Audience is everything. If you do not know the audience that you are targeting then you cannot begin creating a brand for a product or a company. There are many reasons that audience must be considered. Knowing your audience well will work for you in the long run. Cultural differences are very important also. Lucky symbols in one culture can mean death in another. With the advent of the web, you can not assume that you immediate area is your sole marketplace. The world is watching your brand.
The audience is the targeted customer base that you are hoping to reach out to for purchasing your product. Audience may include gender, age, geographical regions, and more.
The age of an audience must be considered when branding occurs. This is because if you are targeting a younger and more hip crowd they may want to see a brand that is vibrant and more hip. If your audience is older and more sophisticated then they may be looking for a brand displaying more professionalism.
Gender of an audience is often an issue if you are selling women’s clothing, men’s hats, or other items. However, when you create a brand for a man, remember that you can create ad campaigns targeting the women to purchase the products as gifts for men.
Income isn’t something that many people think about when they consider an audience when developing a brand. This is often where companies go wrong. If you are selling a video gaming system that is several hundreds of dollars in a local store down the street and the average income of families in the area is less than $25,000 a year they may not be able to afford the product.
You cannot sell an expensive product to a poor audience. Also, people with a very high income may not consider purchasing a very cheap product. The value of your brand must match the income of the people you think will be your primary target as customers.
Geographical regions are also very important. Many people open businesses and try to sell products and services where there just isn’t a need. This is a good way to fail. For example, if you have a company selling snow shovels then it wouldn’t make sense to try to sell them to home owners in Florida. Know your geographical locations and which regions will benefit the most from your product or services.
There are many things about your audience that you must know when you are creating a brand. If you do not have a clear understanding of which your audience is then you will fail.
When you determine your audience it is important to narrow it down based on the age, gender (only if specific), geographical region (only if specific), income levels, and more. Your audience will be defined as something like 20-30 year old, male golfers that are left handed.
Some brands may not be this specific. However, the more you can narrow down your audience the more your brand will separate you from the competition. This means you will have less competition to worry about also.
Branding by your audience will allow you to be more successful with sales and develop long lasting customers that are dedicated to you. Targeting the wrong audience can cause problems with credibility and trust.
Older groups of people often want to see a brand as one they can trust. They want credibility and a professional look. If the image appears to be young or unprofessional then you may find that your revenues are lacking.
The same practice rings true with a younger crowd. If you are targeting a young crowd and your brand is too professional and comes across as boring then kids will not be interested in what you have to offer. For example, if your target audience is to sell super fast toy cars to five year old boys then you want a very exciting brand that is fun. If your brand is professional and so is your appearance it will be hard to convince a 5 year old that the cars are really fast.
Always brand by audience. Find out what they want to see. You may even want to talk to different age groups and find out what they would like to see. This would be a good place to start.
Your Notebook To Do:
Answer the following Questions and put the ACTIONS in your To Do Notebook
- The value of your brand must match the income of the people you think will be your primary target as customers.
- Geographical regions are also very important.
- What are your geographical locations and which regions that will most benefit from your product or services?
- The more you can narrow down your audience the more your brand will separate you from the competition.
- How can you brand by your audience?
- What group does your brand appeal to?
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You can’t sell an expensive product to a poor audience? Haven’t you heard of aspiration?
People aspire for a lifestyle they don’t have and therefore purchase items that make them feel they have that lifestyle.
If you were to walk through a low income neighbourhood, you would see kids all around wearing big brand name clothes, products that for all intents and purposes they can’t afford, why? because they want people to believe they can afford those clothes and that they have a better lifestyle.
Another example, why is it possible to get finance on expensive cars?
If expensive cars were only sold to people who could afford them, why would there be a need for the ability to make monthly payments? Finance is available so those people who can’t afford the expensive car can buy it, because again they aspire for a lifestyle where they can afford it and want people to believe that they can afford it.
While on occasion it seems that you make a good point, your blog seems to be very hit and miss.
Hi Vera, thanks for sharing targeting your audience is of paramount importance. As it all depends on your business market.
Very nice page! That is so true. Audience play an important role to every company that produces goods and services. They should put into consideration what really are the needs and wants of every consumer.