Target Audiences: 3 Key Unique Strategies to Reach & Connect
At COHN, we believe that Every Interaction Matters™, which is why we approach all our marketing efforts by looking at the entire ecosystem of tactics when executing a strategy. You never know which moment will be the one that converts. In this blog post, we’ll explore three unique ideas we’ve used (or seen used) to reach target audiences, and we hope that these examples will inspire you to find ingenuity in reaching your target market, as well.
Unpacking the Term “Target Audience”
Before diving into the strategies, let’s clarify what we mean by a “target audience.” Your target audience consists of individuals who are most likely to be interested in your products or services. Identifying and defining your audience is the foundation of any successful marketing campaign.
Understanding your target audience requires a deep dive into their preferences, interests, and demographics. To create effective marketing campaigns, you need to know your audience’s age, gender, income, location, interests, profession, education level, and marital status. The more you know about them, the more tailored your messaging can be.
The Three Unique Strategies
Joining Relevant Facebook Groups and Subreddits
We’ve pitched this idea to a number of our clients as a way to meet your audiences in unconventional places. When you fully understand your personas, you should be able to find content and social media platforms, such as Facebook Groups, where your personas might belong. Imagine you are a local credit union, for example, that targets new arrivals to your local town. No matter how big or small your community is, there will be a Facebook Group for area transplants.
Once you’ve identified the right online community, be an observer (or lurker) for some time to better understand how the group functions, what level of promotion is appropriate, what topics are frequent, and if you (or any of your competitors) have ever been mentioned in the group.
This research phase can often be valuable enough to stop there, but if you deem it appropriate, you can also post organic content from your brand’s Facebook page to begin some soft promotion. If it’s authentic, it will connect. This approach applies to all online communities, though we will say that Reddit (in our experience) can be a minefield for brands that come across as inauthentic. Remember, you are a person, not a brand.
Creating Simple but Formalized Referral Programs
Referral programs aren’t necessarily a new or unique marketing tactic, but they are often unseen, especially in a B2B capacity. While word-of-mouth, affiliate marketing, and referral programs are quite common in a B2C context, these types of programs aren’t often visible in B2B situations. But why not? We all understand the value of and appreciate a high-quality referral, so why not create a formal, public incentive program for your partners and network?
Using Thought Leadership as a Trojan Horse
There are countless benefits to creating a strategic thought leadership strategy to build your brand. Think about the award opportunities, speaking engagements, contributed content, and podcast appearances where you’d like to see your brand featured. So why not be the platform that invites them?
Consider leveraging your content platforms to invite high-quality prospects to contribute. If they have the time, there’s a high likelihood they’ll agree, and suddenly you have a relationship with your best prospect.
Think Outside The Funnel
Reaching your target audiences more effectively in marketing requires a deep understanding of who they are, what they like, and how they behave. The tried-and-true marketing playbook of media, content, community, digital, and more will always work to fill your funnel, but as every marketer knows, sometimes you have to try something new and unconventional to stand apart from the competition.
If you want to work with an expert team that will always listen and create a custom marketing plan for your target audiences, give us a call. You never know where your next big idea will come from.
