Reaching your ideal customer on social media is both an art and a science. So, how can you stop your ideal customer right in their scrolling tracks? Understanding who your audience is and where they spend their time online can help you ensure your message reaches the right people in the right places. Let’s dive into the two essential questions that form the cornerstone of effective social media marketing: Who are you talking to, and where are they?
Who Are You Talking To?
The foundation of all your business and marketing efforts is your customer. A well-defined target persona (of your ideal customer) helps tailor your marketing strategies to attract and engage the right audience.
How to Build a Persona
We use the term “build”, but really, your dream customer is already out there. You just need to find a way to step into their shoes. Creating a detailed persona involves understanding the characteristics, behaviors, and needs of your ideal customer.
Here are five guiding questions to help you craft your target customer persona:
1. Who are they?First… Give them a name that represents the person you are thinking of for this exercise. This isn’t random. Then, start with the basic demographic details such as age, gender, income level, education, occupation, and their preferred technology mix (type of cell phone, computer, streaming, etc).
2. What are their interests and motivators?
Understanding what your target persona enjoys doing in their free time can provide insights into the types of content and messaging that will resonate with them. It can also give you insight into where your messaging and their activities can organically cross paths. This section should also include their motivations. This can include career goals, family obligations, or community centered activities.
3. What challenges or pain points do they face?Your service should make customers’ lives easier. Once you know how your business solves their problems, you can nail your value proposition and address their needs directly. In this section take a moment to express the sorts of frustrations and triggers your persona faces / struggles with. Include in here “why” these particular pain points have the negative effect they do.
4. How do they find information?Once you know where your target audience goes for their information, you can position yourself accordingly. With social media largely replacing traditional news sources, you can do the lion’s share of this work by learning where your audience spends their time online.
Identify where they:
- Engage with friends and family
- Communicate for work
- Get news and information
- Enjoy entertainment
What moves them from “wishlist’ to “add to cart”? Understanding their purchasing triggers and decision-making process can help you craft compelling calls-to-action, delivered at just the right time.
Where Are They?
After defining your target persona, the next step is to determine where they are most active online. We’re here to make it easy for you! We’ve gathered data on the users of different social media platforms and put it all in one place. Understanding the demographics of each can help you understand which platform is the right one to reach your audience.
Once you map out your customer journey, you can meet them where they’re at.
Now that you have your target persona mapped out, look through these charts to identify where the bulk of your audience is hanging out. Allow yourself some flexibility–for example, you may be used to creating content for Instagram, but if the bulk of your audience lines up with Youtube demographics, be prepared to shift your strategy.
How to Build Content Around Your Target Persona
Now that you know who you’re talking to and where they are, let’s refresh how we can make sure your message cuts through the noise. Talk is cheap! How can you craft communication that leads to community? Here are some tips to build content tailored to your audience:
- Personalize Your Message: Use the insights from your persona research to create personalized content that speaks directly to their needs and interests, and addresses their triggers. Do you notice them engaging with certain types of posts? Lean into those.
- Use the Right Tone and Language: Match the communication style of your target audience. Whether it's professional, casual, humorous, or inspirational, keep your tone in line with their expectations. This applies to your visual style as well! Are you playful? Sleek? Whimsical? Feel free to experiment to see what your audience responds to.
- Monitor and Adjust: Analytics are your best friend! Use metrics and feedback to refine your strategy and see what’s working…and what isn’t.
Reaching your ideal customer on social media requires a deep understanding of who they are and where they spend their time. By building a detailed target persona and applying demographic insights, you can create relevant content that solves your audiences’ problems and provides value.