What is the difference between a target audience and a customer profile?
Target audience and customer persona are two important concepts in marketing that help businesses make decisions about marketing a product or service. Although they may seem similar, they have some differences.
1.1. Main characteristics of the target audience.
A target audience is a group of people that a business is targeting with a product or service. It is determined based on various factors such as age, gender, income, education, location, interests, and behavior.
In order to determine the target audience, a business needs to answer a number of questions, such as:
- Who will use the product or service?
- What problems and needs do they have?
- What are the behavioral and interests characteristics of this group of people?
Based on these answers, you can formulate a description of the target audience. It includes characteristics that define who the ideal consumer of the product or service is.
For example, if a business sells sports nutrition, then the target audience will be people who are actively involved in sports or fitness, strive for a healthy lifestyle and pay attention to nutrition. They may have different ages and incomes, but they are united by a common need for sports nutrition.
1.2. Client portrait.
A customer profile is a more detailed description of the ideal buyer of a product or service. It takes into account not only demographic and interesting characteristics, but also factors such as personality traits, values, habits, and behavior.
In order to create a customer profile, a business needs to study its target audience in more detail. This can be done by conducting surveys, analyzing data on purchases and behavior on the site, and studying customer reviews.
For example, if a business sells skin care products, a customer profile might include the following characteristics:
- Demographic data such as age, gender, income and location.
- Personal qualities such as self-sufficiency, responsibility and the desire for a healthy lifestyle.
- Habits and interests, such as taking care of your skin, using natural products and following beauty trends.
- Needs and concerns such as dry skin, acne problems or finding a product that is suitable for sensitive skin.
These characteristics help businesses better understand their customers and create products or services that are ideal for them.
The difference between a target audience and a customer profile is that the first concept is more general and describes a group of people who may be interested in a product or service. While the second concept is more detailed and describes a specific buyer who has certain needs, habits and values.
Both concepts are important for developing marketing strategies and allow a business to target a specific group of potential buyers and create a product or service that is ideal for them. Based on the customer profile, it is possible to develop a personalized marketing approach and create more effective advertising campaigns that will attract and retain customers.
Where to find data on your target audience
Researching your target audience is an important step for any company that wants to reach as many potential customers as possible with their product or service. To learn how and where to find data on your target audience, there are a few key sources to consider.
- Direct contact
Direct contact is the most reliable and fastest way to obtain information about your target audience. This can be a real-time meeting with customers or conducting surveys by phone or email. Surveys can include questions about age, gender, hobbies, shopping habits, etc. This way, you can get direct feedback from your audience, which will help you better understand their needs.
2. Open information from the Internet
There are many online resources that can help you find information about your target audience. For example, social media can give you information about user demographics, hobbies, opinions, and shopping habits. You can also find statistics published by government agencies, market research companies, and other sources online. Such data can give you market insights and trends that can help you better understand your audience’s needs.
3. Own company database
If you already have a database of customers who have ever purchased your products or services, you can use this information to determine your target audience. You can analyze this database to determine which customers are most active, what products or services they purchase, and which marketing campaigns are most effective.
4. Competitors
You can research what groups of potential customers your competitors are already serving, what marketing strategies they are using, what products or services they offer, and what advantages they have over your company. This can give you insight into the gaps in your marketing strategy and help you better determine which target audience groups you need to focus more on.
It is also important to consider that sources of information may vary depending on the type of your company and its target audience. For example, if you are in the business of selling youth clothing, social media may be the most useful source of information about your customers, while for a company that offers accounting services, it may be more effective to use its customer database and search for information in specialized industry resources.
Segmentation of the target audience. Sherrington's method (5W)
Segmentation of the target audience is one of the key steps in creating a successful marketing strategy. It allows you to identify different groups of potential customers and develop personalized approaches for each of them. One of the most popular segmentation methods is the Sherrington Method.
What is the Sherrington technique?
The Sherrington Method was developed in the 1960s and was named after its creator, Professor A. Sherrington. This method is based on identifying consumer groups based on two criteria: behavioral and demographic.
How does this work?
In the segmentation process, Sherrington's methodology uses the following five steps:
- Defining segmentation criteria: This step defines the criteria that will be used to divide the target audience. Criteria can be behavioral (e.g. frequency of purchases, order size, etc.) and demographic (e.g. age, gender, income, etc.).
- Data Collection: This step involves collecting data about the target audience. This could be data from customers, sales data, website visit data, etc.
