When it comes to growing your social media account, one of the most common pieces of advice you’ll read is to research your audience. And this advice makes perfect sense. How do you know how to market your product when you don’t know who you’re marketing it to?Many people don't know how to research their audience. This article will show you some ways to research your audience and build a solid marketing plan. Also, learn how to buy IG Story impressions via Viralgrowing.
First, Know Who Isn’t Your Target Audience
Have you ever played Guess Who, where it became easier to figure out what person on the card your opponent had through the process of elimination? It’s the same principle here. You want to learn who isn’t your target audience. For example, what if your product is for college students? Then, aim for the 18-25 demographic. Sure, there are older college students, but you shouldn't spend your marketing efforts on those demographics that have fewer and fewer people who would be interested in your product.
With social media, you should eliminate sites that aren't going to yield high returns. For example, you may not want to spend too much time on Facebook if you have a younger audience. Facebook has become a website for an older demographic, with the younger demographics only having a profile out of obligation. Know what social media your audience is using and which they aren't.
Look to Your Competitors
No matter how original your product or service is, you have several social media accounts that offer a similar product. This is a chance for you to see who your target audience is by lurking through their social media profile.
Chances are, their social media has public comments. There, you’ll be able to see who is commenting. Visiting the profiles of those who can comment can give you an idea of their age, location, interests, and much more.
In general, studying your competition is a good strategy not only for learning about your audience but also for learning about what content your competitors post. You can then adjust your content to be more in the style of your competitors. With that said, you should never plagiarize; always make content in your own voice.
Use Audience Analysis Tools
Audience analysis tools can be a great way to learn more about your target audience. Many social media websites have analytics you can use to determine your audience's age, location, demographics, and much more. There are many other external tools you can find as well that will tell you more about your audience. Some will go in-depth, giving you their behaviors and interests.
Learning general demographic information is essential for several reasons. First, you can learn about the culture of where your audience lives so that you can adjust your content to appeal to that culture. Knowing your demographics can also help you to post at the right times. For example, if your audience is night owls, schedule your posts for later in the night.
Conduct Interviews With Customers
The best way for you to know who your average person on social media will be is to talk to them head-on. You can interview a customer or follower via the phone or through a messenger app to learn a little more about them. Through an interview, you can ask questions about why they chose your product, what are their buying urges, what types of content they like on social media, and much more.
Many people do not like to be interviewed, so you should give a free gift card or other reward to the customer for letting you pick their brains a little. Posting general surveys may also help you learn more about your audience.
Get into Online Communities Dedicated to Your Niche
Another way you can learn more about your social media audience is to visit online communities centered around a niche that your product is related to. Facebook groups, X Communities, Subreddits, and other websites where there are forums can help.
Some marketers learn more about their audience through the power of lurking. Others ask questions and participate in the forums, which can help them gain more positive publicity.
Create a Social Media Follower Persona
We want to think of this as similar to a buyer persona. If you don't know what a buyer persona is, it chronicles the day in the life of an average customer. What does your average follower do on a day? When do they use their phones to look at Instagram or other apps? What makes them tap that "like" button? Better yet, what makes them hit the "follow" button?" On the other hand, what makes them hit the "I don't want to see this" option when an ad doesn't work? Obviously, every person who follows you is unique, but many of them share similar personalities and life stories. Amalgamating these personalities into a few buyer personas can help you better target your audience.
Use Ads
One way you can research your audience is to start an ad campaign. Every social media platform has a way to pay for ads and reach a new audience. As long as you know basic demographic information about your audience, an ads campaign can help you.
When you gain followers from your ads, this can tell you a lot about your audience. Who is following you from your ads campaign? Why did they click on your profile after seeing your ad? Answering these questions can help you better understand your audience.
Never Stop Researching
Finally, even if you feel like you know everything there is to know about your audience, think again. Remember that audience needs are constantly changing, and your demographic is always evolving. We recommend that you never stop researching who your audience is. Also, always revise your marketing efforts so you can eliminate what isn't working and improve what is. We hope this article was helpful to you.
