Know your audience: Why target market clarity comes first
Before the content, the website and the campaigns - an integral part of your brand strategy is knowing who you’re actually talking to.
At Jot & Follow, we see it all the time: businesses trying to be everything to everyone. Watered-down messaging. Generic content. Marketing spend with no traction. The truth? Your brand is not meant to be for everyone.
And that’s a good thing.
First things first: What is a target market?
Your target market is the specific group of people who are most likely to buy from you. These are your people - the ones who resonate with your product, values, tone and offering.
Your target market is not demographics.
It’s not just “women aged 24-40 who live in cities.” It’s also about:
Their values
Their lifestyle
Their likes and dislikes
Their pain points and aspirations
What they need (and how uniquely you meet it)
The better you know your audience, the better you can connect with them - and the less resource you waste on marketing that doesn’t stick.
Why does this matter?
When you don’t have a clear target market, your brand feels inconsistent. Your campaigns won’t convert as well and you burn your budget trying to talk to the wrong people. What’s worse, even your internal team doesn’t know who they’re building for.
When you do understand who your people are, you can sharpen your brand, allowing your visuals and tone to really resonate. Your messaging then becomes magnetic, drawing in more of your people. In turn, your product and experience improve and your marketing gets more efficient and effective.
Narrow ≠ small
One of the biggest myths about defining a target market is that it limits your growth. In reality, it sets the stage for it. When you speak directly to the right people, they’re more likely to trust you, buy from you and refer you.
Trying to please everyone just make you forgettable.
Niche, clear, confident messaging is how you cut through the noise.
But what about global brands?
“But everyone uses Apple. Everyone loves Nike. Aren’t the best brands for everyone?”
Short answer: No.
These brands didn’t start out appealing to everyone. They started with sharp, clear and niche positioning.
Apple spoke to creatives and early adopters who valued design, simplicity and thinking differently.
Nike built its brand on high-performance athletes and a “just do it” mentality rooted in drive and determination.
They didn’t water down their message to appeal to every possible consumer. They knew who they were for - and stuck with it.
The magic? As they grew, people outside of that original target market began shifting themselves to become a part of it.
They wanted to feel creative. They wanted to feel powerful. This is what strong branding does - it creates identity.
So if you’re worried that choosing a target market will limit your reach, remember this: Niche builds momentum. Momentum builds loyalty. Loyalty builds influence.
Target market should inform your tactics
Once you know who your people are, you can figure out where they are. That affects everything from platform strategy to media planning.
Which social platforms should you concentrate on? (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn?)
What kind of content do they engage with?
Are they impulse buyers or long-consideration decision-makers?
Should you invest in email marketing, influencers, paid search or print?
There’s no point boosting content on Facebook if your target market lives on TikTok. Clear audience targeting helps you spend smarter - not just more.
TL;DR? If you’re trying to reach everyone, you’ll connect with no one.
Your target marketing is your north star - and clarity here creates alignment across everything you do. Whether you’re building your brand from scratch or simply refreshing some ad messaging, we’ll help you get clear on who you’re for (and just as importantly, who you’re not)
Let’s chat if you want to get tighter, clearer and more confident in your marketing.