Let’s Talk: The ultimate guide to target audience reach

Reaching your target audience is more important than ever. With countless marketing strategies available, it can be overwhelming to determine the best approach for connecting with your ideal customers. Understanding the nuances of online engagement is crucial for businesses looking to thrive.

Join us for this week’s Let’s Talk session, where our team of experts will delve into the most effective methods for connecting with your target market. We’ll explore the latest trends in digital marketing and share best practices that can help you not only reach your audience but also engage and convert them.

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Renée Chaplin, VP – Asia Pacific at Constant Contact

“Digital marketing strategies need to be focused on connecting with the customer where they are. It’s therefore important for Marketers to be customer-centric and identify where customers want to send and receive messages.

“The three most effective digital marketing channels are (1) Email, (2) Social Media and (3) SMS. But it’s important to know the right time, place and use case for each channel.

“The “Party Principle” can help make sense of it all. Essentially, social media is the big party. This party has wide reach, and everyone is invited. It helps your business stay top of mind and may even drive traffic to your site. But you don’t own the followers and you’re at the mercy of ever-changing algorithms.

“Email marketing is the afterparty; a select group who you get to know more intimately. You have consent, and your communication can evolve as you learn what is keeping them engaged through open and click rates. Marketers can leverage this data to expand on customer preferences, building more meaningful connections.

“The next step up is the VIP party, which is SMS marketing. You know your invitees well, and a whopping 98% of recipients will turn up by opening your message. SMS provides the cut-through needed to draw attention to specific, intentional messaging. However, it’s essential that you get it right, or partygoers will opt out from future festivities.

“By using the party principle, businesses can drive a customer centric strategy and reach target audiences – a return in exchange for all that partying/hard work.”

Christopher Melotti, Brand Comms Consultant, Content Marketing Advisor, Strategic Copywriter, AI Ethicist Policy Writer & Founder of Melotti Content Media

“The trap with digital marketing is often failing to get the basics right.

“So, here’s what works best today to effectively reach your audience:

1. Start by profiling your customer type then lay on your corresponding message that directly answers or solves their pain points. This tailored approach builds trust and connection from the outset.
2. Next, focus on 3-4 key channels where your target audience is most likely to spend time when they’re looking for solutions. This targeted approach ensures your efforts are concentrated where they matter most.
3. Lastly, avoid the temptation to spam your message across every platform, hoping something works.

“Instead, take a deep breath, take a step back, do the basics of marketing and you’ll have success in the digital space.”

Doriena Parsons, National Head of Strategic Communications & Marketing at Moore Australia

“The most effective digital marketing strategy is the one which isn’t ‘one size fits all’. Most people tend to go straight to tactics or focus only on social media, ignoring the most important groundwork or the importance of an integrated or omni-channel approach. Before you dive in, it’s important to have the foundations right:

• Set your goals and define what it is you are planning to achieve.
• Define your target audience and ensure you have a thorough understanding of their channel preference (IE: Email, website, google search, social, etc.)
• Identify whether you need a budget and if so, what a realistic budget would be. Don’t throw money at boosts and ads unnecessarily if you have an organic network to utilise.
• Speaking of organic networks: Make sure you optimise and utilise the infrastructure and tools that are already at your disposal: your team, your existing clients, extended network and platforms and infrastructure.
• Perform a competitor analysis to identify what makes you different and unique to nail down your value proposition.
• Finally identify the relevant channels to reach your audience but remember that good digital marketing employs an integrated mix of outstanding messaging, language, channels and tactics.

“I’ve seen many campaigns fail due to a narrow-lens focus on a single channel, lack of understanding of the target audience or simply jumping straight to implementation without having a thorough understanding of the who, what, where and why components. It might take a bit of time but do the groundwork and your campaign will have a far greater chance of succeeding!

Emily Bencsics, Marketing & Digital Specialist at Megantic

“One of the most effective ways to reach your target audience is through SEO, which helps ensure your products show up when people search online.

“A key tactic is using keywords that match what people are searching for. For example, long-tail keywords are specific phrases that reflect what shoppers search for when they’re looking for a particular product.

