Target audience
In short
Your target audience is the customers you most want to reach, described so concretely that you know where they are, what they need and what makes them choose.
"Everyone who needs a plumber" is not a target audience. "Homeowners in Asker with an old bathroom who are thinking about renovating" is. The more concrete you are, the easier it gets to write copy, pick channels and set up ads. You can have several target audiences, but describe each one separately.
Talk to everyone, reach no one
Talk to everyone, and you reach nobody properly. The copy turns generic, and the ads get expensive because they are shown to people who will never buy. In Google Ads and Meta ads you choose who sees the ad. It helps to know the answer before you start paying.
Choosing a target audience does not mean saying no to other customers. You can still sell to anyone. You just make the marketing for the ones you most want.
Write one sentence today
Think of the three customers you most enjoyed working for in the past year, and who paid properly. Find what they have in common. Write one sentence describing them: who they are, where they are based and what problem they had when they came to you. Use that sentence as your yardstick the next time you write copy or set up an ad.
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