What Is Targeting in Marketing?
Targeting in marketing involves breaking the target audience into segments and then designing marketing activities that will reach the segments most likely to be responsive to your efforts. Target marketing can greatly increase the success you have in reaching potential customers.
Targeting in marketing generally refers to a three-step process marketers use to find the right segment to target. STP in marketing is the name of this process, and the acronym stands for segmentation, targeting, and promotion. Marketers divide their target audience into segments based on demographic information like age, geographical location, hobbies, interests, or previous purchasing history.
Once marketers have created different segments, they then assess which segment aligns best with their products, values, and offerings. Marketers who can choose the right audience segments to target will have a much easier job reaching potential customers and convincing them to purchase the product or service.
The third step, promotion, involves creating tailored messaging and communications specifically for the chosen target audience. Marketing plans can be designed to engage the target segment using the media channels they typically get the most engagement from, which will help a marketing team maximize their budget. Digital channels and social media are currently the most effective form of promotion, with 53% of the global population active on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others.