Have you ever seen a stand-up comic utterly tank it on stage? It’s not pretty.

Maybe the crowd expected young and hip but got old and cranky. Or they wanted intellectual but got crude instead.

Humor is subjective. Not everyone is going to laugh at every joke. But (in most cases, at least) it’s not that the comic is truly awful; it’s that he didn’t know his target audience.

This can happen with your small business, too. Even the best products and services won’t sell if you’re not marketing them to the right people.

Here’s why knowing your target audience is so important.

It Helps You Develop Your Voice

The way you “talk” to people matters. Your voice sets the tone for your brand. It tells people what they can expect of you. And it helps you connect with like-minded customers.

Do you want to be known as luxurious and upper-class? You’re not going to publish blog posts filled with slang and bad jokes. Are you aiming for an honest, salt-of-the-earth approach? Ditch the five-dollar words and talk to your audience the way you want to be talked to.

Knowing who your target audience is and how they speak allows you to emulate that tone in your marketing materials.

You Can Meet Them on Their Own Terms

If the majority of your target audience doesn’t subscribe to the newspaper, why are you still paying to run that full-page ad in the local rag?

If you know that three-quarters of your fans and followers prefer infographics to white papers, why are you writing 10,000 words when 100 and some pretty pictures will do?

This is the magic of knowing your audience. You’re able to pin down what type of marketing mediums they flock to and which ones they shun.

You Get Higher-Quality Leads

Not every lead is going to become a customer, but when you know your audience, you have a better chance of sniffing out the solid prospects.

If you know that your target audience is between age 35 and 45, has at least a bachelor’s degree, makes upwards of $60,000 a year and lives in a metro area, you can focus on those demographics rather than wasting time with the 19-23 set working part-time retail gigs and living at home with their parents.

It Allows You to Better Meet Their Needs

Once you learn who your target audience is, it’s a lot easier to determine what they need.

Are your current products and services offering them solutions to their problems? How can you add more value? If you run a laundromat, is there a market for dry-cleaning services? Would investing in newer, “greener” dryers bring in more energy-conscious clientele?

The more you know about your audience, the easier it becomes to tailor value-added products and services to increase revenue and drive business.

Are You Ready to Meet Your Target Audience?

Knowing your target audience allows you to give them exactly what they want, when they want it, and in the format they prefer. You get better leads and valuable clues regarding the direction your small business should take. And ultimately, it allows you to add a personal touch to your brand — which is a pretty big deal in our opinion!

Would you like Mischa Communications to help you make the introductions? Tell us a little about your small business and we’ll help you find an A+ audience! Let’s talk about it.