Connecting with your audience is critical to navigating the world of marketing. Think of it like establishing a real connection with a friend - it takes patience, effort, and a genuine interest. Working with a local digital marketing agency in London can give you the boost you may need.

Acknowledging your audience, speaking their language, and being present in their spaces are the secret tools to understanding your client's success. When you truly understand your audience on a personal level, knowing what they do during the week and what they love to do on the weekends will not only give you a clear blueprint of what resonates with them but also allow you to tailor your content and messaging to develop a stronger connection.

Who is your target audience?

The first step to discovering your audience persona is having a clear, constructive idea of your target audience. To market anything successfully, you absolutely need to know who you are talking to. To begin, start with your insights and current data. What are the stats saying? Sometimes, this may surprise you if your ideal target audience is 18-24, yet the stats say the highest purchases come from 25-34-year-olds. This data is crucial in helping you paint the picture of your audience persona. Insights can be gathered via most social channels internally or through third-party apps such as AgoraPulse, Hootsuite, and Meta.

Social media will be your treasure map for understanding what your audience loves, hates, or simply talks about. Aside from the data, viewing what your audience is showing an interest in through listening in on conversations can provide you with a blueprint of their hobbies and interests or even their type of humour.

Building your customer persona

The next crucial step is building a customer persona. This, essentially, is an extremely detailed and thorough version of your target audience.

Your customer persona is built from all the data you’ve pulled from your insights but made specific and personal to an individual. You are creating the “ideal” customer for your product or service, from their demographic to their hobbies and interests.

Your customer persona represents your audience as a single customer and will guide you in every decision you make when marketing your product or service. It’s a valuable tool designed to help you familiarise yourself with your entire audience, so always keep them in the forefront of your mind.

Below is an example of a customer persona.

Customer persona example

Brand - Beauty Cosmetic Products

Name: Rebecca

Demographics:

• Age: 25-35

• Gender: Female

• Location: London

• Occupation: Marketing Manager

• Income: £30,000 - £40,000

Lifestyle:

• Very social, loves spending time and going out with friends

• Lives a generally healthy lifestyle through exercise and diet

• Loves to explore new places

• Superactive on social media platforms, specifically Instagram

Behaviour:

• Watches beauty influencers to keep up with trends

• Prefers high-quality, highly-reviewed cosmetic products

• Loves trying new beauty products

• Opts for convenience and efficiency in her makeup and skincare routine

Beauty Preferences:

• Wears a simple day-to-day/everyday makeup looks

• Experiments with makeup colours/bold looks on special occasions

• Prefers natural eyelash lift as opposed to eyelash extensions

• Follows a consistent skincare routine morning and evening

• Has specific skincare concerns like oily t-zone

Shopping Habits:

• Prefers the in-store shopping experience rather than online

• Regularly watched makeup tutorials on Youtube and Tiktok

• Religiously follows beauty influencers

• Typically loyal to brands but is open to trying new products and brands

Continuously update your customer persona

This is not to say the work ends there. Understanding your audience persona will be an ongoing process, as audiences can change over time depending on trends, time of year, etc. It’s vital to stay up to date and aware of any changes in patterns in your current audience or new/potential audiences. Be active, seek and embrace feedback, and ensure the connections become more profound and potent over time to maintain sustainable growth and loyalty amongst your audience persona.

Setting aside time weekly or monthly is important to ensure you’re staying up-to-date and on the same page as your audience. One way you can do this is to collaborate with a local digital marketing agency in London to help you constantly refine your audience and structure your content around them. This will ensure you’re keeping on top of new trends and current conversations, which will build your connections and relationships with your audience.

Last thoughts

In conclusion, understanding your audience persona is essential for successful digital marketing. By following these steps to identify and create detailed customer personas, you can connect with your target audience effectively. Remember that this process is ongoing, and staying up-to-date with your audience's preferences is crucial. Consider collaborating with a local digital marketing agency to refine your strategies and build stronger connections with your audience. With a clear understanding of your audience, you'll be better equipped to create content that resonates and drives sustainable growth in your marketing efforts.