Every business owner likes to think that they know their audience inside and out, but how many of us actually do? The fact is, there’s a big difference between knowing their rough age, gender, and location and understanding what really makes them tick on an emotional level.
The key to truly understanding an audience and being able to leverage them properly lies much deeper.
In this article, we’re going to look at 10 tell-tale signs you don’t know your audience as well as you should – or think you do. Let’s get stuck in!
1. You aren’t making a good ROI from your marketing activities
While this could arguably be a sign that you are simply marketing wrong, it’s typically a case of not fully understanding who you are marketing to.
If you are struggling to make an ROI with your marketing activities, this could be why.
2. You can’t quite sure which marketing avenues are best
Knowing who your audience is also means knowing where you can best reach them. If you are struggling to decide on which marketing avenues and platforms to focus your attention on, it is usually a sign that you don’t quite understand your audience as well as you should.
3. You are struggling to craft a compelling marketing message
Do you struggle with positioning your product or service on the market? Do you not have a very good idea of what you want to say or how to say it?
Understanding your audience means knowing the biggest challenges they face and how you can provide them with the ultimate solution.
4. Your website copy doesn’t align with your brand
If the copy on your website and/or all other content that you share sounds inconsistent and doesn’t align very well with your brand image, then you are missing out on a lot of potential to properly nurture your prospects through the marketing funnel.
If you struggle to decide what to post about on social media for example, then you need to conduct even deeper audience research – and indeed figure out what your brand really means to them.
5. You are unsure of who else is involved (if at all) in the buying decision
Especially if you are in the B2B industry, knowing precisely who the decision makers are is critical in crafting compelling sales copy that speaks to and resonates directly with them.
6. You aren’t perfectly clear on when to market to your customers
Another critical component, similar to the point made above, is knowing when to market to your prospective customers. What does their buying process look like and when should you be showing up to engage with them?
7. You don’t have a clear idea of how long your content should be
Another point that is frequently overlooked is how long your content should be. Does your audience respond well to long-form content? How much time is each prospect willing to invest in the decision making process? Do they want to do a lot of research or are they more easily swayed with short-form and visual content?
The more data you have on this the more impactful your content will invariably be.
8. You aren’t certain that your products / services are right for your market
If you don’t feel entirely confident that your products or services are the right fit for your market, then that will invariably come across in your marketing. Knowing exactly who your audience is and having total faith in the fact that your products or services are perfect for them makes marketing your goods much, much easier.
9. You receive a high volume of leads that are not quite the right fit for you
This is a big one because there’s nothing worse than having lots of leads and enquiries come through your website when they aren’t quite the right fit. It results in lots of time wasted by you and your employees on engagement that very rarely turns into profitable business.
You see, understanding your audience is not just about knowing how to attract the right people, but understanding who the right people genuinely are in the first place.
10. You don’t make a lot of money out of each customer
Understanding your audience is key to generating loyal customers who come back to you time and time again. If most of your customers / clients are one-off’s and very rarely return, then you’re missing out on a lot of potential revenue.
Conclusion: Hire the professionals
As you can see, there is so much value in truly understanding who your audience is. However, discovering who they are is so much easier said than done.
In truth, the research that goes into proper demographic research and painting a perfect buyer persona might be more than you have the time or desire for. As such, it may be worth hiring the professionals to not only help you figure out who your audience really is, but attract them to your website.
A reputable SEO in Melbourne, for example, could help you crush the local rankings and find your tribe within your local area. In doing so, you can transform your business and outperform the competition.
We hope you’ve found this article helpful and wish you the best in your journey of discovery.