Target audience - how to define it correctly

The growth in user activity and the effectiveness of promotion in social networks is by no means new to anyone. Interesting services, methods and trends in promotion appear almost every day, providing new opportunities for advertising. One of the key points in the advertising campaign is the precise definition of the target audience - a complete portrait of potential customers (consumers) for whom the company's products or services are intended. Promotion in social networks, first of all, should begin with an analysis of each site where advertising is planned. Those features of each of the social networks to some extent can affect the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. Taking into account the interests of the target audience and the characteristics of users of certain social networks, the company will be able to profitably sell its products or services.

Social Media Audience Characteristics

1. Of all the numerous social networks, the most popular in Ukraine and Russia is the social network Vkontakte .

Characteristics of the social network:

• Audience: 120 million;
• Male audience: 51.5%;
• Female audience: 48.5%;
• Visitors (month): 197 million;
• Number of messages (daily): 40 million

This social network is used by users to a greater extent for communication and receiving interesting entertainment content. Moreover, the main part of the active audience is made up of users aged 18-24 years (23 thousand) and 25-30 years old (15 thousand). This feature should first of all be taken into account when drawing up a plan for promotion in a social network. Vkontakte today provides ample opportunities for advertising - targeting settings make it possible to identify the audience in many ways, as well as choose a convenient format for ads.

2. The social network Odnoklassniki , popular not only among young people, is another interesting platform for promotion.

Characteristics of the social network:

• Audience: 70 million;
• Male audience: 55%;
• Female audience: 45%;
• Visitors (month): 185 million

The Odnoklassniki social network is used to communicate, search for new acquaintances, so the placement of any information is perceived with a greater degree of trust. Do not miss this fact when compiling advertising texts.

3. The most popular social network in the world , Facebook for users of Ukraine and Russia, occupies one of the first places in terms of popularity and is steadily increasing its audience.

Characteristics of the social network:

• Audience: 800 million;
• Male audience: 48%;
• Female audience: 52%;
• Growth (monthly): 20 million

The main audience of the social network are users aged 18 to 30 years. There are a large number of businessmen, entrepreneurs, bloggers and developers among the users. The audience has a high solvency, which cannot be ignored when developing an advertising campaign.

Definition of the target audience

Taking into account the characteristics of each site in which it is planned to promote the company's goods or services, it is necessary to determine the portrait of potential customers, their characteristics, preferences and age category. An advertising offer can be noticed only if even the most seemingly insignificant facts are taken into account.

Segmentation of the target audience occurs in the main areas:

• by type of product. For example, juice in bottles, paper bags or draft;
• by consumer type. For example, female or male audience, children or teenagers;
• by the type of motivation for making a purchase. For example, daily need, special offer, discount;
• according to the situation that leads to the purchase. Holiday, work, study, weekend;
• through distribution channels. Sale in a store, salon, online store.

Compiling possible data segmentation options may not always give the desired result, simply because not all of the listed criteria are decisive when making a purchase.

It is also important to take into account such characteristics as:

• geography: where the user lives/studies/works, data on the region of residence, population characteristics, etc.;
• demographics: data on age and gender, marital status, profession and education;
• psychological characteristics: type of temperament, social status, stage of development, etc.;
• behavior characteristics: frequency of use of a product or service, degree of commitment to certain brands and trademarks, degree of importance of making a purchase of a product, etc.

The exact definition of the target audience and a unique offer compared to competitors, which will distinguish the company from the rest, are one of the important steps in developing an advertising campaign and compiling performance indicators. Only taking into account all the factors and indicators, an advertising campaign in social networks can be effective in increasing the number of sales and popularity of the company (brand) as a whole.