A key step in the early stages of building a business includes identifying your audience.
Who are you potential clients or customers and how can you reach them?
Your target demographic.
To what demographic does your business appeal? A few things to consider are location, age range, gender, and income level. Depending on your business structure, some of these will be very important in narrowing down your targets and others, not so much.
Your customers / clients are often multidimensional and consist of more than just the end result of who buys the product. Identifying each of these key relationships will help you develop your brand.
Here are some of my own examples:
1. Musicians – who I had to convince to hire me. Without musicians to represent, I wouldn’t have a product to sell.
2. Booking agents – to book my musicians at their venues. Different venues specialize in different types of music as well as popularity of the act. I can’t tell you how many lists I had going of venues across this country, and trying to keep up with who was in charge was a constant struggle.
3. Music fans – to buy records, concert tickets, and merchandise. Depending on the act, there were target fans to reach.
In my current business, I can say the same.
1. Artists and vendors- to join my event. Specifically, handmade.
2. Venue managers and location contacts- to host my event. Hunting for a place that fits all of the desired specifications is vital, as success hinges on location as much as the actual product itself.
2. Shoppers- to buy from my vendors during my event. To narrow this down even farther – typically young families between 25 and 45, leaning more towards women. And of course, they must be local to the area.
Who is your audience?
Don’t be afraid if these answers shift over time as your brand develops. It’s normal to hone in more on your audience once you begin.
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