Identifying Your Target Audience Demographics: A Beginner’s Guide

While 82% of businesses say that understanding their target audience is key to success, only 42% actually collect basic demographic information.

Fortunately, when you work with experienced professionals and collect statistical information, target audience identification becomes a simple and efficient process. Read on for a guide on identifying your target audience demographics and marketing to them effectively.

Consider Your Offerings

The first step to finding your target audience is thinking about what you have to offer.

If you're a real estate company, your clients likely are looking to buy houses for themselves or for rent. They'll be in an income bracket that can afford the properties you're selling.

If you're a fashion brand selling women's clothing, your target audience will be predominantly female. They also will have a set amount of money and likely fall into specific age and social groups.

Those offering tutoring services to high school students will want to send marketing information to families with children aged 14-18. Couples without kids and families with younger children won't have any use for your services, and trying to reel them in is a waste of resources.

Some things to consider when determining your demographics include age, gender, income, occupation, family status, and level of education. 

Look Into Location for Target Audience Identification

Some businesses that ship worldwide or nationwide won't need to worry about location very much. But for local businesses, real estate salespeople, and medical clinics, location is a primary consideration when finding your target demographics.

Use analytical tools to see where people are clicking on your website the most frequently. These are places where you have a lot of people interested in you, so you should try to make a name for yourself in these areas.

You can also survey your current clientele and ask where they're located. After getting this information, you can easily shoot off emails to people in the areas near them. Social media ads and Google marketing strategies can use targeted local keywords to get the word out to those near you.

If your products are widely needed but localized, an Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM) campaign can help you reach people nearby. These services mean dropping a flyer, postcard, or other print marketing material in the mailboxes of everyone in a specific area. Direct mail is engaging, tangible, and reputable enough to help you build brand loyalty.

Gather Demographic Information

Boosting your brand's visibility can't be a guessing game - it needs to be a well-oiled machine. That's why gathering demographic data with online tools is essential.

You don't just want to target consumers you think are interested in what you have to offer. You want to know that you're reaching the right people, and analytical tools can help you with this.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a great place to start your analysis. Connect it to your website, sign into Google Analytics, and navigate the page to your view. Then open Reports and select either Audience > Demographics or Audience > Interests.

From there, you'll get a report of the people who are visiting your website. The age, gender, and interest composition will be clear and easy to understand.

Competitor Analysis

You can also easily perform a competitor analysis with Google Analytics. Simply plug a competing website into the software and let it assess who's using the services of your direct competition. These demographics are who you should target, too.

Standing out in a crowded market also means avoiding mistakes your competition has made. You also want to build on what they're doing right so you're a cut above them. This means looking at which of their pages have the highest conversion rates so you can emulate what they're doing right.

Current Clientele Surveys

Send out surveys to your current customers and clients to request information about their demographics. These surveys can inquire about their income and occupation, but they're also the chance to learn more about your audience's values, goals, and issues.

Ask questions about why they've chosen to work with you over competitors. Inquire about what makes your business stand out to them and how you resolve their pain points.

Make sure to offer an incentive for completing the survey like a promo code or free gift. This will get you more information so you can analyze your market more comprehensively.

Social Media Assessment

71% of SMBs use social media to spread the word about their goods and services. Audience insights from these platforms also offer great consumer profiling benefits that could offer easier marketing insights. 

X (formerly Twitter) is one of the biggest social media platforms for businesses. If you use this, you can go to the 'Audiences' tab on the analytics dashboard and get a full breakdown of your demographics. In addition to learning about people's ages, incomes, and locations, you'll also get intel on their interests, consumer buying styles, and political affiliations.

This is pretty comprehensive, but using X in tandem with other platforms can get you even more information. Facebook's Audience Insights let you see the demographics of people who have interests related to your products. You'll learn who's liking your page and engaging regularly with your content.

Professional Help

Regardless of how you perform a target market analysis, experts at Taradel can help you do so more effectively. We have expert tools, resources, and knowledge needed to assist businesses like yours.

We also understand principles like audience segmentation and how to cater to specific parts of your audience. Talking to our experts doesn't just mean getting great insights - it means applying them, too.

Start Your Target Market Analysis Today

Now that you know the ins and outs of target audience identification, it's time to begin gathering demographic information and catering to your most important prospects. At Taradel, we pride ourselves on being partners at every step of your marketing journey.

Our expert tools and resources can help you identify those most likely to work with your brand so you can tailor your print and digital marketing efforts to them. Start planning your upcoming advertising campaign to make the most of your marketing strategy.