Looking for your target audience on social media?

How to find your target audience on social media

If you’re using social media for business then you probably keep close tabs on the number of Twitter followers, Facebook likes and LinkedIn company page followers you have. But more is not always better. If you’re Coca-Cola it makes sense to go after literally billions of followers, you’re selling something that’s available to almost everybody. If you’re an optometrist in Washington D.C….not so much.

So how do you find the target audience for your business on social media? And how do you convince them to follow you? Here are a few tips.

How to determine your target audience on social media

  • Know thyself. What’s unique about your business? Is there a specialty you offer, a skill you’ve perfected or a customer segment that you understand particularly well? What do you offer that your competitors do not? It might help to have a look at your website’s About Us page to remind yourself of what you stand for. (And to see if it’s still accurate or in need of updating.) Of all the stories you could tell about yourself, why have you chosen these particular details? That’s a clue to who you should be trying to reach on social media.
  • Know your customers. Here’s a handy trick: start by writing down who you are and what you offer. Then add explainers like “who”, “because” and “therefore” until you can dig no further. This is also a great trick for better understanding your unique selling proposition.
    Here’s an example:

    We sell running equipment to people in Kansas City who are serious about running and who need high-performance gear because they run long distances through punishing terrain and therefore need gear that lasts.

    This also should incorporate the things your customers have told you, either directly or on review sites.

    Continuing our example, here are some groups this owner might want to interact with on social media:

    • people who have mentioned, followed or liked local races or outdoor recreational areas
    • local student athletes
    • locals who may have a higher disposable income, based on the local companies they work for or the neighborhoods in which they live
    • locals who have mentioned, followed or liked Nike Fit, FitBit or other electronic fitness gear
    • locals who have mentioned, followed or liked any nutritional programs or products made specially for athletes
    • others who are in a position to refer customers, like local fitness trainers, coaches and sports therapists.

These are just a few ideas. Now here are the steps you can take to actually locate your target audience on social media.

How to locate your target audience on social media

Twitter’s advanced search lets you hunt for tweets or Twitter bios containing a particular term near a given location. Once you’ve identified them, organize them with Twitter lists, and then monitor for organic opportunities to reach out to them. For example, by answering a question they have. Also, when you send out an update be sure to use the relevant Twitter hashtags they’re also using (a free tool like RiteTag can help.)

On Facebook use the excellent search feature to find the relevant, complementary pages and then tag your own page updates with their names (type @ followed directly by the page’s name, e.g. “@Nike Fitbit”.) Facebook’s algorithm may then decide to show your update to that page’s followers, regardless of whether they have liked your page. Cool, no?

So there you have it — a few ideas to make sure your business is actually talking to the right people on social media. (And if you have any trouble keeping up your end of the conversation once you’ve found them, we can help!)