You've heard so many times that proper positioning is the key to customer acquisition and business success, but when it comes to defining your target audience, you feel lost. Or maybe you have already defined a target audience and now want to diversify it, but it all seems overwhelming?
I've been there too, I know this struggle all too well. Through trial and error, I have developed my own approach that has proven to be very effective, both for me and for my clients.
Thinking in terms of "niche" and "target audience" can be confusing because these concepts are too abstract. It's much more helpful to imagine a specific person and describe them in great detail. Here is how I approach this with my clients. I send them an "ideal customer" template with a long list of questions that cover not only demographics (gender, age, location), but also the personality of their client. Where do they spend their weekends? What kind of movies do they watch? What food do they like? What are their values and challenges? What keeps them up at night?
Going into detail like this allows you to "humanize" the audience in your own mind and understand the ways your ideal customers think, behave, and make decisions.
Let's say your customers are not individual clients, but businesses. This method applies here as well. When approaching businesses, it makes sense to have a specific person in mind that you want to talk to. This can be the CEO, the sales manager, the department head, etc. If you have a clear idea of who you are addressing, you can find the right tone of voice and tailor all communication to it.
LinkedIn Lead Generation: First Steps
Once you have clarity on your target audience, you need to reach out to them. Let's see how.
Step 1: Find your prospects
LinkedIn has numerous filters you can use to find the people you are looking for: geography, industry, keywords, seniority level, schools attended, groups they belong to, etc. In my courses, intensives, and private mentorship programs, I explain in detail how LinkedIn algorithms work and how to search effectively on the platform.
Step 2: Connect
Now you are ready to connect with your prospects. For each stage of communication, from initial contact to closing the deal, you should have ready-made templates and materials to use in direct messages, newsletters, and social media postings.
Step 3: Set a time frame
You should be aware of the time frame in which your target audience converts, which depends on your industry and sales method. For some, for instance, e-commerce and retail industries, it takes as little as two weeks, while for others, such as consulting firms or information services companies, the buyer journey may span six to nine months. So you need to be prepared and have a strategy for interacting with your prospect along this journey.
Step 4: Design and analyze metrics
To make sure you are moving in the right direction, you need metrics. Set KPIs for outbound campaigns (connection rates, response rates, calls booked) and inbound activities like views, likes, comments, downloads, etc. If you find that something is not working, be prepared to try other strategies or prioritize those that deliver better results. By testing different methods and adjusting your focus accordingly, you'll gradually find the way that works best for you.
Takeaway
Defining your target audience is key to your inside sales solutions. The best way to do this is to create a distinct collective persona of your ideal customer. If you have multiple target audiences, you can use the same process for each.
To make your buyer persona definition process easier, use this free template. And it would be great to have your feedback on how it worked for you. Feel free to contact me at ramona.tufaru@elisrl.ro.