Know your audience to grow your customers

Do you have in mind your ideal customer? Would it surprise you to know that newsrooms do?

In my first job in TV, our newsroom had one woman who was part of every decision we made. She wasn't a news director or the main anchor.

She was a completely fictional 35-year-old soccer mom.

Research at the time showed she was our ideal customer – in the demographic most likely to watch our newscasts and buy products from our advertisers. That meant we had to analyze if our story ideas were meaningful to her life. It’s why we prioritized stories about education and health.

Do you know who is most likely to buy your products, be loyal to your brand, and share about your brand with others?

Here's why this is important: At base level, we make a product that meets a person’s need. If we don’t know our ideal customer then we can’t know his or her needs and if we’re meeting them.

Growth doesn’t happen by accident. We didn’t accidentally become a favored newscast because we did whatever we wanted or guessed at it. We were popular because we knew our ideal customer, her needs and how we could meet them.

Knowing your audience is especially key with your PR and advertising efforts. Pursue media outlets that have the same ideal customer.

In my next post I’ll share why this change in focus may lead you to starting small, and why it may result in better returns.

This is part three of a five-part series. Read my article on four tips for PR newbies.

Hi, I'm Allison Sit, TV reporter turned PR consultant. I help motivated small business owners gain visibility and media exposure for their companies.

Follow me on Instagram at @allisonsitpr.