You’ve decided to focus on digital marketing, now it’s time to plan. The purpose of a digital marketing plan is to clearly articulate the goals of your initiative. This includes pinpointing your target audience, choosing your channels and tactics. Identifying your target audience is maybe the most important thing in the planning process after objectives and goals. Designing the marketing strategy around the target audience has always proven to be best practice.

Making sure to identify your target audience in the first steps of your digital marketing plan helps to eliminate wasting resources. Researching your selected target and understanding their digital behaviors as well as their locational needs will help you determine which digital channels to target them on.

When examining your target audience it’s important to look beyond the basic demographics and focus on their unique needs. Find out their goals, concerns, and the things that appeal most to them. Being knowledgeable of these things will help you with setting the voice of your digital marketing campaign. This helps increase conversations instead of simply boosting curiosity about your brand.

Social media as well as other online platforms have allowed us to see our audience and understand them as real people. We are lucky enough to see where they go when they’re online, what they like and what they don’t like. And that my friends, is the key to effectiveness.

From there everything you plan can be centered around those factors. You’ll know what time they’re online, when to interact with them via social media, even the best times to send emails and newsletters.

Knowing exactly how and when to target your audience ensures that both the money and time you’re putting into digital marketing tactics are being used most effectively.