You already know who you want to target with your marketing campaign — people who would buy your company’s products. But what does this really mean? Even if everybody has a use for your company’s offerings, “everyone” isn’t exactly a solid target market for your to attempt to engage. Your target market should be an extremely specific group of people with traits and tendencies that make them easy targets for a specific marketing approach. When we put it that way, marketing sounds a lot tougher. Fortunately, it’s not as hard as you might think to identify your target market so that you can start developing a marketing campaign that caters to their needs. Here’s what you need to do:
Look at who buys your products now
You look most of your target market right in the eye every single day. The goal of your marketing campaign is to get the people who already buy from you to stop by more often, and to get more of these people to show up at your business’ doorstep in the first place. Find out as much as you can from these people; this will be the foundation of what your target market will be.
Look at who buys from your competitors
You will be better equipped to pilfer your competition’s customers if you know more about them. To that end, find out everything that you can about your competitor’s customers, and add them to your target market.
Consider what your product can do for people
Although a certain group of people may already buy your company’s products, this may only be a small swath of your target market. There could be thousands of people with untapped sales lead potential who simply don’t know about the value of your company’s offerings yet.
To define the people who might buy your products, but aren’t standing right in front of your face, create a list of your product’s benefits. Then start defining the type of people who are likely to have a need for such a product. For example, if you are an electronics retailer that mostly focuses on high-end laptops, then you may have a lot of corporate customers. However, the primary benefits of high-end laptops (top specs, blazing speed, etc) make your products perfect for hardcore gamers. This is an invaluable target market that could help you increase your profits exponentially when you start marketing to them.
Break down the qualities that define your target market
Once you have an idea of who your target audience is, it is time to break them down so that you can see how they tick. To this end, pull out all of the demographic data that you can, so that you can really see who your target audience is. If, for example, you sell super expensive home goods, “rich people” isn’t an accurate enough identifier for your target audience. You need to take a look at the average age, income, location, education level, occupation, family life, etc.
Create buyer personas
Your company’s marketing campaign should always be in line with your target market’s wants and needs. To that end, you should be creating buyer personas. These are totally fake representations of a typical buyer. They should include everything from a full-length bio to a pretty picture. All of your buyer persona’s information should be pulled directly from data compiled form your target market.
Use Psychographic Segmentation to Tap Into Deeper Motivations
It’s not enough anymore to just know your target audience’s age, job title, or zip code. In 2025, psychographic segmentation is what separates average marketers from brands that really connect. This means digging into your customers’ lifestyles, values, interests, and pain points. Ask yourself — what do they care about? What keeps them up at night? Are they driven by status, convenience, or sustainability?
For example, if you’re marketing high-end fitness gear, don’t just target people who go to the gym. Zoom in on folks who follow biohacking influencers, use health tracking wearables, or belong to online performance optimization communities. Those shared beliefs and behaviors are what shape buying decisions, not just surface-level demographics.
Leverage Behavioral Targeting Across the Entire Funnel
Another missed opportunity? Behavioral targeting — especially across the full customer journey. Most brands focus on behaviors at the top of the funnel, like page visits or ad clicks. But to really personalize your marketing, track behavior all the way down: cart abandonment, product comparisons, email opens, and even customer service chats.
Here’s a tip: use retargeting ads based on those specific actions. Someone who added a product to their cart but didn’t check out? Hit them with a limited-time offer. A user who keeps comparing similar items? Show them a comparison guide or customer review carousel. Behavioral data tells you exactly where they are and what nudges they need.
Embrace Micro-Targeting with AI-Driven Insights
The days of broad segments are over. In 2025, micro-targeting using AI tools is how winning brands stay ahead. AI now allows you to break your audience into ultra-specific clusters based on real-time data. Think “freelance creatives in Austin who’ve purchased under $100 in the last 30 days and clicked on a product tutorial video.” That level of detail helps you craft messages that actually resonate.
Case in point: A DTC skincare brand used AI to micro-target Gen Z customers who watched over 60 seconds of a product demo on Instagram. They then sent a personalized video follow-up through DM and increased conversions by 23%. When you let AI guide your customer journey mapping, you’re no longer guessing — you’re precision-marketing with purpose.
Now that you know who your target market is, it’s time to start marketing to them
The better you know your target market, the better you will be able to attract them to your business.