In the previous chapters, we talked about you, but ultimately, what matters is forming the brand image in the eyes of the customers. After all, it's the customers who will bring fame and honor to your creation, and to achieve that, it's crucial to understand them.
A common mistake made by clients is giving the following response to the question, "Who are your customers?" - "Everyone!" They excitedly list all kinds of groups they can think of: students, retirees, sophisticated youth, VIP clients, and so on. In the language of branding, "everyone" means "no one."
This implies that the market proposition is formulated abstractly and will receive random responses, akin to shooting a cannon at sparrows - you might hit someone by chance. In the modern reality, such mistakes are not forgiven. If you are too lazy to do the preparatory work for your business now, be prepared to suffer losses in the future.
Task
Describe the target audience of the brand, referred to as TA, by answering the following questions:
1
What is the age of our client? (If multiple age groups, divide them into age ranges.)
2
What is the gender of our client?
3
What is our client's monthly income?
4
How much does he/she spend on our product per month?
5
How often does he/she use our product/service?
6
What motivates him/her to use our product?
7
Through which information channels will he/she learn about our product?
8
Where does he/she currently obtain/purchase this product/service?
9
What would make him/her stop using their current product and start buying ours?
The methods of describing target audience profiles can vary. Take some time to research online and find the one that suits you, but be sure to do this "homework." Finding answers to these sometimes uncomfortable questions will ground any illusions about your startup and steer your thoughts towards reality. Describing the target audience and creating customer profiles is also applicable to existing businesses during logo and corporate identity redesign or rebranding.
Time is passing, the assortment is expanding, the audience is growing, and positioning becomes blurry. At least once every 5-10 years, ideally every 3 years, companies should go through this process, refining the communication recipient again and again.
And now, let's connect the brand mission of Jack's flea chips (we haven't reached the stage of brand naming and are in the process of developing the brand's core values) and direct it to the target audience (TA):
1
In the future, the chipping of animals will bring significant benefits, not only in fighting fleas but also in combating other common diseases, ensuring the happiness of pets and their owners, thereby extending their lives! (The brand mission should look to the future, and as a brand creator, you should be a visionary.)
2
A household pet is the soul of any family; if the soul of the family is suffering or in pain, it affects the emotional well-being of all its members, from the wife to the children! In a world full of stress, emotional health is the key to success in all areas of life! (The brand mission should be compelling.)
3
Let's unite in our desire to make the lives of our pets, and consequently our lives, happier and more peaceful! (Motivate action.)
4
We call upon all those who care about the fate of millions of little pets and their loving owners to combat fleas and other canine diseases by joining our project! (Motivate action.)
Defining the target audience is an important step in creating the brand platform. The target audience represents the group of people for whom the brand's products or services are intended, and with whom the brand seeks to establish an emotional and functional connection. Precisely defining the profiles of the target audience helps the brand better understand its consumers, adapt its communication and marketing strategy, and create products and services that address their needs and expectations.
Here are several ways to describe the brand's target audience:
1. Demographic Characteristics This includes age, gender, income, education, place of residence, and other demographic data that help more accurately define the target audience.
2. Psychographic Characteristics This pertains to the attitudes, values, interests, lifestyle, and personality traits of the target audience. Studying psychographic characteristics helps understand what motivates and influences the target audience.
3. Behavioral Characteristics This includes buying habits, preferences, product and service usage, as well as interactions with the brand and other companies. Understanding behavioral characteristics helps the brand tailor its communication and marketing efforts to attract and retain the target audience.
Precisely defining the profiles of the target audience and considering them when creating the brand platform has several advantages and impacts the brand's future success:
1. Targeted Communication Defining the target audience allows the brand to create messages that resonate with the specific needs and motivations of the target audience. This helps attract attention and establish an emotional connection with the target audience, improving communication effectiveness and increasing the likelihood of purchase decisions.
2. Personalization of Products and Services With a clear understanding of the target audience, the brand can develop products and services that precisely meet their needs and preferences. This helps create a more meaningful and valuable experience for customers, enhancing their satisfaction and loyalty to the brand.
3. Optimization of Marketing Efforts Knowing the characteristics and behavioral traits of the target audience, the brand can more accurately tailor its marketing efforts. This allows optimizing marketing expenses by focusing on the most promising channels and communication strategies to achieve desired results.
4. Strengthening Competitive Advantage Precisely defining the profiles of the target audience helps the brand stand out in the market and create its unique proposition. Understanding the needs and preferences of the target audience allows for the development of more innovative and appealing products and services, contributing to the strengthening of the brand's competitive advantage.
5. Long-term customer relationships Clearly identifying the target audience and taking into account its needs and expectations helps the brand to build long-term relationships with customers. A deeper understanding of the target audience allows the brand to establish a close connection, offer personalized solutions and continuously improve the customer experience.
In general, accurate identification of portraits of the target audience and their consideration when creating a brand platform play a crucial role in the formation of a successful brand. This helps the brand to create a strong interaction with the target audience, meet their needs and expectations, as well as achieve a competitive advantage and long-term success in the market. Identifying the target audience allows the brand to better target its efforts, resources and strategy to specific groups of people who are more likely to become regular customers and fans of the brand.