Without a defined target audience, even working overtime every day on your marketing efforts might not lead to visible results. Your demographic is the group you’re aiming your company’s products at, so it’s imperative that you have a clear idea of who makes up this group and what exactly appeals to them. If you’ve been having trouble whittling down this group and defining your target demographics, you might want to run through this checklist of questions that could help clear up the picture.

Who Would My Company’s Products and Services Most Benefit?

Perhaps the simplest way to whittle down your customer base is to think about the type of products or services you offer and what type of consumer could most benefit from them. For example, if your company offers incontinence products, you may want to target an older demographic. On the other hand, if you run a bedazzling service, you might aim your marketing more towards the tween demographic. This strategy also allows you to make the most of the advantages that make your business unique.

What Does My Existing Customer Base Look Like?

You may also find it helpful to review your current customer base and figure out what demographic trends you may already be experiencing. While you can always adjust your product and branding to appeal to a different base, if you currently have a stronghold among a certain demographic, it may be easiest and most beneficial to the company to simply lean in to that demographic and strengthen that messaging. A thorough quantitative analysis of your customer base from social media engagement, customer surveys and more could help give you more insight.

What Can You Offer Your Customers Over the Competition?

When figuring out who to aim your advertising at, you may want to determine exactly what you offer customers that your competitors can’t. If there’s a certain niche that you uniquely fulfill, it could help to find out what types of consumers engage with that niche. By getting detailed and fine-grained here, you can also edge out competition by targeted a very specific demographic.

Nailing down your precise target audience is the first step to being able to define your marketing channels, tailor your advertisements, tweak your messaging and more. Though it can feel tricky to hone in on your key demographics, this checklist of questions can help get you on the right track. With defined demographics, you’ll be on the path to more successful, targeted advertising efforts.