Identify Your Target Audience
It is important to define your target audience or customer to determine who you are marketing your business idea to. If you have a clear idea of what your ideal customer is, you can create a marketing or advertising campaign that will attract your customers (attraction marketing). Developing this target audience and attracting them will make your business sustainable and profitable. It is important that you know the pain point or problem of your target audience.
You need to define your target audience based on the following characteristics:
- Age
- Gender
- Ethnicity
- Marital status
- Family
- Location
These characteristics will help you define who your customer avatar is.
- Occupation
- Income
- Education level
- Political views
- Religious views
- Hobbies
- Goals & values
- Challenges (pain points)
- TV show/magazine/blogs/websites
- Music
- Favorite Brands
- Spending habits
- Social media platforms
- Where do they shop, eat, or visit
These characteristics will help you define who your customer avatar is.
An example of a customer avatar for a medical weight loss company would be:
Jacqueline is a 42 year old African-American business professional who is into health and wellness but has always struggled with her weight. She had tried medical treatments for weight loss such as diet and exercise without success. She is a mother of 2 and has been married for 14 years. She has noticed weight gain since the birth of her children. She lives in a large Midwest town and works for an prestigious advertising firm and has obtained her MBA in advertising and marketing. She makes a 6-figure income. She tried to balance healthy eating with exercise 3-4 times a week. She is committed to health but struggles with discipline and indulging in sweets and alcohol. She loves to read Essence magazine
and watches the Discovery and TLC channel as well as CNN News. She loves aerobics, running, and playing tennis. She loves to travel and living an active lifestyle with her husband and children. She enjoys reading, bicycling, walking, baking, and gardening. She owns a BMW. She enjoys going to brunch and live concerts in her spare time. She lives to shop at Banana Republic, Zara, Michael Kors, and Ann Taylor. She also likes to eat at Cheesecake Factory and Texas Roadhouse. She enjoys traveling to the Bahamas and would like to visit Greece and Africa next year. She enjoys interacting with friends and family on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Knowing your customer avatar is important for the following reasons:
- Determine what social media platforms to target
- Be more efficient with advertising and marketing
