For many brands today, one of the keys to success is to attract the right audience on social media. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are very popular today – and they have become a bridge that connects businesses with more customers.
However, finding success through these channels are a bit of a challenge, especially if you’re not sure who you need to connect with. Yes, posting content and promoting your brand is not enough. You must know your exact target audience to get results.
How to attract the right target audience on social media
To perform well on social media, you must define your target audience. Locating them will enable you to create a better marketing strategy, run more relevant campaigns, and get optimal results.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Make a buyer persona
Always remember, your business isn’t going to attract everybody. Some people will buy from you, while others won’t. Sure, they’re going to check your posts and campaigns, but it won’t guarantee conversions simply because it’s not what they are looking for.
That’s why you need to create a buyer persona or ideal customer. This will prevent you from engaging the wrong audience.
You can begin by analyzing the products or services that you offer. How does it solve people’s problem? What sets your brand apart from the competition? Why should consumers trust your business?
Then, determine who often engages with you on social media. You can begin with your past clients. Check their similarities in age, location, language, interests, buying behavior, and the challenges that they face.
If you already have followers on your social media channels, you can also check their demographics. They can provide lots of information that you can use in creating your buyer persona.
- Utilize social media listening
Social listening is a process that enables brands to uncover conversations from different platforms. You will be able to check what other people are saying about your business, products or services, and industry – even if you’re not tagged. You just need to use a social listening tool, monitor relevant keywords or hashtags, and check the conversations.
Social listening will also give you the opportunity to reach out in response to others’ posts. This is a great way to define your target audience, even if they are not following your channels yet. There are lots of tools available for this method, both free and paid. Some of the most popular ones are Hootsuite and Sprout Social.
- Check which channels they often use
Most people use more than one social media platform, and your target audience may be doing the same. That’s why it’s crucial to check which channels they often use or the ones that are popular with the type of social media users you are targeting.
This will help you figure out where it is best to engage them, or which platform might be worth removing from your marketing strategy. Doing this tip will also help you save time that would otherwise be spent on building relationships with your target audience.
- Visit competitors
As mentioned earlier, social media is very popular for businesses today. So, it’s not a coincidence to find lots of competitors on the platforms you are using to attract new customers. They are probably doing the tactics you are using, too. Therefore, it’s worth checking them out.
Check their engagement strategy, the platforms they are using, how they respond to followers, their top fans, their posting schedule, and more. This will enable you to compare strategies and come up with a better one – something that will help you win the competition.
- Understand your prospects’ needs
First, have a solid understanding of your prospects’ needs.
Ask yourself how your services can make their life easier, better, and interesting. Determine if your business can help solve people’s problems or meet their goals. List down the benefits of your products or services.
Do brainstorming with your team and create benefit statements. This can automatically help state a few basic information about your target audience.
Then, strategize how your business can provide value through social media. If you don’t know where to start, try considering how you can help overcome people’s purchasing barriers. You can also determine their position in their buying journey – are they researching, just looking for reviews, or ready to buy?
If you’re having a bit of trouble about this step, you can always ask your audience. Try doing Q&As, polls, or surveys. You will surely get solid information about the things they’re interested in, their pain points, and more.
Final Thoughts
To attract the right target audience on social media, you must first identify them. Once you have a sense of who you must engage and connect with, you will be able to create a well-balanced marketing strategy that yields results. Hopefully, the tips we provided above will help you get started in finding social media success.