• “organic dog food for small breeds”
• “best vitamins for hair growth”
• “affordable womens red winter coat”

“This helps you connect with people who are ready to buy. As I often say, ‘Target those shoppers who are ready to buy with a credit card in hand.’

“Regularly updating your website to improve its speed, usability, and content can also enhance the customer experience, making it easier for your customers to find what they’re looking for when they’re on the site.

“When combined, these strategies make your business more visible to the right audience, driving more traffic and boosting sales.”

Mark Drasutis, Head of Value, APJ at Amplitude

“Businesses and marketing departments are looking for more effective ways to engage audiences and do more with less, especially as household spending slows. This has led more businesses to think about how they can unlock the power of first-party structured data – data collected directly from and in relation to the customer as they journey across their digital experiences rather than solely through a partner (second party) or aggregator (third party).

“This data can be used to improve retention and conversion by identifying friction points within customers’ journeys, creating more targeted offers based on audiences’ preferences and making informed decisions about which channels are providing the most significant ROI. However, the problem that many organisations face is sorting, organising and gaining value from their data. Adding to this challenge is the issue of access – data is of no value if teams across the business can not easily access and augment the data.

“These issues can be alleviated by selecting a customer data platform and analytics solution that allows anyone to run self-service analyses and gather valuable insights. This approach empowers marketers and the broader team to unlock the value of first party data, which in turn will help them reach audiences more effectively.”

Jasmine Allen, Head of Performance at Impressive Digital

“To effectively reach your target audience, employ strategies that communicate your value propositions, leverage the right platforms, and diversify your creative and content.

“Clearly articulate what sets your product or service apart in your messaging, and create compelling reasons for customers to choose your product and service over competitors. By aligning your offerings with the specific needs and desires of your audience, you enhance engagement and foster brand loyalty, as customers feel both understood and valued.

“Leverage the right digital channels by understanding their usage and audience demographics. Google captures high-intent users, while platforms like Instagram and TikTok engage younger, discovery-driven audiences. By aligning your content with platform behaviour and audience trends, you can optimise both reach and cost-efficiency.

“Aim to diversify your creative by varying content, format, and concept. Use a mix of educational, inspirational, and promotional content to engage different audience segments. Experiment with formats such as video, static images and interactive content while exploring concepts like storytelling, product demos, and testimonials. Ads that speak to user behaviour deliver better user experiences and can lead to lower ad costs, making your campaigns more efficient overall.”

Jonathan Reeve, APAC VP at Eagle Eye

“One of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to reach your target audience is by having a direct first-party relationship with them—such as through a robust personalised loyalty program. If your business has not yet implemented a personalised loyalty program, it may be more challenging to engage with past customers and maximise their potential value.

“For those businesses that do have personalised loyalty programs, we are witnessing a shift towards integrating real-time marketing capabilities. Consumers now expect instant, personalised experiences through mobile and app interactions. This has raised the bar for all businesses to deliver tailored offers at scale, in real-time—what we call ‘Marketing in the Moment.’

“This transformative strategy leverages real-time data to deliver personalised messages to customers at the most opportune moments. By harnessing various data points—such as customer preferences, purchase history, and contextual factors like location or weather—businesses can create meaningful and timely interactions. This approach ensures marketing efforts are not just personalised but also immediately actionable, aligning with the specific context and mindset of each shopper.

“Technology stacks are now available to facilitate this type of real-time engagement at scale, empowering retailers to seize opportunities as they happen and drive stronger customer engagement.”

Alon Abraham, Co-Founder and Head of Strategy at TAG

“In today’s digital landscape, the most effective strategies for reaching target audiences focus on personalisation, smart use of data and consistency across multiple channels.

“Personalisation isn’t just about using someone’s name in an email – it’s about delivering content and offers that genuinely reflect their wants and needs. This relies on gathering insights from social media platforms, customer relationship management tools and website behaviour.

“A brand that does this well is Nike, which uses data from its app and online store to recommend products that match its customer’s preferences. Nike’s campaigns are well-integrated across channels, from targeted ads on Meta to personalised emails. This creates a seamless experience for customers engaging online or in-store.

“Maintaining consistency in messaging across all platforms is key. Whether through Meta ads, TikTok content or emails, the message should feel connected and relevant to each customer. By continually testing and refining these approaches, businesses can stay agile and improve their performance.

