Discovering Your Target Audience
Discovering your target audience is a combination of self-reflection, research, and experimentation. It starts with a clear understanding of your own objectives and continues with learning about the people you want to reach. Here’s a comprehensive approach:
Start with Yourself and Your Product or Service
Think first about what you want to achieve with your website. Ask yourself questions like:
- What am I offering?
- What problems does my website solve?
- Why should people choose my platform instead of another?
Example: If you have a platform for creative entrepreneurs, you’re likely targeting people who want to build a website, such as freelancers, small businesses, or startup founders.
Research the Market and Your Competitors
Visit similar websites and study how they approach their target audience. Look at their content, design, and the language they use in their marketing. Use tools such as:
- Google Trends: To see which topics are popular within your niche.
- Social Media: Observe what kinds of people engage with similar products or services.
Example: If you run a creative website builder like Temblit, you can analyze competitors such as Wix or Webflow to see which customers they focus on, such as visual content creators or small business owners.
Talk to Potential Users
A direct way to get to know your audience is by talking to them. Organize interviews, send out surveys, or use social media to ask questions. Ask about their:
- Needs and goals
- Challenges in finding solutions
- Expectations for a website like yours
Example: If you want to create a blog about web design, you can ask in forums or communities like Reddit or LinkedIn about the challenges people face when building a website.
Create a Persona of Your Ideal Visitor
Use the information you’ve gathered to build a profile of your ideal user. This can be a fictional representation of your audience, with details such as:
- Age: for example, 28–35 years old
- Occupation: freelancers, artists, or small business owners
- Problem: they need a website but have little technical knowledge
Example: For Temblit, a persona might look like “Lisa, a 32-year-old freelance photographer who needs a simple yet stylish website to showcase her portfolio and attract clients.”
Use Analytical Tools
Once your website is live, you can use data to learn more about your visitors. Tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar show you who visits your site, where they come from, and what they do on your site. For instance, you might discover you’re getting a lot of traffic from social media, which could indicate that your audience is active there.
Test Different Approaches
Experiment with different styles, content, and features on your website to see what resonates best with your visitors. Use A/B testing to compare, for example, two versions of your homepage and determine which one drives more engagement.
Example: If you’re testing e-commerce functionality, you could run a special discount promotion and track how many visitors click through and make a purchase.
Keep Evaluating Your Audience
Your target audience may evolve as your website grows. What works today might not be effective tomorrow. Keep listening to your visitors through feedback forms, emails, and social media. Adapt your content and features based on what you learn.
Example: If you notice a significant portion of your visitors come from a specific industry, you could create more content tailored to their needs.
Conclusion
By combining these methods, you’ll gain a clear picture of who your audience is and how best to serve them. This way, you’ll build a website that is not only visually appealing but also effectively meets the needs and expectations of your visitors.
