A practical guide for small businesses and solo founders
Finding your target market means working out which group of people has the problem you solve, feels it enough to pay for a fix, and can actually be reached by you. It’s a process of evidence and testing, not a moment of inspiration over a cup of tea.
Everyone tells you to “picture your ideal client”, and that’s lovely, but if you’re starting out (or pivoting to a whole new audience) you look at that blank page and think, well, who? Most people land on someone they used to work with, or a friend who’d be nice to help, and off they go. That’s a guess, not a target market, so let’s do it properly.
Start with the problem, not the person
Before you think about ages, job titles or what they eat for breakfast, get really clear on the problem your product or service solves. Then ask who has that problem most painfully, most often, and is willing to pay to make it go away. The people come out of the problem, not the other way round.
Look at yourself first
Your own experience, past jobs, networks and stage of life often point straight at an audience you already understand (and can already reach). If you spent years in healthcare, or you’re a mum juggling a business around school runs, you speak that language without trying, and people can feel it.
Notice who lights you up
Think about the people you would happily work with week in, week out. Not who you think you should serve, who you actually enjoy. That energy shows in your marketing, and so does the lack of it.
Look at who’s already paying for something similar
Nosy around your competitors. Read their reviews, their testimonials, look at who follows and comments on their posts. That’s real evidence of who spends money on what you do, rather than who you hope might.
Go where the conversations happen
Facebook groups, Reddit threads, LinkedIn comments, the questions people ask in local business groups. You will see people describing their frustrations in their own words, which is really helpful info, because those words become your marketing copy later.
Talk to real people
Yes, actually talk to them. Five or six short, friendly chats with people you think might be your audience will tell you more than a month of guessing. Ask what they struggle with, what they’ve tried, what they would pay for, and then listen (properly listen, no pitching).
Separate the buyer from the user
Sometimes the person who pays isn’t the person who uses it. A parent buying for a child, a manager booking training for their team, a partner buying a gift. If you market only to the user you might be talking to the wrong person entirely.
Map their buying moment
What’s happening in someone’s life or business when they suddenly need you? A new baby, a business launch, a house move, a new role, a rebrand. People are much easier to find and much more ready to buy at those moments, so build your audience around the moment, not just the demographic.
Check they can afford you and you can reach them
A perfect audience is no use if they can’t pay what you need to charge, or if you’ve no realistic way of getting in front of them. Be honest about both.
Use your data, even if it’s tiny
Website analytics, Instagram insights, who signs up to your emails, who replies. It shows you who’s actually paying attention, and it’s not always who you expected.
Test before you commit
Put out a post, a freebie or a small offer aimed squarely at one group and see who bites. Then try another. Results beat assumptions every time.
Treat it as a best guess, not a life sentence
Write your target market down as a hypothesis, something you’re testing and refining, rather than a forever decision. That takes so much pressure off, and it’s exactly how the businesses that get it right actually do it.
If you’re pivoting to a new audience
Pivoting doesn’t mean starting from zero. Look at what carries over (your skills, your results, your story), then run the new audience through the same steps above. Test them quietly alongside your existing work before you change your whole website, and let the evidence tell you when it’s time to fully switch.
Where to start this week
Pick one of these, just one, and do it this week. Have a nose at a competitor’s reviews, or book in two chats with people you think might need you. You’ll learn more than you expect.
Next time I’ll be looking at how to take all of this and turn it into a proper niche, the bit that makes you the obvious choice.
Gini x