According to ablogtophone.com, the term target group generally describes a group of market participants with similar characteristics to whom an advertising message is directed. The same applies to the target group in online marketing: They are the addressees of specific online marketing measures that should lead to a specific result. This can be visiting a website, buying a product in the online shop or registering for a seminar. Knowing the target group, including their needs and interests, is essential in order to communicate messages to customers via the right channel.
What is the significance of target group definition in online marketing?
The term target group is not only a guarantee of success in print and TV. Advertisers and companies also work with target groups in online marketing. In order to successfully address a certain group of market participants, marketing measures must address their interests. If the needs and desires of the group of people who are supposed to respond to a particular product or service are not clear, advertising measures cannot be effective. You literally miss your target and thus the customer’s attention. In online marketing, target group definition is therefore essential in order to offer users added value on the site.
That means:
A company that advertises online must first determine the most important characteristics of its own customers. Certain behavior patterns and preferences become clear through the description of user characteristics. These are the starting point for determining the target group, which in turn forms the necessary basis for the appropriate content and the sensible placement of call-to-actions.
Why is the target group strategy in marketing a prerequisite for good content?
The importance of target group definition is particularly evident in content marketing. Only when texts choose the right tone and language do users perceive them as authentic. It is important to provide content that is relevant to the respective target group.
Good content is shown in content formats that answer users’ questions. He thus picks up aspects, trends or problems that concern the respective market segment. If the content of a website does not attract the user’s interest, this becomes noticeable in a high bounce rate of the user on the sub- pages concerned.
The following example illustrates the topic:
Suppose a tire manufacturer creates videos for its website in which the advantages and properties of the high-quality tire products are advertised. Potential customers can be picked up with this strategy, as they are meaningfully supported on their customer journey.
Existing customers see less added value in these videos. These users have completely different questions and are interested, for example, in correct tire care. An advisory article or blog post could better address and answer these questions.
Understanding the motivations, needs and expectations of the people who should feel addressed by a product or service is essential for targeted content marketing. This information forms the basis for tailor-made and tailor-made website content. The target group strategy in marketing therefore serves as the starting point for successful content.
How does target group definition work in online marketing?
User data form the basis of target group definition in marketing. These can be collected on the basis of information from existing customers and website visitors. Startups that want to open up a new market segment can analyze the wishes, characteristics and interests of the customers of their competitors.
The following questions should be clearly answered when defining the target group:
- How old is the average group of people who are reached?
- What topics are existing customers particularly interested in?
- Are there any problems users want to solve by visiting a domain?
- With what intent (user intent) do users arrive at a website – are they looking for explanations, do they want to interact or buy a product?
- Which personal goals are particularly important to users?
- Which region do the existing customers come from?
- What is the average budget available to customers?
- Which professional sector is represented particularly frequently among the users of a site?
The further development of the classic target group concept is represented by the so-called personas. Personas represent a specific user segment. This method gives the more theoretical target group tangible character traits, clarifies their living conditions and shows more inner desires and needs.
How can you identify different target groups?
The market that belongs to a product or service is complex. Users can be on a website with different goals. With the help of market segmentation, it is possible to differentiate between different target groups. In order for the address to be successful, each user segment needs its own target group strategy.
There are various methods with which a target group can be segmented.
The following criteria are helpful in determining the target group:
1. Geographical segmentation criteria:
- place of residence
- Region (city, country, district, municipality)
- state
- Street
2. Socio-demographic criteria for segmentation
- age
- gender
- education
- marital status
- religion
- nationality
- income
- Profession / education
3. psychographic segmentation factors
- values
- needs
- Motivations
- product-specific settings
- Lifestyle
- personality
4. behavioral segmentation criteria
- Occasions
- Price sensitivity / price behavior
- Media usage
- Brand choice
- Understanding of quality
- Buying behavior
How does the target group analysis work according to the marketing definition?
As part of a target group analysis, all relevant facts of the group of people to be reached with a message or a product are defined. The marketing objectives of the underlying campaign are crucial for performing this analysis. For example, is it about opening up new market areas or should the buyer be motivated to buy the product again?
In order to pick up the target group and increase conversions on the site, it must be clear how the customers to be addressed tick in detail. This includes the analysis of the demographic, psychographic and behavioral characteristics of the group of people already presented, including a subsequent segmentation into different target groups.
The process of a target group analysis according to the marketing definition is divided into the following steps:
- Define and characterize the target group
- Investigation of buying behavior (online)
- Examination of the results from the target group analysis
- Creation of user profiles
Which tools help with the analysis of target groups?
There are a number of different tools that can be used for target group analysis in marketing.
Google Analytics:
The tool is considered a pioneer for evaluating website activities. By Google Analytics can be ascertained through which search engines and links users see a page that utilize devices and browser user and which sub-pages are visited most frequently. Content that generates a lot of visits represents a high level of user interest.
Google Ads:
The extensive Google SEO Tool shows which search terms are in demand for a topic.
Google Trends:
Similar to Google Ads, Google Trends also plays search queries on a product topic or on the services of an industry that provide information about the interests of the target group.
Sistrix:
The Sistrix keyword database shows how often a word is searched for by users. If the content of a domain contains the key terms that are relevant for the target group, the chance of more traffic increases.
How can target group changes be recognized?
Market processes can change over time. The same applies to the target group in online marketing. Trends, interests and living conditions in a market segment are subject to constant development. It is therefore not enough to analyze the market for a product or service once. In order to recognize changes in target groups at an early stage, companies must constantly monitor the market. If the characteristics and needs of the users change, the target group strategy should be adjusted accordingly so that the campaign remains target-oriented.
Continuous analysis with appropriate tools creates clarity about customer behavior.
