Cerebra

We all fall prey to this; we assume to know exactly who our consumers are, what they like doing, where they go, what they watch, and how they think. But do we really?

Let’s turn the tables; the chances are that you are a target demographic in someone’s marketing plan, so what would they say about you?

“Young professional, female, suburban, no children, reads magazines X, Y and Z, listens to radio stations A and B, watches these shows in these timeslots…”

Is this who I am? Can I be pigeonholed like this? I feel offended that my entire being has been determined by general metrics and observations. I don’t question the reasons why we have them, but rather arguing the fact that this mindset doesn’t necessarily apply to social.

Social consumer = a different consumer
Each brand attracts different social groups. Understandably so, there is a high probability that very few 80+ year olds would follow a sport’s drink on social media. Still, this doesn’t mean that we know our social audience inside out.

Over the past few weeks I have noticed how several of our online presences have undergone some changes that have very little to do with the brand. The audience has been dictating what content they want, when they want to see it and how often they want to be exposed to it. They need us to listen to their pleas.

The power of the audience
Brands can share content that they feel suit their brand personality, and this will help attract an audience that can relate to this. If you post dance specific information, you will attract those that have a passion for dance.

But the audience has more power. For example, if this dance community is more interested in ballet, then folk dance is not going to get the same rate of engagement. While the concept is easy enough to understand, it’s not always easy to sell this way of thinking to all brands.

The collective individual
The irony is that we are sitting with an audience that is eager to tell us about themselves, but very few brands feel comfortable listening to them when it comes to matters of personal taste vs. feedback on their products or services.

Don’t be afraid to deliver a niche content offering, after all, niche is the new mainstream. Change this attitude and make your audience about the collective individual and get to know them, rather than focusing on them as a whole. You could be pleasantly surprised by the outcome.