The challenges of brand identity development and guidelines are not just deciding who your target audience is and how consumers perceive you in the marketplace but also the type of consumers you want to attract and invest in your brand. And who you want to pay attention to your product or service depends on the specific needs that they fulfill. 

Are your products or services intended for Baby Boomers, or do you have an advantage in pursuing Millennials? Do you think women will appreciate what you have to offer, or is your brand geared toward men? Do your products or services transcend socioeconomic boundaries, or are they limited to a particular class? That specific group that your products and services are aimed at is your target audience.

Defining your target audience is vital for several reasons, particularly from an advertising standpoint. Once you’ve determined your customer demographics, you can assess their needs. In other words, how does your product or service solve your customers’ issues? 

By answering this question, you can formulate a good marketing plan to ensure that you are creating compelling content and connecting to the needs of the right consumers. Therefore, you can avoid spending money unnecessarily to cater to every consumer. In other words, you will be able to promote your brand and drive sales with intentionality and personalized outreach.

Defining your target audience can seem like a huge undertaking, but luckily, there are branding companies that can help you, and co-branding solutions that can help. To begin, they will initiate a discovery process that includes a detailed analysis followed by valuable data. This strategy will help reveal the types of campaigns beneficial to market your products and services, including the most suitable platforms for them. Through extensive research, brand companies can determine how your brand communicates to your chosen demographic—compared to competitors—through avenues not yet explored. 

After obtaining important insights regarding your target audience, the branding company will segment the demographic by evaluating their behavior signals. Then, their team will create timely messaging and designs that will resonate with the right consumers at the right time using the proper channels—television, print ads, and social media—for your brand.

When you know who your target audience and who your social audience is and how your products and services may be beneficial to them, not only will you have helped them find a solution to their problem, but you will have an added boost to promoting your brand. Your loyal customers will become brand advocates, which you can use to your advantage. For example, they may recommend your brand to friends on Facebook or write a positive review on Yelp. You can repost their testimonials on your website for credibility.