Find Your Target Audience on Social Media
by Arron GeorgeDo you know where your ideal customer or target audience spend most of their time online?
Well, Experian Marketing Services released a study showing that in the United States, 16 minutes out of every hour online was spent on social networking and forums.
So, the chances are your customers spend time on social media. But, there are so many social networks, how can you find the one your ideal customer is using?
There are a few ways to narrow down your search and find your target audience on social media, which we will explore on today’s blog.
Who is Your Target Audience?
Before you sign up to any social networks, you need to identify your target audience. Consider your typical customer based on age, gender, background, location, etc. Once you know your target audience, you can start using social media to find them.
Understand Where Your Audience Spends Their Time
At this stage, you need to conduct some research and identify the function of each social network. For example, if your target audience is women (aged 25-44), then Pinterest is the likely place they will spend time on.
For most businesses, a good place to start is Facebook. This social network attracts over 1 billion monthly users and has an even spread of demographics. The majority of users are there to develop relationships with people and businesses.
NOTE: Facebook has proven to be a successful place to find most dental practices’ audience.
Observe and Learn
Once you have signed up to a social network, do not jump in both feet first. Take a look around; connect with your current audience (or patients) and industry experts (in groups or by following them). Observe how your audience interacts with competitors and identify potential new leads that fit your ideal customer personas.
Understanding your target audience’s following will greatly help your dental practice to:
- Find your audience
- Interact with them successfully.
Now, it is time to start introducing yourself to your target audience through comments and relevant content.
Find the Right Content
As noted earlier, it is vital to understand what each social network is primarily used for to post relevant content.
For example, LinkedIn is a very business minded and professional network while Twitter is great for consuming real-time content on your mobile device. In fact, you can attract your audience on Twitter by sharing mobile-friendly content such as short videos or images (nothing that will take too long to consume).
Sharing valueless content will alienate you from your audience, but helpful and insightful content that focuses on the needs of your audience will increase your following.
Use the Power of Video
YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google and the largest video-sharing site on the web. In fact, according to YouTube itself, 1 billion people visit their site to watch 6 billion hours of video per month.
Video has a powerful reach and the chances are your audience is watching them. Try using video as part of your social media marketing.
Engage and Interact
The final step in finding your target audience is interacting with them. Reply to their comments and provide helpful answers to their questions. Take advantage of direct communication and develop a trusting relationship.
Finding your ideal audience online is a constant process because hopefully, your audience will keep growing.
At Roadside Dental Marketing, we know it can be difficult to be heard through all the online activity that occurs on social media. But by identifying, finding, and targeting your audience you can greatly decrease the excess noise. By sharing content that only speaks to your niche, your dental practice will get better results while saving time and money. Would you like a FREE marketing analysis?
Do you have any other ways to find your target audience on social media?
