Imagine a world where your social media posts are landing right in front of the eyes of the people you want to reach – the ones who are the best fit for your services and have the highest potential to become your clients.
Now, this isn't about building a massive social media who occasionally like and comment but never convert. Because when you've been in the trenches with small businesses long enough, you know that followers don't equal sales.
Remember this influencer with the 2.6 million followers who couldn’t sell 36 t-shirts?
Right, You don’t want to have an irrelevant audience.
Hi I'm Candice, a 5x Certified Marketer and the mind behind Social Rebellion Marketing.
And if you're a coach, consultant, or professional service provider who wants to know how to reach the right people on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, then this blog is for you.
I'll show you how to target your audience like a pro.
How to Define Your Target Audience
Are you crystal clear on who you're creating content for?
Ever been asked who your target audience is and found yourself struggling to answer? If that's you, it's a sign you probably need help defining your target audience.
Let me know if this is you…
Every time you post, you have multiple people in mind, because duh! There are lots of people who can benefit from your services.
Here's the truth:
You can have the perfect content, but if it's targeting “everyone”, it's useless.
Your target is a specific group you want to speak to. Not to be confused with your target market which is the broader group of people you can potentially serve.
The easiest way to start defining your audience is by choosing demographic factors like age, gender, income, etc.
For instance, a personal trainer could focus on work status and income, leading to a target audience like 'Busy professionals.'
Or, if it's gender and parental status, it could be 'PostPartum Mothers.'
Or Age alone? Maybe 'Older Adults.'
Now I’m not saying demographics are enough. You’ll need a richer description to develop targeted messages which I’ll get into later.
But, if you want to quickly address your audience in a headline of a post, then you’ll need to use terms that they easily recognize and identify with. Defining your audience in terms of demographics can help you do that.
How to Choose Your Target Audience
I saw a youtube comment from someone that said, “I’m struggling to zero in on my target audience” And it's true –choosing a target audience can be a real challenge.
Everyone tells you to focus on one target audience, but no one ever tells you how to choose the right one when you have multiple viable options that could be a great fit.
I've been there too. I've considered targeting everyone from "boring" businesses to brick-and-mortar stores to online service-based businesses. I eventually landed on my audience. But I always felt there could be a more strategic way to choose.
That's why I created a simple 2-step system to help you nail your target audience:
- List the 1-4 audiences you're considering.
- Then rate each one from 1-5 using 4 questions and move forward with the audience that scores the highest So here are the 4 questions:
- Passion: How much do you enjoy working with this audience?
- Experience: Do you have a successful history of working with them?
- Awareness: Are they aware of their need for your services?
- Profitability: Can you charge a premium for your services to this audience?
These 2 steps will help you choose a target audience that's right for you. If you’re still struggling to choose your target audience, let me know in the comments, and I'll give you some guidance.
Why You’re Not Attracting Your Audience
Now perhaps you’re one of those business owners who know who you want to target but struggle to attract them. You say things like, 'The only people watching my posts are my family and friends.'
But here’s the thing about attracting your target audience. A lot of it lies in mastering your messages.
Take my client, a genius life coach. Brilliant at what she does, but when it came to LinkedIn posts, it was like her messages were lost in translation.
She'd overthink, get into her head, and end up with posts that literally felt like a maze.
And I get it. It’s hard. Alot of things have to come together.
You’ve got to kick out the dry, corporate talk. Pretend your ideal client is right in front of you. Feel what they feel, say what they're thinking, and cut to the chase. Don't try to be a guru; address real-life concerns, even if they're not textbook problems.
My client, the life coach started to nail it when she got these 3 things right:
- Know your ideal client inside out
- Get clear on your message before hitting that keyboard
- And cut the fluff from your scripts
That’s the secret sauce to attracting your target audience, and not just likes from your aunty and cousin.
By the way, if this hitting home, throw a quick like my way and subscribe to my channel, I've got more to share, so stick around. We're just scratching the surface.
Build a Profile of Your Ideal Client
Ok so you want messages that make your audience sit up and take notice, right? Then Get intimate with them. Like, really intimate."
We all have those days when coming up with compelling content feels like a struggle. You might have a topic in mind, but unless it connects with your audience, it will fall flat. No clicks, no love from the algorithms.
On days like that, I turn to my secret weapon. Ready for it? It's my ideal client profile.
