Target Audience

When writing a strategic plan for your client, a large portion of the process goes to establishing your target audience. It's important to target the correct audience, as they are the ones you are trying to sell your brand or idea to. These individuals will (hopefully!) buy into what you're pushing, and influence others to jump on the bandwagon. Below, PR strategist Catriona Pollard highlights tips on "How to determine your target audience":

• Who needs to hear your message? Suppose the client you're representing deals with housewares. You probably wouldn't be pitching to sports or business journalists, right? Think about who uses your client's product and frame your plan accordingly in order to reach the highest volume of potential outlets.


• Who are the influencers? Going along with the housewares example, if your target audience is comprised of stay-at-home moms, who will they look to for advice on what products to buy? Think logically; stay-at-home moms spend most of the day at home with the kids, so they have the computer and the TV at their fingertips. Mommy bloggers, for instance, are huge on the web. Mommy bloggers primarily write reviews on products they've tried and trusted, so pitching to them will hit the nail on the head, so to speak. Put yourself in the footsteps of your target audience, who influences you the most, family, friends, teachers, celebrities, talk show hosts, etc.?


• Who has the greatest impact on the business's outcome? Who will dictate whether your campaign or strategy succeeds or fails? Is it the media, consumers, or the influencers? Keep these in mind when you are laying down the foundation of your plan, and target the best way to cater to each game changer.

How are you targeting your audience? Have you included these tactics when writing your strategic plan? Let us know!