Starting a business is exciting, but it’s easy to lose sight of who you’re creating products or services for. Knowing your target audience helps you design better products, create ads that click, and build offers that work. In fact, targeted ads can convert up to three times better than non-targeted ones. In this article, we’ll explain how to figure out who your audience is and how to use that insight to improve your business.
1. Pick Your Industry & Interests
Start by thinking about the industry you’re in, or the one you’d like to be in. Your interests and hobbies are a good starting point:
- Health & wellness: Selling homemade protein snacks
- Automotive: Offering car detailing services for your neighbors
- Marketing/social media: Helping local businesses build an online presence
Your passions and hobbies, such as reading, gaming, fitness, or photography, can all point you toward an industry. Once you’ve narrowed this down, it’s easier to see where you belong and who you should follow for inspiration.
2. Find Where Your Audience Hangs Out
Think about where your audience spends their time, both online and in person.
Online platforms:
- Instagram/TikTok: Best for visual, lifestyle, and wellness products.
- LinkedIn: Works well for professional services like tutoring or marketing.
- Forums: Perfect for niche interests like coding, art, or design.
In-person spaces:
- School clubs or organizations
- Coffee shop meetups
- Community events or fairs
- Local business groups
Once you’re in those spaces, don’t just sit back. Engage by asking questions, commenting on posts, sending a quick message, joining online webinars, or attending conferences. The more connections you make, the easier it will be to understand your audience.
3. Create Their Profile
Make a simple online document (or even use your notes app) that lists the demographics of your target audience. Think about details like:
- Age range: Are they teens, parents, or young adults?
- Gender: Only if it’s relevant to your product.
- Lifestyle: Eco-conscious, athletic, book lovers, outdoorsy, etc.
- Interests: Music, wellness, gaming, fashion, or other hobbies.
This profile becomes your blueprint. You’ll use it to shape your products, services, and content.
4. Ask Them Directly
If you’ve built even a small social media following, put up a quick poll to learn what your audience wants. For example, if you sell homemade skincare products, ask whether they’d rather see tutorials, product reviews, or behind-the-scenes content first. The feedback gives you free, instant insights and can guide your next move, whether that’s creating new content or experimenting with different products based on what your audience cares about.
5. Study the Numbers
Using real data is one of the best ways to understand your target audience. If you already run a business, pay attention to the numbers:
- Shopify sales reports: See which products sell the most.
- Social media insights: Track engagement, average watch time, and who follows your content.
- Google Analytics: Check which pages get the most traffic if you have a blog or website.
- Customer questions: Write down the ones you get asked most often about your products or services.
These insights can show you what people care about and where you can improve.
6. Put It All Together
So, you’ve figured out your target audience—now what? Use that information to adjust your pricing to match their budget, refine your products or services to align with their interests, and post more consistently in the formats they prefer. Putting these pieces together strengthens your business and increases your chances of success.
Next Steps
Knowing your target audience helps you build stronger connections, make more innovative product and service decisions, and grow your business faster. The earlier you figure this out, the easier it becomes to keep your business moving even during busy seasons like college or other future commitments.
If you are a high school student in Florida with big business goals, the Kantner Foundation can help. Learn more about our scholarship opportunities today.