Blogging Basics: How to Find Your Target Audience
It’s something you’ve heard about and read all over.
What is your target audience?
That’s it. Who does your blog serve? This critical question may be unfamiliar to new bloggers.
It’s likely that you are still obsessed with finding your niche. This is not a bad thing. It will help you identify your target audience.
It is very difficult to grow your blog or monetize it. A new blogger can benefit greatly from knowing who is reading your posts. Before we go into the details, let’s first discuss why it is so important.
Hold on. Do you have a blog?
What is so important about your target audience?
Many bloggers believe that networking is the key to growing their blogs. It’s not a bad idea, I am in that camp too! It might be difficult to find other bloggers in your field if you are a novice blogger or an introvert. You might not even know what to do!
It is much easier to increase your blog’s popularity if you focus on your target audience. These are people who visit your blog and comment on your posts. They also share your posts with their friends.
What is so important about this group, AKA your target audience?
1- They are loyal
Your blog can speak to your readers in a way that is magical. Your blog starts generating comments and shares on Facebook. You are contacted by other bloggers from your industry and offered to network with them. In an effort to spread the word about you, your readers will start linking to your site in their posts.
They are the first to receive your latest content update and the first to read your email or your latest blog post.
They are, in effect, your loyal audience.
2- They help you build your tribe
You’ve probably heard about building your tribe. I didn’t know what “tribe” was when I started blogging as a freelance blogger. It was a term that I just loved and used all the time.
I realized years later that bloggers were talking about their target audience. They are your tribe, and together they will help grow your blog.
Many bloggers use their Facebook page to grow their community or their email lists. My email list is my priority and I do my best to make it valuable. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tool I’ve discovered online, mockup photos I’ve made, or great blogging tips for optimizing your blog. I want my subscribers to know that I am there for them and that I will help you kick your arse!
3- You can successfully market to them
Okay.
We are now getting down to the details.
You probably know or have heard that marketing is the primary reason why bloggers create email lists or have thousands of Facebook friends.
Bloggers who have built loyal and passionate fans can make a lot of money from their followers, whether it’s a webinar or masterclass.
Melyssa Griffin is a great example. Her email list has over 80,000 subscribers, and thousands have taken her courses. Even more are part of her Facebook group. She is loved by everyone and her monthly income reports are a huge success. Both depend on the other.
How can an audience help you?
An audience not only helps you to generate income but also allows you to do more with your blog. They help you get your name out.
My blog was started six months ago. The only people who knew about it were my husband, and my freelance writing subscribers.
My blog began to grow after people discovered me and gave me what they wanted. Traffic was increasing and I was attracted to new people who would become my target audience.
These are just three ways that your audience can help you in your blogging.
1- They help you find the right blog topics
It can be difficult to come up with your next topic. Sometimes, I just stare at the screen and wonder “What the hell am I writing about this week?”
You know what? All you need to do to find the right topic for your blog is to look at your audience. Take a look at their comments and read their blog posts. See what they have to say in Facebook.
My target audience are mompreneurs who want to be mompreneurs. They could be working moms, stay-at-home moms, or mommy bloggers.
This knowledge can be used to generate blog topics, business topics, and productivity topics.
2- They help create the right products
You probably want to create a product one day. You could create an eBook or some fuzzy socks. No matter what it may be, your audience will often help you decide your next product.
You can see, for example, that posts with the most comments on my blog are about either blog traffic and growth or email marketing.
This shows me that my audience is still in the beginning stages of becoming a mompreneur. Before they can even consider creating content for their audience, they need to get their traffic up and grow their email list.
If you think about your blog this way, you can make a plan that will help you launch products. Many bloggers recommend waiting until you have at least 1,000 subscribers before you launch the first product.
I agree. You might not hit the mark with your eBook or course if you rush too quickly.
Get ready to start blogging now
It’s not difficult to find your tribe of loyal readers if you are honest with yourself. Our passions are often what drive our creativity. If you are passionate about homegrown foods and natural products, you will likely blog about it. I’m sure your target audience feels the same.
I hope you enjoy my Basics! Keep an eye out for additional topics that will help newbie bloggers navigate the maze we call blogging.
