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04.08.09
How To Target Your Actual Audience
 By Jeremy Griffin
I recently gained a Twitter follower named Gaming873. Now, don't get me wrong, I like gaming and everything, but I am not a gamer, per se. I might have at some point in time Twittered something about some video game, or possibly the word "game," but that doesn't mean that I am by any means a "gamer." So, I ask you Gaming873, why are you following me? Do you care what I have to say? And for that matter, what are you doing to engage others who might be interested in gaming? Oh, nothing? That's cool. Keep it up.
The problem here extends further than just marketers not knowing how to properly use Twitter. The issue is more about the fact that, even if Gaming873 was engaging with the people it was following, I still wouldn't follow back because I could care less about games. This happens all the time, unfortunately. And I'm sure it has happened to you, too. So, I offer this humble piece of advice to marketers out there: Know your target audience. One of the beautiful aspects of social media marketing is that you CAN target your customers directly. I hear commercials on the radio all the time for a country Western bar and their amazing mechanical bull rides. I will likely never go to this bar. Yet, I hear the commercial and someone has paid for it to be on the air, only for it to influence me none.
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 So with social media marketing, you're able to find out what your intended audience is talking about, and therefore you should be able to focus your efforts in ways that will appeal to them. There are some techniques that are along the right track, in targeted search ads- but at the same time- I don't think I have or ever will click on a Facebook ad. Maybe it's because I'm savvy to marketing techniques, but I like to think that most of us are smart enough to know better than to buy into clever ad copy that promises us we'll get rich and be able to buy expensive sports cars in a matter of weeks. I guess the niche you are marketing to is "lazy idiot," and I have done nothing (online) to indicate that I am either.
So I implore you, marketers, do some research and homework and find out who are going to be your brand ambassadors in the social sphere. If you want to appeal to a larger audience- oh say, everyone- it makes the most sense to start with a smaller demographic and work your way up. As Jim has pointed out before, one of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking anyone cares about your brand. Get the people who you want to care about your product or service to REALLY CARE about it first, and let them do the work for you.
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About the Author:
Jeremy Griffin is a contributing writer and Senior Copywriter for IgniteSocialMedia.com.
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