Is the target audience 'dead'?
Wednesday, August 11, 2010 |
She’s a baby boomer, 50, two grown kids. Loves NASCAR and the ballet. Reads voraciously. Three dogs (she’d have more if the law and husband allowed). Votes, donates time and money. Travels. Practices yoga three times a week. Business owner, strategist, social media junkie.
Marketers, would you ever profile this person as your target audience? Of course not. No one in their right mind would dream up such a combination.
Yet it’s real.
Where on earth can you meet such a person? On Twitter, of course. She can follow people who share the same interests (albeit in different combinations, for sure). And she and they can connect in real time: have conversations, debate issues and share points of view.
The appeal of Twitter is that people can find communities of interest on a range of topics. And maybe that’s why it has taken off at such a phenomenal rate. People can be all the multi-faceted characters that they are – despite the fact they wouldn’t fit in anyone’s audience profile.
The trick for public relations and marketing professionals in the future is to find ways to connect with all the people that we are as individuals. So think about who you REALLY are. Then go out and find more just like you!
POSTSCRIPT: This blog post has prompted quite a few comments, both here and in person. The key point I'm trying to make is that I believe social media helps us turn the perspective around. Previously, marketers would identify their target audience and then plan strategies to meet them, based on a series of assumptions. Social media now gives us the opportunity to first search by relevant topic, and then find the people who are likewise interested. With social media, other assumptions (age, gender, occupation, etc.) are irrelevant if we search by topic first. So, you may not think a ballet lover and NASCAR fan go together...but they do. Who knows what other combinations are out there?
Comments
Robert says:
Thanks Sue. Target Audience was NEVER an exact science, but I believe an advertiser can still target a 35-54 female, pet owner, yoga enthusiast. I think Social media can be a tool that provides advertisers with ways to better target individuals based on interests, no question. But social media is just a tool. I do not see it replacing marketing anytime soon. But it can sure enhance and boost marketing in many ways.
posted on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 5:19 PM
Andrea says:
Thanks so much for this Sue....I agree wholeheartedly with your take on target audiences and new ways to reach them. Love engaging new people via Twitter!
posted on Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 6:46 PM
Steve Hammond says:
With regard to Robert's comments abut "Twitter replacing marketing"; let's not get confused between marketing and advertising; strategy vs. tactics. From what I can tell, Twitter and other social media platforms afford us the luxury of narrow-casting our message to a highly targeted audience as we see fit. But to say that Twitter, or any other social media platform can 'replace' marketing makes no sense. In regards to your blog post, I think 'business' hasn't quite wrapped their head around exactly how to use Twitter to move their business goals forward. It's true that ABC Company can now surround themselves with an ideal audience, but now what? Make them an offer? Discounts? Product Information? Solicit P2P reviews or feedback? Create conversation? Build credibility? In my world of working with $1M-$10M/year local retail organizations, they haven't a clue, and the ones who can show them the (right) way will surely prosper. Just some thoughts - FWIW
posted on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 10:56 PM
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