8 Questions You Should Ask Your Target Audience Before Starting a Business

What are the questions you should ask your customers in digital marketing?

1. Who are you?
2. How old are you?
3. Where do you work?
4. How much do you make?
5. What do you do for fun?
6. Why do you buy?
7. Who do you buy from?
8. How can we get in touch?

 

 

The more you understand your customers, the more rapid the growth of your business is going to be. Often, new ventures struggle to define their target market and set their sights too broadly, either because of a lack of survey tools for their websites or any other reason. New business owners often overestimate the size of their target markets and in some cases, there may not be one at all.

The very first step in a marketing or communications strategy is defining your target so that you can craft your pitch or message accordingly. For most businesses, your target market is typically your usual potential consumers of a service or product. If possible, try to keep to one target audience per service or product because different products or services often might have different target markets.

Once you have established your target market, the next step would then be to gather information about them. This can ensure that you are spending your budget for marketing in the right way and build an accurate buyer persona. While establishing your basic demographics is important, your market research won’t be complete without the answers to some critical questions as well. Here are eight questions you should ask your target audience before starting a business.

 

 

Who are you?

Demographic information, at its most basic, is a way to define your target buyer and begin building that all-important persona.

Is your target male or female? Are they parents or are they childfree? Are they older or younger? Are they skilled, educated, or both? Learning the basics of your demographics allows you a foundation to build upon later on.

 

 

How old are you?

Age matters. The chronological age of your target audience is covered by the basic demographics. In fact, the age group your target prospect identifies with and the generation they belong to matters as well.

A thirty-something who is single and loves video games and comic books may identify more with a younger demographic than his peer who is a father of two and is more focused on his business.

 

 

Where do you work?

The field and industry your target audience in and not so much the specific company they are working in might be important for your marketing efforts. The groups they join in, the places they go, and the friends they have are all affected by the field your target works in.

Delving into this market research can also help you expose your existing service or product to new prospects and places you might not have yet discovered.

 

 

How much do you make?

Money matters, in more ways than one. Because your target needs to be able to afford your products or services, they need to make enough money and keep enough of that money in their budget to purchase what you offer.

Also, consider that the “fun money” your buyer has to spend might matter more than their actual income if what you are selling is a luxury item.

 

 

What do you do for fun?

Finding out the favorite movies, television shows, books, and hobbies of your target audience can give you an additional insight into their interests.

Knowing what your target audience does for fun can even give you something to talk about because people are generally more than willing to talk about and answer questions about the things they enjoy.

Asking your target market a question like this makes an excellent ice-breaker for surveys that are done in-person while revealing additional information about your demographic.

 

 

Why do you buy?

Find out what helps your target audience make that final buying decision. Is it seeing a product in action? Is it hearing about the product from others? Or is it simply getting a deal that they can no longer resist?

Knowing “why” exactly a person buys something allows you to place your marketing efforts in the correct position. Conducting a survey on your website using survey tools just after a purchase can help you determine the actual reason why customers are choosing your products and help you improve using this information.

 

 

Who do you buy from?

Ask your target audience where they shop for clothing, groceries, and other necessities. Find out what brands they like the best.

Learning about these interests of your target can help you discover which big brands you should be watching and help you find natural marketing partners too.

 

 

How can we get in touch?

Will your target audience be able to respond to texts, or even able to figure them out? Will they prefer a personal phone call or would that be too intrusive? Are they going to respond to email correspondence?

Knowing how your target market wants to be contacted allows you to target your efforts in a way that increases and resonates your chances of getting heard or read.

 

 

Key Takeaway

Learning more about the persona of your buyer gives you a way to really focus your marketing efforts.

If you are starting your own business, you probably don’t have a huge budget on hand. Targeting the correct audience can make your marketing budget count and ensures that you get the best possible ROI for your efforts.