Who are you targeting with your online marketing efforts?

Online marketing is a broad concept, because who exactly do you want to reach with your marketing strategy? It’s high time to identify the different target audiences you can focus on. Who do you want to reach? What’s the best way to go about it? And, above all, how not to do it? We’ve done the research for you!

When discussing target audiences, you simply cannot avoid focusing in particular on the age of your audience or potential customers. For instance, a difference in age can have a significant impact on the language used, the pace at which you convey your message, or the choice of imagery you make. So, before you use online marketing as a tool, it’s a good idea to define your target audience as specifically as possible. What is their age? What is their gender? What are their interests? What exactly do they dislike? (And yes, we know better than anyone that there’s no such thing as *the* person over 60, *the* teenager or *the* person in their thirties. Nevertheless, in this blog we’re lumping every individual within the target audience together to paint a general picture.)

Slow down for the over-60s

Have you come to the conclusion that your target audience is generally over sixty? The likelihood of this is, in fact, increasing, as the proportion of older people in our population is rising. In the space of twenty years, the number of people aged 60 and over in the Netherlands has risen by 50 per cent, from 2.1 million to no fewer than 3.1 million people. It is therefore important to put yourself in the shoes of these over-60s. Do you know anyone who belongs to this target group? Perhaps your parents, or grandparents! Then you know better than anyone that they sometimes need a bit of help using their smartphone, need to be warned now and then about phishing emails, and might need a bit of time to understand an online message.

What does this mean for the way you use online marketing for this target group? For example, by presenting information in a calm manner without too much text, and at a pace that is easy to follow. Avoid too many distractions from images or sound. Focus on the core message: what exactly do you want to convey? What should this target audience have taken away from it? Finally, try not to use informal language; a touch of politeness is appreciated.

Silver Wave & social media?

Make no mistake. Amongst the over-60s, there are still people in work who use social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram on a daily basis. No fewer than 61 per cent of the over-80s have a Facebook account, 32 per cent of whom use it every day. The use of mobile devices has also grown rapidly in recent years. More than half of them shop online from time to time. So be sure not to miss out on these opportunities when you’re targeting this ‘silver wave’ with your online marketing efforts.

Kids choose these channels

They may not yet have their own debit card, and the time they’re allowed to spend online each day is often still limited. Children’s opinions certainly have a major influence on their parents’ online shopping behaviour. Children are also easily influenced by what they see in the online world. The most popular social media platforms used by children and teenagers are WhatsApp and Facebook, but it won’t be long before Instagram and Snapchat catch up. With 66 per cent and 67 per cent of 15- to 19-year-olds having an account respectively, the popularity of these online platforms is growing. What stands out here? Both platforms focus heavily on visuals and speed. So, are children or teenagers your target audience? Go all out with visuals, sound, colour and variety. They aren’t easily overwhelmed. Of course, do make sure you stick to the core of your message, because that’s what ultimately needs to stick in their minds.

YouTube as an online playground

Have we mentioned YouTube yet? According to figures from Marketingfacts, around 86 per cent of children nowadays prefer watching these online videos to ‘old-fashioned’ television. Influencer Anna Nooshin, incidentally, capitalised on this trend. Earlier this month, she launched her YouTube channel ‘Nooshies’, aimed specifically at teenagers, particularly girls. She, too, knows what appeals to this target audience, offering a wide-ranging and cheerful mix of content. She herself describes it as a ‘playground featuring DIY videos, singing, dancing, making music, and clothes and make-up tutorials’.

Pull out all the stops for people in their twenties and thirties

The most important thing is to speak from the perspective of the target audience, rather than to the target audience. Today’s twenty- and thirty-somethings have already seen a great deal and are bombarded daily with online marketing. So you really need to be top-notch if you want to surprise this target audience in the right way, whilst also holding their attention. After all, if a post doesn’t stick in their minds, it hasn’t worked. You therefore need to know exactly what you want to achieve with your post and not just post something indiscriminately because you think your target audience will find it interesting. The trick, then, is how to stand out amongst all the other businesses that are also trying to make their mark amidst the cut-throat competition. After all, as many as 27 million posts are published every day. People in their twenties and thirties enjoy it when there’s a reference to something that was common in their youth. So try to evoke that sense of nostalgia by combining something from the past with today’s product. And ultimately, of course, you want your post to make people laugh or to see plenty of people tagged in it, so that you gain more and more reach.

Tailor your content to men and women

But what about men and women? Do they like the same sort of content, or not? We’ve looked into that for you as well. The saying ‘women are from Venus and men are from Mars’ isn’t used without reason. Men are mainly mission-driven shoppers. They know what they need and head straight for their goal. Women, on the other hand, are more focused on the experience, comparing options and discovering new things. This means that women are more easily influenced. They may well end up completely changing their intended purchase because of something they come across ‘along the way’. So use emotion in your content for women and, above all, show them what the product can do for them. Men simply want to pay for and receive the product or clothes they need as quickly as possible. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t underestimate men. Ultimately, they buy more online than women do. They’ll also use online shops for major purchases. This applies not only to their personal purchases, but also to purchases for the family. Indeed, the ‘Marketing to Men’ study shows that men play a crucial role in purchasing decisions. Just bear that in mind and appeal to them by highlighting the functional aspects of the products.

The use of stealth marketing

A type of marketing that actually pays off with all the above target groups? Stealth marketing! The name says it all: this is marketing that is brought to the public’s attention in a subtle way. Because, let’s be honest. Could you walk past those Easter eggs once you’d already seen them pop up a few times in an online advert? Often, you see a product subconsciously and it sticks in your mind. That’s precisely the power of stealth marketing, because the trick here is not to focus attention directly on the product itself, but to showcase it ‘in between’ other things. For example, influencers ‘just happen’ to use that particular brand of sun cream in that holiday photo on Instagram, and top athletes eat that specific brand of quark. Anna Nooshin, too, is probably using exactly the hairbrush on her new YouTube channel that all her viewers will be clamouring for the following week. To take the edge off this subtle marketing, vloggers and influencers have, for some time now, been required to disclose that it is a commercial collaboration, as decided by the Media Commission in a European directive on advertising in online posts.

Here are a few more important tips you shouldn’t forget:

• Don’t present yourself as a company, but as a person. That’s how you get closer to your target audience.
• Ensure a consistent frequency, but don’t make it too spammy.
• Use a content calendar and focus on the channel and the target audience within it.
• Ultimately, it’s all about strategy, so adjust it if you’re not achieving the desired effect
• Please be mindful when using stealth marketing. For example, use #promopost or utilise Instagram’s feature that allows you to indicate that the content is sponsored. The regulations regarding stealth marketing have not yet been fully established.

Conclusion? If you have a specific target audience in mind for your online message, it’s a good idea to first put yourself in the shoes of these potential customers or subscribers. How do they engage with online marketing tools? At what pace do they grasp the message? And what appeals to them – or, conversely, what doesn’t appeal at all? Tailor your language, the design of your adverts and your online campaigns accordingly. It’s also crucial to identify where your target audience is located. After all, men and women from the same target audience may well be active on different channels. Not entirely sure how to build loyalty among your potential customers? Then always call in an online marketing specialist!