Everyone knows they need to niche down and "know their target audience" which often comes with an avatar worksheet or demographic questions.
And those can undoubtedly be helpful, but unless you're an experienced marketer (and even then it's questionable...), that information will not tell you one important piece of information...
But one question can tell it all:
"What was someone experiencing or doing when they came across your business?"
This question may confuse you to start, but it's not as difficult as it sounds. In fact, once you start thinking about it, you might be surprised at how much you already know.
Asking "What was someone experiencing or doing when they come across your business?" begins with giving context to what someone is going through in their life in order to need your product. For example, if you are a power tool company you would want to focus partly on a new homeowner. They can't borrow their parent's power tools anymore, they need to buy their own.
What is the context behind your customer's need for your product?
Based on what is happening in someone's life when your product became a need, where can you reach them?
You want to show up when and where someone is having this need appear in their life. Using the power tool example, this doesn't mean just having power tools at the hardware store (that's where they all are!), it means getting to that new homeowner before they head to the hardware store to buy the power tool.
Mailing them a 10% off coupon in the mail for a new homeowners special discount. Working with realtors to have giveaways for new clients to win free power tools or just a basic toolbox so they can begin organizing their tools.
Who else is included when you ask "What was someone experiencing or doing when they came across your business?"
When asking customers, their response is probably going to be something like they stumbled upon your business, you may hear stories of the last-ditch effort to complete an online order before midnight or frantically searching how to assemble a new piece of furniture.
This is not the audience you're looking for. You want the "why" behind them purchasing with you, not necessarily the "what" or the "how". People could come across your business while out walking their dog, slurping down iced coffee in the local cafe, or admiring blooming flowers on their commute.
You're searching for the scenarios that lead them to you, not the last few steps that got them there.
Asking "What was someone experiencing or doing when they came across your business?" is the only question you need to define who your target audience is, why they are in need of your product, and how you can make sure they discover your product - no matter what business you're in!
Comment and let me know how you answer "What was someone experiencing or doing when they came across your business?"