“Ultimately, reaching target audiences can be straightforward if you focus on using data to personalise customer experiences, create meaningful connections across channels and drive results that matter.”

Lauren Clemett, CEO at The Audacious Agency

“The most effective strategy is to get your audience off social media and into your world. Start by crafting monthly blog posts, with relevant and SEO-rich content, then select key dates to share across multiple platforms including social media, as a LinkedIn newsletter, contributor sites and emails to your database, with the call to action to ‘read more’ on your web blog. This is not only the best use of your time it also surrounds your audience and generates intrigue, interest and enquiry.

“Efficiency in digital marketing is all about consistency. Having a monthly blog that you repurpose each week, not only builds trust and recognition online, the regular engagement establishes your presence and keeps you top-of-mind.

“So what do you blog about? To be most effective, effective digital marketing strategies need to answer your audience’s needs and focus on their pain points to resonate with their challenges and offer relatable and desired solutions.

“Credibility is paramount. Sharing your expertise, experiences, awards, podcasts you’ve appeared on and insights to position yourself as an authority in your field along with testimonials, case studies, and the results of your clients can further enhance your profile.

“It also helps to optimise your website, create a professional profile, and make sure your bio and image are consistent across all channels.”

Ben Willee, General Manager and Media Director at Spinach

“Management Consultant Peter Drucker said, ‘The most serious mistakes are not being made as a result of wrong answers. The true dangerous thing is asking the wrong question.’

“Digital media can be an incredibly powerful component of an advertising strategy but let’s start with asking the right questions. Here are four to get the ball rolling:

1. What do we know about the customer?
2. What does the data say?
3. What does success look like?
4. What’s the real problem?

“Once you have a handle on these four questions, then you can work out the best strategies (digital or otherwise) for reaching your target audience.

“When it comes to defining who that is, forget about categorising them by generation. Imagine I am Gen X. I have a similar income and life stage as my next-door neighbour but he’s into ballet, I’m into monster trucks. The same kinds of messages aren’t going to appeal to both of us. Instead, go back to the question: what do we know about the customer?

“Remember, digital is nothing more than a delivery system. Ironically almost all ‘traditional’ mediums are delivered digitally these days including TV, radio, billboards, newspapers – the list goes on.”

Leola Small, Managing Director at Small Mktg

“Reaching your target audience effectively requires more than just intuition. It demands a strategic approach and ruthless prioritisation to ensure every effort is aligned with your campaign objective. Here’s a guide to creating an effective digital marketing strategy:

• Set clear objectives: Begin by defining your campaign goals—whether it’s generating leads, increasing sales, or boosting brand awareness. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve gives direction and allows you to track meaningful conversions.
• Test and experiment: Don’t assume you know what will work best. Experiment with various content formats—headlines, images, CTAs, and landing pages. Testing is essential for uncovering what resonates with your target audience.
• Prioritise ruthlessly: Focus only on activities that directly support your goal. Be selective about where you invest time and resources, ensuring that every element of your strategy serves your objective and audience.
• Adapt based on data: Regularly analyse results and adjust your approach based on audience performance. A successful strategy evolves, refining based on real-time data to maximise effectiveness.

“By setting clear goals, testing thoroughly, and prioritising efforts that align with your objectives, you can build a strategy that reaches your audience and delivers lasting results.”

Simran Kaur, CEO at Pounce Agency

“An effective digital marketing strategy depends on a detailed understanding of your ideal audience. Don’t try to reach the widest possible audience – most of whom might never convert.

“It’s easy to get caught up with vanity metrics, such as how many people like a post, while overlooking actionable metrics that genuinely contribute to the bottom line. You’ll achieve a much better ROI refining your organic and paid strategy to those demographics, geographic areas, preferences and more that characterise your most likely customers. Yes, your audience and reach will be smaller, but your message is far more likely to resonate with a higher percentage – maximising your efforts and your budget.

“It’s also important to choose the right channel for each audience as well as the likely buyer’s journey. Not every product or service goes from ad to sale in a single transaction. For example, Google Ads are a great way to reach those actively searching for your products or services right now. But if you want to reach B2B professionals and decision-makers, a paid LinkedIn campaign followed up with InMails and additional content may give you more scope to reach, connect and nurture the right people into qualified leads over time.”

