With the new algorithm on Instagram, having a well-defined target audience is more critical than ever. Small businesses can compete with huge companies by knowing their target customers. so, If you want a massive engagement pop-up on your Instagram, the first thing you need to do is to define your main audience and learn more about them.
Best practices for finding your target audience got very easier by the presence of social networks like Instagram. You should break down the targeting process step-by-step on Instagram:
Why is it essential to define your target audience?
#1 It challenges your opinions:
Chances are, your target audience is more diverse and larger than you think. This is a good thing because it means you have more sales opportunities. But it also makes your strategies more complicated, since you have to come up with different strategies for each Instagram user persona types.
#2 It makes your life easier
Finding your target audience indeed gives you a strong foundation from what to create and promote all upcoming Instagram content. There will be more methods to cover.
Here is how you can define your target audience on Instagram:
#1 Start with your broader marketing personas
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Begin with the personas which you are already going after today.
You can add details and descriptions to each persona once you begin digging into the social data.
#2 Listen more to understand the conversations on Instagram
Find out what are people talking about your target topics and your industry on social media today.
Who is speaking? Who is the main speaker of the conversation, and what do they say?
#3 Expand your knowledge of every persona with social media
Once you went through interviews, you can fit the different conversation types and their participant into each of your persona types to highlight these personas and make them Instagram-relevant.
Expand your focus on the topics related to your industry, once you find a popular Instagram user talking about the topics related to your brand, dive into their profile to find out what they care about on a general level. You should understand the whole persona, not just the things that are related to your brand.
#4 Check out your competition
Who are your competitors targeting on Instagram? Who are their current followers? Don’t go after the same brand. You may find something new that they are overlooking.
#5 Analyze your service or brand
Write down a list of each feature of your service and product. And try to write their benefits next to them. For instance, a graphic designer offers good design services. The advantage is a professional brand image. A professional and trustworthy image will attract more followers and customers because they see the company as reliable and professional. So, the benefits of their service are gaining more followers and customers. Once you have advantages listed, make a list of people who need what you are offering.
#6 Choose demographics to target
Find out not only who needs your product, but also who is your potential customer. Consider these factors:
- Age
- Location
- Gender
- Income level
- Family status
- Education level
- Occupation
#7 Consider their psychographics
Psychographics are the more personal information of a person. Such as:
- Personality
- Values
- Attitude
- Lifestyle
- Hobbies and interests
- Behavior
Determine how your service or product will fit into their lifestyle. How and when will they use your product? What features can grab their attention?
#8 Estimate your decision
Once you defined your target audience, you need to consider these questions:
- Are there enough people who fit in my criteria?
- Do I understand what drives my target audience to make decisions?
- Will my target really purchase my product? Will they see a need for my service?
- Can I reach them via message?
- Are they easily accessible?
Don’t break your target audience too far! Remember, you can have more than one target audience. Consider if your message should be different for each target.
Defining your target audience is the hard part. Once you know who is your target audience, it would get much easier to find out how you can reach them.
Instead of sending individual messages to every one of them (god that’s exhausting) you can use Instagram auto direct messages to send same messages to your target followers.
That’s it for today.
Try these steps, and you will be surprised by your business growth.
