Advertising to an Audience

Target Audience

Many people assume that the target audience for their advertising campaign includes everyone who might possibly see their ads or be even vaguely aware of their business. Unfortunately, this approach often leads to less response, not more. An ad that is too generalized becomes bland, boring, and easily lost in the clutter; instead of speaking to everyone, it speaks to virtually no one.

In truth, a business’ target audience does not include every person under the sun. A children’s bookstore does not need to capture an audience of single men in their 20s, and a sports bar probably doesn’t need to pander to stay-at-home moms as potential patrons. Instead, you must identify what sort of person is most likely to be a customer or client, and aim your message at that particular subset of the population.

Identifying a target audience should be one of the first steps in advertising creation. Your intended audience will affect the look and feel, the writing and design, what media outlets to use, what markets to advertise in, and similar decisions. Some factors to consider when determining a target audience include age, sex, income, gender, race, employment, and location. Who are your most likely customers or clients? Who does your business appeal to? The more specialized your audience is, the more likely you are to see a higher return on your investment.

Emotional Sway of Advertising

Once you have established your audience, you must reach them. The best advertising is memorable and appeals to the emotions, striking a chord and resonating with the audience. By connecting with your audience on an emotional level, you establish yourself as a business that not only provides something they want, but understands their points of view, choices, lifestyles, and needs, and seeks to accommodate those.

However, emotional sway does not translate to sappiness or cliché. Loaded imagery or copy will not by default tug at the heartstrings of your audience. The inclusion of a playful puppy or fluffy seal cub frolicking among a backdrop of rainbows probably won’t reflect well on your business, unless you’re targeting small children or PETA members.

The effectiveness of an emotional appeal depends on how well you know your audience. An advertisement should highlight something pertinent and understandable about your business, product or service, which the intended viewers can easily relate to. Ideally, an advertisement should answer their questions before they ask them, and fully establish your company’s knowledge of its customers.

Establishing Your Target Audience and Emotional Perspective

So how do you figure out your target audience and the best way to reach them on an emotional level? The key is research – studying your market, your customers, sales trends – and inviting an advertising professional to help you create the best message for your business. That’s what we do every day at Agama Advertising – helping our clients create effective, targeted advertising.

Call us today and let us help your business advertise more effectively to your audience.