Define Your Best Customer and Enjoy Lasting Brand Benefits
When bourbon blew up in 2019, I was admittedly already on the band wagon. It was the AMC special, Mad Men, that first introduced me to the brown stuff. My then-girlfriend, now-wife, and I would celebrate each episode with a homemade cocktail straight out of the show. It introduced us to many concoctions, but it was the Manhattan that quickly became my favorite. And the star of the Manhattan, of course, is American Bourbon.
I recently recalled this story to a former colleague that works in the marketing department of a well-known liquor brand. “Ugh,” she replied, “I simply cannot stand bourbon. It’s just not for me.” How insightful, I thought. This is exactly the kind of intel that businesses and marketers are constantly looking to uncover. Who is your product or service for? Bourbon distillers must know exactly who they’re talking to, otherwise nobody will listen. But what about the businesses whose audiences aren’t so obvious?
The truth is, even if your ideal customer isn’t immediately recognizable, it’s never everyone. In fact, even for young organizations, understanding who you're talking to has business benefits. It's a practice that helps to sharpen your image, strengthen your message, and focus your marketing resources.
Here are four benefits to narrowing your target audience before you build or evolve your brand:
- A Visual Identity that Attracts the Right Audience
When you know who you’re targeting, you can design a visual identity system with intention. Ever notice how generic brands just blend in? Color, typography, photography, and layout choices can all be made in the service of your most valuable customers. In other words, your brand will attract and resonate with the people that are going to engage with your business. Forget about everybody else. - A Tone of Voice That Speaks Directly to The Most Loyal Customers
Brands behave like people, and should have their own unique personality. Why? Because brands with a defined audience don’t have to sound like everyone else. They can be bold, quirky, refined, or irreverent. Ask yourself: who are your people, how do they talk, and what do they respond to? A clear audience helps to define an appropriate tone of voice. When you know who you’re talking to, your marketing messages becomes sharper and more compelling. - Smarter Targeting and Better ROI
Knowing your audience also helps you spend your marketing dollars where they’ll work. But don't take my word for it. A recent Zendesk report argues that 68% of consumers expect personalized experiences. It's impossible to create a custom message without a defined audience. Find out who loves your brand, stop chasing the uninterested, and start investing in the people that are most likely to become brand advocates. - Avoid Brand Dissonance With an Undefined Audience
I've seen it time and again — When a brand tries to appeal to everyone, it ends up appealing to no one. Businesses that are afraid to offend potential customers usually end up creating brands so bland they just blend in. Their messaging becomes inconsistent, and their value proposition confusing. An undefined audience creates white noise in our ultra-competitive brand landscape.
Bringing up the topic of a target audience has resulted in many eye rolls over the years. To be quite honest, I get it. Anyone with a marketing background knows how much time it takes to explore all the possibilities, and how much work goes into refining a target audience. It's tough work. It takes research, and a little bit of soul-searching, but I promise it's time well spent.
The Real Takeaway: Choose Your Target
If you remember nothing else, remember that brands should take the time to discover and define who might love them. The benefits of a defined target far outweigh the potential pitfalls of an unclear audience. My friend’s reaction to bourbon, “it’s just not for me,” isn’t a problem. It’s clarity and understanding. Why spend time and resources attracting people who were never going to care in the first place? Think of clarity as a gift.
Your audience isn’t everyone — far from it. And that’s exactly what's going to make your brand interesting.
I know what you're probably thinking. How am I going to find out who loves my brand? It might be easier for some businesses. A gluten-free bakery, for example, caters to a specific audience. If you designed a gizmo, though, a target audience might be more difficult to define. Rest easy. In my next article, I’ll share a few practical ways to discover and define an audience. Look for that in a week or so.
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