Which target group fits my company?
The target group is the segment of the population to which a company/provider directs its advertising. Characteristics that differentiate the target group from the general population can include socio-economic factors (such as education, occupation, income), demographic features (such as age, gender, marital status, place of residence, household size), psychographic criteria (such as lifestyle, motivation, desires, values), or purchasing behavior (such as price sensitivity, satisfaction, media usage). The target group always refers to potential new customers to whom one wants to sell products/services. It is a group of people with similar desires or needs and should be as homogeneous as possible.
Only with the right target group selection can wastage be avoided. Typically, it can be filtered from the customer database to determine who the actual buyers are and what characteristics define them. Based on the characteristics of the target group, potential buyers for new customer acquisition are selected. Only with the correct, precise selection can advertising measures be successful. For example, if a high-priced product is offered, but the campaign only reaches a lower-income group, the offer will likely not achieve a Conversion or there will be orders from customers who are not solvent (and cannot afford the products). Therefore, a correct definition of the target group before starting a campaign is an important briefing element.
The possibilities for identifying target groups are diverse
If you cannot identify your buyers from your database, the following methods can be applied to identify your target groups:
- Customer & prospect structural analysis
- Scoring methods
- Geographical analysis
- Target group profiles
Learn more about the methods of target group identification.
Creating user profiles for the target group
Sometimes, target groups are also defined as user profiles to check whether the new customer base is suitable for various offers. For example, a user profile could be “Sabine,” a young designer who loves unique and creative clothes and spends time on many social networks. She does not typically use print media. In contrast, “Claudia” is a few years older, married, and her children are mostly grown. Claudia enjoys traveling, wears more conventional fashion, and prefers print media like “Landlust,” “Wohnen & Garten,” as well as “SPIEGEL” and “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.” In both cases, it is important to contact potential customers through the right channels to minimize wasted reach.
To address your target group in new customer acquisition, you have various options, such as:
- Fully addressed mailings
- Partially addressed mailings (direct mail specials)
- Household advertising
- Print advertising
- Outdoor advertising
- Online advertising like display ads
- Radio, cinema, TV advertising
Your contact for target group consulting:
Our target group consultants create a detailed profile of your target group using expert knowledge, market research results, and market analyses, and show you the different ways to address your customers. Contact Sylvia Rübsam (ruebsam@trebbau.com, Tel.: 0221/37646 – 349) for advice on how to contact your target group.