1. Start Ups: How To Define Your Target Audience
By Laurence Driscoll
We all know Start Ups overflow withpassion.If youcouldbottle itandsell that,itwould make a
great Start Up! But sometimesthiseagernessto flourish canbe,well,tooeager.Manybusinesses
justaren’tprepared to goto market because theyhaven’t made definingtheirtargetaudience, their
numberone priority.The marketcanbe a noisyplace andyou don'twant yourproduct to getlostin
all the commotionbefore ithashad a chance to succeed.
WhoIs Your Target Audience?
It’sa goodplace to start! Lookat the behavioural patternsof specificdemographics andwhether
youthinkyour productwill alleviate theirpain. Are theymale orfemale?How oldare they?Are they
single?Dotheyhave a family? Where dotheylive? Collectasmuch informationonhow yourtarget
audience behavesashumanlypossible.Once youhave adeeperunderstandingof whoyou’re
targeting,you can begintofocusyour marketingcampaignratherthandilute it.Thenyoucan
competentlycreate acustomerprofile.Thiswillbe asimportantasany missionstatementyouwrite
for the businessbecause inessence,it’swhothe missionstatementisintendedfor.
How Do You Observe YourTarget Audience?
Knowingyourtargetaudience islike marketingdogma,but it’ssurprisinghow manybusinessowners
don’thave a firmgrasp of whotheir audience is asa whole person.Theymayknow elements,but
ask whattheiraspirations,habitsandenvironmental demands are andmostwoulddraw a blank.
Start Ups needto immerse themselvesinthe worldtheirtargetaudienceinhabitsbyviewingthem
intheirmost realisticenvironment. Thisdoesn’tmean roundthe clocksurveillance, instead,step
away fromthe contrivedfocusgroup and observe theirsubconsciousbuyinghabitsbylookingonline
at what they’re sayingaboutaparticularproductor, if it’spossible throughanexistingventure,
confronttheirpainbyofferingausersurvey.
Do You Have A Big Enough Audience?
Afterdefiningthe targetaudience,it’stime to assessthe size of yourcustomerbase tosee if you
have the numbersto sustainyourStart Up inthe future.Youmay have narrowed yourtarget
audience downtomenwithbeards,inwhichcase,the hipsterrevolutiondoesn’tlooklike itisgoing
to everslow,butif yourtarget audience hasnarrowedsignificantlythroughthisprocessyoumay
needtorethinkyourproduct longevity.
WhyThis Product?
It’sanothersimple question,butit’ssuchanimportantone to have nailedbefore youstart. Thiswill
alsohelpyoufleshoutwhatyouthinkis unique aboutyourproduct and whatyouthinkthe world
and yourtarget audience cannotlive without. Sometimeswhentalkingaboutyourproduct,the
breakthrough comesfromtalkingaboutthe painyourproductwill solve ratherthan the product
itself.Ithelpsto ‘talkaround’ itratherthan unashamedlyshovingitdown theirthroat!Thiswayyour
target audience will feel theyarrivedatthe decisionto purchase themselves, ratherthan enduring
the hard sell andfeelingpressured tobuy.Thiswill alsofocusyouandrefreshyourinitial sparkof
inspiration fromwhenthisprocess started.
If you can’t answerthese questions withaRainMan level of detail thenperhapsit’stime to stopand
reassessuntil youcan. Thinkaboutit thisway,youwouldn'tgoout withoutlookinginthe mirror,so
whygo to marketwithouttaking a closerlookatthe reflectionof yourStart Up? That’swhere an
expertcanhelp,letanindustry professional holdthatmirrorup. Theyknow thatdefining yourtarget
audience isthe mostimportantfacetof beinga Start Up. They can connectyou withthataudience in
orderto helpyougrow faster. Youhave decidedtogo intobusinessasa Start Up because you
believeyourproductiswhatis lackinginthe market. Beingable tointimatelytarget youraudience

2. will give yourfledglingStartUp the bestopportunityforprolongedsuccessensuringyoumake
maximumimpactduringthisincubatorstage. It'sall inthe preparation.