Billy Loizou, APAC Area VP at Amperity

“When it comes to effective digital marketing, two strategies stand out: unifying customer data and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI). By implementing a customer data platform, you can consolidate information from various touchpoints, creating a comprehensive view of each customer. This unified approach enables more accurate calculation of Customer Lifetime Value and helps segment your audience effectively.

“AI takes this a step further by enhancing your ability to predict customer behaviour and identify opportunities. It can help you create detailed customer profiles, forecast purchasing patterns, and pinpoint chances for upselling or cross-selling. The real power comes from combining these two approaches.

“With unified data and AI-driven insights, you can craft more targeted campaigns that resonate with your audience. This means reaching out to the right customers, at the right time, through the most effective channels. The result? Improved customer experiences, better retention rates, and ultimately, increased sales and profitability.

“The key to success lies in maintaining clean, accurate data. When you prioritise this and put your customers at the centre of your strategy, you’re well-positioned to create marketing campaigns that truly connect. By leveraging these advanced technologies, you can develop a deeper understanding of your customers’ needs and preferences, driving both customer satisfaction and business growth.”

Sam Boardman, Director at Vonnimedia

“Personalisation is key!

“In 2024, the ability to find your target audience has never been easier. However, with this comes a blessing and a curse. Traditionally consumers have been satisfied with broader, less relevant marketing campaigns as long as it was entertaining or added some value. Today, customers have no tolerance for receiving content that isn’t personalised to their exact wants and needs at any given time.

“This has created a world of haves and have-nots. Businesses that have been able to do this well have taken off like a rocket ship and those that can’t, aren’t cutting through. For businesses struggling to do this well, start small and create ads that focus on the biggest pain point you hear from the customer.

“Don’t go broad, pick one and get it right. For example: If you sell dog leashes, don’t try and be too broad, for example, ‘The leash is for dogs large and small’. Instead, pick a type of dog (large or small) and a pain point that dog owners face, for example, training. Then, craft your messaging for how it helps you train large dogs only. Then, run the creative against audiences who are interested in getting help with training new large dogs.”

Paul Nguyen, Founder and CEO at Creative Culture HQ

“In today’s digital landscape, there are a myriad of ways to connect with your target audiences. I am a firm believer in a holistic approach that combines creativity with data-driven insights.

“Understanding your audience is paramount. I recommend using tools like customer personas and market segmentation to tailor your messaging. This ensures your content resonates on a personal level, fostering genuine connections.

“When it’s time to get your message out there, look at the following four simple yet very effective digital marketing strategies that can help businesses of all sizes drive growth and foster lasting relationships.

• Harnessing the power of social media platforms. Each platform has unique user demographics and leveraging this can enhance brand and engagement. Interactive, genuine, and thoughtful content encourages participation and feedback and ultimately builds community.
• Search engine optimisation (SEO), which remains a cornerstone strategy. Optimising your website for relevant keywords and enhancing user experience will improve visibility and drive organic traffic.
• Considering the role of email marketing. Personalised, value-driven emails can nurture leads and strengthen customer loyalty.
• The powerful potential of influencer partnerships. Collaborating with influencers who are authentically aligned with your brand can amplify its reach and credibility in niche markets.”

Sarah Duncan, Co-Founder and Director at Crecera

“Showing up for your brand in the digital space can feel overwhelming. It’s a competitive marketplace and if there’s a niche you’re thinking of jumping into, it’s likely full of experts, advertisers and other businesses. So, how do you stand out and get paid attention to, and more importantly, reach and retain your target audience?

“Using tools like Meta’s Ads Manager is a great way to get very granular with your targeting and ensure your message is reaching the right audience at the right time in their purchase journey.

“Whether you’re developing rapport and building trust with a cold audience, retargeting people who have engaged with your content before, or providing value and a solution to a problem in order to convert and generate leads, you can do this in a targeted way through Ads Manager.

