Given the social climate over the last few years, interest and awareness for Black-owned businesses have skyrocketed. There has been an incredible call to recognize the many contributions of black creatives, and the incentive to provide in-kind and financial support is seemingly at an all-time high (whether this generosity is just some social responsibility ploy or truly authentic). Black business owners would be wise to capitalize on this moment.
Many of the biggest companies in the world have poured millions into Black-owned businesses since the summer of 2020. Additionally, platforms like Yelp, Doordash and, Google began specifically identifying black business owners providing them far more exposure. According to Fast Company, on Yelp alone, searches for Black owned businesses had increased 2,400%, making this a good time to be your authentic self as a black business owner. Clearly stating where you stand on important matters makes a difference with your customers and can create brand loyalty over time.
With the enormous amount of attention on black business owners, this is the perfect time for them to carefully consider their target audience. The old adage is, “if you’re everything to everyone, you’re nothing to anyone.” It’s ok to fully acknowledge who you are as a business and become very particular about who your business focuses its attention on. By focusing on a niche, digital marketing becomes easier because you’re targeting a specific audience. The competition will inevitably decrease because of the specific keywords you’re targeting and the traffic you attract when deciding to be niche-specific in your marketing will be far more likely to convert into sales because your business is uniquely designed to serve their needs.
At this point, you’re probably wondering: How do you find your target audience? How do you find the group who will consistently engage with your content and support your products and services?
There are many ways to help find and define your target audience, such as: examining your existing customer base, conduct surveys, analyzing your competitors’ customers, but one of the best ways to deal with the task of finding your target audience is to create a customer avatar. A customer avatar is the representation of your perfect customer and requires one to ask a simple question. Who is my ideal customer? This question is answered by discovering the following:
- Demographic information (age, gender, location, occupation, income, level of education, marital status, etc.)
- Their Challenges and Pain Points
- Their Goals and Values
- Lifestyle Information (books/magazines they read, movies they watch, conferences/events they attend
Once that pivotal question is answered, it is absolutely necessary that you speak the language, in every sense of the word, of your customer avatar. Is their tone serious and formal or humorous and light-hearted? Is there a particular slang that resonates? If there is a universally recognized phrase or phrases that would be sure to create engagement, use it in your content and in your advertisements.
After you have established a small community of committed followers, be sure to engage in activities that will ensure your business can maintain those followers. There are various ways to keep the community interacting, having fun and participating on a consistent basis. Catchy, attention-grabbing, relatable social media posts, promotions, giveaways, and community events are always a recipe for success.
Check out the infographic below on how to effectively corner your target market! Now that we’ve discussed how to find your target audience and how to corner your market, if you still have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to The Leadology Group.
