How can anyone effectively market themselves or their brand without knowing their target market? The answer is that it is nearly impossible. As stated in the article How to Reach Your Target Customer, by Katharine Paljug, “Lack of business planning is a problem that can kill a small business ― and identifying your target audience is a fundamental aspect of a solid business plan”. It is essential to know who you’re targeting and according to Paljug one of the best ways to do this is by building a relationship with your target customers.
Social media makes this super easy. Brands, small or large can foster personable and relatable relationships with customers with a click of a button. Refinery29 is the perfect example of a brand that knows its target audience well because of its strong relationships with consumers, allowing them to make targeted content that keeps people coming back! The brand’s UK Fashion editor, Ebony-Renne Baker contributes largely to the brands’ relationship with their customers. As she stated in her interview, Refinery29 produces relevant content that lines up with current trends. This is their niche for a reason, their target market is young women. And who is most interested in current trends in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle? WOMEN! Refinery29 knows its audience and it leverages that knowledge by creating trendy content based on current fads. Recent articles published by them include titles like, “10 Floral Dress & Trainer Combos For Your Autumn Transition”. Fall is here and people, especially those who identify as women, are looking for trendy fall outfits.
Additionally, the brand uses platforms like TikTok in very effective ways. Having people like Ebony making ‘regular’ content makes their brand more relatable and builds a personable relationship between Refinery29 and the consumer.
A great tool used by brands to figure out who exactly they’re targetting is user personas. These are character profiles of fake people that have characteristics the brand believes a typical consumer of their goods or services would be. Using these a brand can figure out what their target market is in need of and tailor their brand and marketing to influence their consumers in a more effective and efficient way.
This is not something that is not exclusively done by Refinery29, user personas and the idea of the target market and tools used by most successful businesses. As I stated, it is nearly impossible to market without knowing your target audience.