Finding your target audience – the people most likely to want and need your products and services – is a crucial step when it comes to creating your business and designing your offers. But it’s also critically important when it comes to your copywriting, messaging, and marketing.
If your website copy isn’t putting out the right bat signal, your target audience will never find you.
But a big mistake I see when outlining your niche and target audience is jumping the gun and creating audience personas before deciding on your business model.
Finding your niche and audience doesn’t start with WHO, it starts with YOU.
If you haven’t read 5 Questions to Nail Your Niche (as an Online Business Owner), right-click this link to open in a new tab and read it next.
That post will walk you through the initial questions you need to answer before asking how to find your target audience.
Because finding that “you-sized gap in the market” is a little more complex than narrowing down where your skills meet someone’s needs.
Your perfect-fit clients have to align with your preferred workflow, your offers (and investment expectations), and those je nais se quois qualities that make your vibe attractive to them.
If you’re looking to sell to young business owners with very little resources or cash flow, but your services require huge 5-figure investments, there’s a discrepancy between who you want to serve and who can realistically afford to buy from you.
Who you thought was your target market…isn’t a real option.
If you need to get clear on your offer, process, pricing, and realistic target audience, grab the Audience Discovery Workbook, first.
The Audience Discovery Workbook helps you workshop your dream business and define who you want to work with so you can start serving your unique audience instead of catering to someone else’s.
Once you’ve outlined the intersection of your passion, expertise, and consumer demand, then you’ll be ready to dive into the process of identifying your perfect niche and target audience.
What’s the difference between target audience and niche?
The two terms are often used interchangeably but they are actually two different things.
Your niche is a segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service and your target audience is a specific group of people within that niche who wants or needs your products or services.
✅ Your niche focuses on the specific needs, preferences, and characteristics of a particular group of people within a broader market.
✅ Your target audience considers the demographics and lifestyle characteristics of the people who are likely to be interested in a particular product or service.
5 NICHE AND TARGET AUDIENCE EXAMPLES:
NICHE:
High-protein vegan recipes
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Urban millennials and Gen Z aged 25-45 who follow or are interested in a plant-based lifestyle, are conscious about the ingredients in their food, enjoy unique flavors, and want both comforting and nourishing meals.
NICHE:
Artistic bullet journal yearly planners
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Creative professionals (artists, designers, or writers) or hobbyists who appreciate the combination of organization and artistic expression in their planning tools.
NICHE:
Luxury waterfront properties
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Affluent individuals looking for a primary residence with a waterfront lifestyle, or investors seeking high-end properties for potential returns on investment.
NICHE:
Instagram growth strategies for small businesses
TARGET AUDIENCE:
Small business owners, entrepreneurs, or startups looking to enhance their brand visibility, engagement, and customer acquisition through the strategic use of Instagram.
NICHE:
Mindfulness and stress reduction coaching for executive leaders
TARGET AUDIENCE:
High-powered executives, corporate professionals, or individuals in leadership roles seeking support in managing stress, improving mental well-being, and achieving a healthier work-life integration.
In the case above, if you are a business coach and you think your niche is simply “coaching” for “small business owners” and you’re planning to charge $20K for a 6-month program…this is your sign to grab the Audience Discovery Workbook and drill down into your process, offers, and the type of people you can realistically work with.
That’s not your target audience and you’re going to get a lot of bad-fit, can’t pay, leads because you’re positioning yourself all wrong.
Here are some things to consider:
36 Ways To Identify Your Target Audience
- What’s their age?
- What’s their gender identity? (If necessary)
- What’s their business (if selling B2B)
- What’s their size and support? (Solopreneur, small team, 7-figure machine)
- What do they want more of? (Time, money, influence, confidence, love…)
- Where do they turn to for advice?
- What influences their buying decisions?
- What’s their Buyer Type?
- What’s their money mindset?
- What kind of experience of aesthetics are they drawn to?
- Which social media platforms do they prefer?
- What’s their best-self vision of themself?
- What do they value?
- Yep, there’s more…#14-36 ⤵️
Continue this exercise with the complete Audience Person Builder found inside the Audience Discovery Workbook.
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