- Data Analysis: Once data is collected, it is analyzed using statistical methods to identify patterns and identify consumer groups.
- Segment creation: Based on data analysis, various segments are created into which consumers with similar characteristics are grouped.
- Developing a Marketing Strategy: Each segment requires an individual approach, so this step involves developing personalized marketing strategies for each group.
Advantages of the Sherrington method:
- Each segment is determined based on actual data, making this method more accurate and effective.
- Creating personalized marketing strategies for each group allows you to increase the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and increase sales.
- Sherrington's methodology allows us to identify not only the differences between consumer groups, but also the similarities, which can be useful in developing a more general strategy for all segments.
- This method can be used for both large companies and small businesses, as it does not require large research costs.
Disadvantages of the Sherrington method:
- Sherrington's methodology does not take into account changes in consumer behavior that may occur over time.
- When creating segments, you may miss some important characteristics that may be important to certain groups of consumers.
- Segmentation based on demographic and behavioral criteria may not be accurate enough because it does not take into account psychological and sociocultural factors that also influence consumer behavior.
The Sherrington Method is an effective method of segmenting the target audience, which allows you to identify consumer groups based on behavioral and demographic criteria. This method allows you to determine the individual needs of each segment and create personalized marketing strategies, which increases the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and sales. Despite some shortcomings, the Sherrington Method is one of the most popular segmentation methods and can be used for both large companies and small businesses.
Creating a customer profile
A customer profile is an image of a typical representative of your target audience. Based on this image, you can determine which paths you should follow to effectively communicate your offer to customers and increase conversion.
Sociological surveys and research.
Sociological research is one of the most effective ways to collect data about your target audience. It allows you to identify customer characteristics such as age, gender, income, education, profession, marital status, interests, needs and habits. Surveys can be conducted online, by phone or in person.
Personal observations.
Customer observations are another way to gain information about what your target audience is interested in. You can observe how customers use your products or services, how they interact with your site, how long they stay on the site, what pages they visit, etc. This data will help you understand how to improve your product and make it more attractive to your target audience.
Consultations with professionals.
You can turn to professionals such as psychologists or marketing specialists to consult on creating your customer profile. They will help you understand what motivates your target audience, how they make purchasing decisions, and what factors influence their loyalty.
Marketing research.
Marketing research can also help you create a portrait of your target audience. It allows you to identify the benefits of your product, compare it with competitors, understand which promotion channels are most effective and what activities need to be undertaken to attract and retain your target audience. Marketing research can include competitor data analysis, customer surveys, user behavior analysis on the site, etc.
"Mystery shopper".
Mystery shopping is a way to test the quality of your customer service and get feedback from them. In this approach, you can hire a professional mystery shopper who will act as a regular customer and evaluate the level of service from your employees. This way, you will be able to understand which aspects of the service need to be improved to meet the needs of your target audience.
After collecting data from various sources, you need to analyze and synthesize the information obtained to create an image of a typical representative of your target audience. Based on this image, you will be able to determine what activities need to be undertaken to achieve maximum effectiveness in promoting your product or service.
Client Avatar
A customer avatar is a created profile or image that represents a customer in a specific context. It can be a virtual or real character that reflects the customer’s personality and interests and is used to describe their needs and behavior in the context of a product or service.
Creating a customer avatar is an essential tool for any company or business that seeks to understand its audience and provide products and services that best meet customer needs and expectations.
For example, let's say we have a company that sells fitness equipment. To create a customer avatar, we can use information we know about our target audience, such as age, gender, interests, lifestyle, and physical activity level.
We can create a customer avatar based on this information. This could be a woman between 25 and 35 years old who loves fitness and cares about her health. She works in an office and has limited time for training, so she is looking for equipment that will help her exercise at home.
Based on this profile, the company can develop and offer products that are best suited to this client. This could be compact exercise equipment that can be used at home, as well as special training programs that take into account a limited amount of time.
Creating a customer avatar can help companies better understand their customers and offer products and services that best suit their needs. It can also help determine the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and facilitate the process of developing products and services.
Conclusion
In order to successfully market your business, it is important to know your target audience. When choosing sources of information about your audience, it is important to consider the specifics of your business so that the information you receive is as accurate and useful as possible. Direct contact, open information from the Internet, your own company database, and competitor analysis - all of these sources can provide you with valuable information about your customers and help you determine the most effective marketing strategies for your business.
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