“But it’s more challenging than just setting up ads and hoping for the best – you need to have a plan, which can involve:

• Identifying the success metrics that align with your business goals
• Develop a strategy based on achieving those goals
• Monitoring, testing and optimising your ad performance and cost efficiencies
• Rinse and repeat your best performers

“Of course, digital marketing extends beyond your paid ads, and reaching your audience is just half of the story. Once you reach them, you need to make sure you’re offering value, have a strategic sales funnel, understand your customer journey and provide options in order to keep them engaged, part of your ecosystem and, ultimately, a long-term repeating customer.

“At Crecera.com.au we provide a blueprint of our own social strategy through our Social Media Success and Advanced Ads Manager courses and 1:1 coaching. We also have a free webinar for anyone looking to learn more.”

Paco Albie, Co-Founder at Digital Immersion

“With customer acquisition costs being five times higher than retention, reactivating lapsed or churned customers is a key business strategy.

“Leveraging customer insights, product data, and touchpoints effectively allows businesses to create a tailored product and messaging mix that resonates with past customers. Re-engagement can be achieved through traditional channels like email and SMS, as well as less utilised re-activation platforms such as WhatsApp, social media, display and video channels, maximising reach and impact.

“A systematic approach to aligning product offerings, customer needs, and messaging across expanding channels is essential to reduce Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) and boost Lifetime Value (LTV).

“By understanding customer behaviours, businesses can strategically target segments with personalised offers at the right time and through the right channels. This not only enhances marketing effectiveness but also strengthens brand loyalty, improves reactivation rates, and increases profitability.

“Ultimately, reactivating lapsed customers maximises marketing investment and supports sustainable business growth.”

Julian Grobler, Managing Director at Bow & Arrow Marketing

“The most effective digital marketing strategies should be integrated into your overall marketing plan, not treated as separate efforts. A common mistake is viewing digital marketing in isolation, which can lead to scattered campaigns. Instead, ensure your digital tactics support your broader goals, like building brand awareness or generating leads.

“One valuable approach for B2B companies is LinkedIn advertising. It allows you to target specific industries, job titles, and even company sizes, making it ideal for reaching decision- makers in your niche. Pair this with valuable content like e-books or guides to capture interest and drive conversions.

“Another cost-effective tactic is guest posting. By contributing valuable content to industry blogs or publications, you not only establish your expertise but also gain access to new audiences. It’s a great way to build credibility and earn high-quality backlinks that boost your site’s authority.

“Additionally, content marketing remains essential. Consistently producing blogs, videos, or case studies that solve customer problems builds long-term engagement.

“Remember, digital marketing isn’t a standalone solution. Whether using paid ads, organic strategies, or guest posts, each digital channel should be tied to your overall marketing strategy, creating a cohesive approach to reaching your target audience.”

Matt Uebergang, SEO Manager at Digital Darts

“If you want to reach your target audience effectively, start by being exactly where they are searching. SEO is your secret weapon. When someone types a question or a need into Google, you want your business to be the answer they find. This means optimizing your site with the right keywords, creating valuable content, and being there when it matters most.

“Think of SEO as setting up shop in the busiest marketplace where everyone is looking for what you sell. But here is the catch. You must solve their problem better than anyone else. If your product is not the best solution, all the traffic in the world is not going to convert. People are searching for solutions, not just products.

“If you can solve their problem, and they find you first, you are the one they will choose. Show up where your audience is searching, be genuinely helpful, and offer the best solution. That is how you win.”

Drew Ridley, Founder of We Are Sprout

“Authentic, unpolished ‘Lo-Fi’ digital content is capturing greater audience engagement and should be at the forefront of digital marketing strategies. ‘Lo-Fi’ or low-fidelity content is the opposite of glossy, highly edited branded content – taking on a user-generated look. It’s cheaper, quicker, more real and relatable.

“Recent social media statistics show over 60% of consumers say authentic and relatable content is more important than polish, and that Lo-Fi videos receive 40% more views than highly polished, heavily branded content. But keep in mind that Lo-Fi content still needs to fit in with the brand story you want to tell and overall strategy. Including Lo-Fi content (created in line with guidelines!) at volume and coupling this with some Hi-Fi polished, branded content is the best digital strategy. A Lo-Fi strategy might include activating your people – teams, customers, fans – to help create content for your digital channels, arming them with content creation guidelines and a submission process to ensure checks and balances are in place.”

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