Pinpointing your target audience can be a simple task. In short, your target audience is a list of characteristics your customer may or may not have. 

Communication within branding is essential. Knowing the target audience that you intend to communicate with is just as equally important. When you identify your target audience, you define key elements that steer the conversation: the who, the what, the where and the why. In knowing these answers you begin to set the tone of your branding and be intentional in the connections you make with your audience. 

To begin, follow these questions below to start the conversation. List specific answers to the sections below to successfully identify your target audience.

THE WHO
What is their ethnicity? Are they married or single? What is the age range of this person? Is your product or service gender specific? 

THE WHAT
What is there income? Can they afford your product? Is their income in parity with the price of your product or service?

THE WHERE
Where do they shop? Where city, state and/or country are they located?  Would your products be located in a place that they frequent?

THE WHY
Why would your product or service be beneficial to them? Will your product or service solve a problem?

Here are a few brief examples of how other companies identify their target audience:

• Men between the ages of 50 -70 years of age suffering from memory loss in Atlanta, Georgia making $60,000-150,000 per year
• Mothers with postpartum alopecia in Memphis, Tennessee making $30,000-60,000 per year
• Single young adults between the ages of 23-30 interested in nightlife in Louisville, Kentucky making $40,000-60,000 per year
• Retired baby boomers in Seattle, looking for tech-savvy assistance in Seattle, Washington

As the creator of the product or service, you will want to speak directly to this person (your target audience), in a language that they understand. For example, a child would be attracted to bright colors more than dull, a luxury perfume would be packaged with sophistication and class and a natural food product would highlight the benefits of consuming their product.

The idea of knowing your target audience is so you define them from head to toe and start making a definitive list of what they would expect from your company to make them a client. Your goal isn’t to reach everyone. The ultimate goal is to identify and build a tribe of people who need your product or service.

Your message and topic won’t be for everyone and that’s okay. Take some time to jot down the details of your target audience to improve your brand message.