Think of it as a detailed sketch of your perfect client…a cheat sheet into their life, their mind and what makes them tick.
These insights help me connect my topic with my audience in a natural, effortless way. And that’s how you’ll hit the mark.
So, what does this ideal client profile look like?
Well, it includes..
- Demographics and Interests: age, profession, location, interests etc.
- Their journey: where they were before working with me and where they are now
- Their pain points: what keeps them up at night
- Their goals and dreams: what drives them
- Their buying behaviors: how they make decisions
- Their questions: what they ask or search for when seeking solutions
So, you see, when I say 'get intimate with your ideal client,' I mean research them inside out and document every detail.
How to Research Your Target Audience
Alright, let me get deeper into how I research my ideal clients
When I really got serious about my business, I realized how little I knew about my ideal audience. It was embarrassing!
So, my social media game? Not terrible, but definitely not outstanding. Vague content doesn't hit the way targeted content does, and I knew I had to fix that.
Here's what turned the game for me—3 super easy things that you can do too, whether you're just starting out or have clients but haven't documented what you know about them:
- First up, survey your past clients. Shoot them a feedback form or, even better, set up a live interview. I prefer interviews because you can ask follow-up questions to get deeper insights
- Next, crash the online events. Think bootcamps, challenges, and masterclasses hosted by the big guns in your niche. Why? Because people openly share their frustrations and questions in these events. It’s a goldmine.
- Lastly, hit up the Google Also Ask box. Search a word your audience uses, scroll down, and there it is: A list of questions people ask related to that topic. Click on one, and more pop up. It's like peeking into the minds of your audience, and trust me, you want to take notes.
If you're serious about nailing your audience targeting game, these three moves are easy, effective, and make a big difference.
How to Make Content for Your Target Audience that Resonates
By now you get the importance of knowing your audience, but I bet you don’t know how to turn that knowledge into targeted content.
Want to see how I create content for my target audience?
Let me walk you through a process where I create long-form targeted videos and repurpose them for Instagram.
- Identify the purpose: What do you want to achieve with your content? For example, I might want to reach and engage new targeted Instagram users.
- Choose your topic: Focus on topics your ideal client is searching for. Use tools like Keywords Everywhere, Google Keyword Planner or Answer the Public.
- Come up with talking points: Research related questions your audience is asking on the topic. For instance, I might cover talking points like "How to choose your target audience" and "Why you're not attracting your audience."
- Decide the angle: Will it be a how-to, mistakes, or list post? In this case, I'm going with an explainer-type post.
- Determine key messages for each talking point: For example, for the talking point on “Why you're not attracting your audience”, my key message has to do with mastering your messages.
- Script the content: I have a list of over 40 content creation script templates. Each template has a series of 10 prompts, like "Start with a question hook" or "Describe the pain your audience is experiencing." This is where I use my ideal client profile to pull information and develop my points.
- Record the video:
- Repurpose the video: I create a bunch of reels, single posts, and carousels for Instagram and other social media platforms
And that's how I create content that targets my audience.
How to Get Your Content Discovered by Your Target Audience on Social Media
Alright, let's talk about 10 ways to reach your target audience on social media. Because posting without a strategy for discoverability is wasted effort. So, how do you ensure your content gets seen by the right people? Here are 10 straightforward ways:
- Use keywords in your profile and content. Keywords are words your audience uses when searching a topic
- Don't forget the power of hashtags. They help platforms categorize and show your content to the right audience.
- Location tags work wonders if you're aiming for people in a specific area.
- Tag accounts you mention in your content—it helps platforms understand who should see your content.
- Alt tags matter. Again, they help the platform understand your content
- Engage with top voices in your field. Your comments become visible to their followers.
- Interact with content posted potential clients so you build a relationship before you send a request for them to connect with you
- Collaborate or interview complementary service providers, so people who serve your audience but in a different capacity
- Seek endorsements from groups your audience belongs to.
- Don't shy away from paid ads. They get your content in front of your target audience the fastest.
Remember
Remember none of this works unless you have great content and I explain how to build a social content strategy in another article right here, which you’ll definitely want to check out.
I’m a content marketing specialist and owner of C.D BLACKMAN SOCIAL REBELLION MARKETING, where I make it easy for professional service-based business owners to create content marketing strategies that attract leads and clients more predictably.