How To Find Your Target Audience
Are you frustrated because no one is reading your art blog posts?
Is your artwork collecting dust because people are not visiting your online gallery?
Are you wondering how you can sell your art online?
The answer is more straightforward than you might think.
It is all about publishing content that will attract your target audience.
“Content is king” when it comes to getting traffic and conversions. (Source: Mansi Dhorda)
Did you know that over 4.4 million blog posts were published every day in March 2019?
Did you know that each month, approximately 409 million people view more than 20 billion blog pages?
The question is, how can you get your blog posts in front of your audience? It begins with understanding your audience and knowing what they are searching for online.
Writing a 500-word blog post about the color green you added to your latest painting will not drive traffic to your website.
What Is Your Target Audience Searching For
An excellent way to understand more about your audience is to learn what type of content they are searching for and consuming.
UC San Diego News Center wrote an eye-opening article on November 06, 2013, “U.S. Media Consumption to Rise to 15.5 Hours a Day – Per Person – by 2015.”
The report stated that a study at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) said that the amount of media delivered to mobile devices and homes would take more than fifteen hours to hear and see by the year 2015.
The report also stated that the amount of content consumed between 2008 and 2012 has increased by 5% per year.
Content consumed per day:
- 2008 – 11 hours per person per day
- 2012 – 13.6 hours per person per day
Just to put things in perspective, I did a screenshot from internet live stats while I was writing this at 7:00 am eastern time. Take a look at the site. The numbers are in real-time. You will be amazed by what you see.
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As you can see the amount of content that is being delivered every day is unbelievable. It would be impossible to be able to consume the amount of material that is being produced.
As it is, we are already consuming over 13 hours of content per day. We do need time to eat and sleep.
You need to have a clear picture of what you are up against. With the amount of content that is being produced and delivered on a daily basis, it would be easy to get lost in the crowd. This is why it is crucial for you to understand your audience and what their needs are.
How can you find out what your audience is searching for on the internet?
To start off, you will need to have an understanding of who you are. You are an artist that has a passion for creating artwork. Your artwork is your inner voice; it is how you communicate to the world. You will attract people that have the same interests and beliefs that you do.
If most of your art collection are paintings of horses, it is safe to say that you have a genuine love for horses and animals. People that have the same passion for horses that you do will be attracted to your artwork. There will be differences such as religion and political views, but there will be a mutual interest that you share.
Learn more about who you are and what you have to offer people. Once you have a clear vision of who you are, you will be able to find out what your ideal customer is searching for on the internet.
How To Find Your Target Audience Online
There are a couple of techniques that you can use to see where your target audience hangs out on the internet. Once you find where they are, you will be able to start making your presence.
Your Audience
The best place to start is with the audience that you already have. Spend some time and build a relationship with them. This does not mean that you have to talk to them every night or have tea with them every week. All you have to do is become a great listener. People love to talk about themselves and what their views are. Let them speak and support the conversation with a question or comment at the appropriate time. The person you are conversing with will feel as if you care about their thoughts, and you do. You want to get to know them better.
All you have to do is be as genuine as if you were talking to a friend. With a few questions here and there, they will provide you will all the information that you need.
Facebook Private Message
Facebook now supports private messages for business pages. There will be a few followers on your fan page that you will connect with instantly. After you have built a relationship, initiate a conversation using Facebook’s private message feature. This is where you will be able to ask more personal questions without making them feel uncomfortable in front of everyone. You can ask them questions such as what their favorite Facebook groups or blogs are.
How to Search for Your Target Audience
There are some ways for you to find places that your target audience hangs out. This will be time-consuming, but in the end, it will be well worth your time.
First, you will need to set aside a block of time that you can designate for this every week. You will also need something to document your findings. I like to use excel, but if there is a different tool you prefer, that is fine as long as it can be recorded.
Research Competition
To start, you will want to find artists who share a similar artistic style. Make a list of all the artists you have discovered. Start visiting their websites and blogs. The first page you will want to visit is the “about” page. Take note of any groups or associations they are associated with.
Next, you will want to find and follow them on social media. If you do not want to follow them, document the URL so you can visit their page periodically.
What social media platforms are they using? Are they on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.? Are they involved with any Facebook groups?
Q & A Sites
Q & A sites are other great places for you to find people interested in your niche. Yahoo Answers and Quora are the top question forums that most people use.
Go to the search bar of Yahoo Answers or Quora and type in a question that your audience might have. A list of questions will be displayed. Go through the list and answer any questions that will help to promote your brand and help the person with the question.
In time you will be building brand awareness on those platforms and people will start to seek you out.
Your Target Audience Will Find You
The more content you produce about your artwork and your story as an artist the more your target audience will find you. Your target audience is searching for you because you provide what they are interested in. You will want to make it easy for them to find you. Produce high-quality content on a consistent basis.
Conclusion:
When your audience arrives, greet them and get to know them. Learning more about your target audience will help you to attract more people.
