Think You’re ready to launch your business? But have no clue who your target audience is? Slow down. You don’t want to miss this important, and overlooked step selling your products or services.
It should be one of the first things to consider when starting your biz.

“Defining your target market is one of a marketer’s most important tasks. It’s the foundation of all elements of your marketing strategy, from how you develop and name your products or services right through to the marketing channels you use to promote them.” Christina Newberry, Hootsuite.

You wouldn’t fire a gun without aiming at your target. It’s the same way with distinguishing your target audience. It’s impossible to appeal to everyone, and if you try to please everyone, you’ll waste valuable time and money.
Invest some time honing in on who you think would be your typical customer using your products or services. As you get a clearer picture of who your target audience is, you’ll find an increase in your conversion rate.

So how do I determine who my target audience is?

Break it down to these demographics:

• Age
• Marital Status
• Gender
• Interests
• Job description
• Location

For example, say you are a massage therapist, consider a typical client. A middle-aged (40-50 age range) divorced woman who works full time as an RN, has grown children, loves to scrapbook and lives in the suburbs of Toronto.
Get super detailed about these characteristics. The more you know your audience, the better you will be in tailoring your marketing campaigns to appeal to them.

Once you’ve established these characteristics, identify his or her pain points.

There’s a good chance she deals with pressure and emotional stress working in the medical field. She works long hours, is on her feet all day and suffers from back pain with the constant bending over and lifting she does for her patients.
She would be the perfect candidate for a 60-minute deep tissue massage.

The next step is determining what will convince this person to buy from you.

This middle-aged nurse, we’ll call her Diana, already has a massage therapist she has been going to for years. What do you have to offer that the current massage therapist lacks? Your competitor is a massage therapist who works at a spa, 10 miles away from Diana’s house. Diana often misses her massage appointments with her busy schedule. But you provide in-home massages at an affordable price. Diana saves both time and money by choosing you to meet her therapy needs. This scenario is one specific example of your target audience. You may have many niche markets. Now that you know your individual strengths, your next step is getting them in front of you.

Determine what marketing strategies you will use to persuade people to try your services.

Maybe you will send out coupon mailers, build a following on your Facebook business page, or focus on an effective landing page with a compelling call to action. There are many approaches to reach your customers and you will likely use many facets of marketing. Let’s say you are targeting college students. You may find more success in focusing on digital marketing efforts like your website or social media versus a mailer that is trashed at first glance.

Like any successful business, it’s trial and error that will lead you to the best methods. But by identifying your target audience ahead of time, it will narrow down those approaches to what is appropriate for your future consumers.

Would you believe the colour of your call to action button could encourage your user to click that “Buy Now” button? Because colours influence one’s emotions, it also can influence decision buying. And that is definitely worth taking a few minutes to explore. Needless to see, we all want to maximize our results as well as the size of our wallets.

Trending Colors

You may have noticed the multitude of red, green, orange and blue buttons. Why is that? Because those particular colours cause an emotional reaction, and could potentially lead toward a buying decision.

1. Red – it’s bold, powerful, heart-pounding and makes you STOP and take a look at what’s in front of you. It is arguably the most effective CTA colour to use because of its intense passion and attention-grabbing quality.

Source: Dispatch.com

2. Green – a calming colour associated with the “Go” traffic light, nature and prosperity. Easy on the eyes, green is an excellent choice of colour when you want to give your client the OK to purchase your product.

Source: Spotify.com

3. Orange – a bright and cheerful colour that also reflects creativity makes it a winner. Amazon, the most successful online company, uses orange to highlight  “Add to Cart” buttons. It must not be a bad choice, considering Amazon’s success.

   Source: Amazon.com

4. Blue – conveys trust, has a calming effect and is the favourite colour for men and women alike. eBay makes use of blue buttons on their shopping cart button.

Source: ebay.com

It’s All About That Contrast

When it comes right down to it, the most important thing is for your button to be as obvious as possible. A higher contrast equals higher conversions.

Image Source: Smashing Magazine

You want to ensure the text is also extremely visible on the button. Don’t use a scripty, hard to read font.

Likewise, be sure the button colour contrasts well with your background.

For instance, A bright orange button is going to stand out especially well on a sky-blue background. They are complementary colours.

 WordStream nails this colour scheme on their “Get the free report today” CTA button. Also effective is their captivating headline “40 Hours of PPC Analysis in 60 Seconds or Less!” and the subtitle “Fast, Secure, Free” which helps reassure the user that they are not going to instantly regret their decision to click.

Source: WordStream.com

See how easily Netflix entices you to join Netflix (assuming you’re not already one of the 118 million subscribers).

Source: Netflix.com

They keep the message brief and they assure you that you can cancel at any time AND get the first month free. Colourful movie and shows in the background pique your interest to “See what’s next” in their massive collection of entertainment.

Note that the button message is extremely important as well. Would you have been as motivated to click that red button if it simply read “Join Now”?

Stay True to Your Brand

Whatever colour you choose for your CTA button, make sure that it ties in with your brand. If your Brand Colors are Orange and Green, don’t use a blue CTA button which will probably confuse your user.

Consider who your audience is and select a style that reflects their personality.

If you are a wedding planner, for instance, a pink button that matches your brand colours would be more effective than a BOB (big, orange button.)

Conclusion

Ask yourself these questions: 

1. Does my CTA button stand out?
2. Does my copy convince users to take action?
3. Is my CTA button easy to find?
4. Does my CTA button reflect my brand?
5. How will my prospects benefit by clicking?

Don’t be afraid to experiment and switch up the style until you reach your desired goal. Make a few versions of your product page and test it out on users. Google Analytics Solutions and Optimizely are a couple of great options.

Marketing trends are constantly evolving and what was popular in 2015 may look completely outdated in 2020. Keep your style fresh and engaging.