#03 A new way to divide our target audience—what’s actually relevant today?

In my previous essay, I explored the changing nature of how audiences need to be considered and defined, and pointed to the implications for brand positioning and messaging. The article ended with a definition of target audience, and it’s clear to me that the traditional approach to segmentation is no longer serving its purpose.

The challenge here comes from the many different ways in which the target audience can now engage with your content, product, service, etc. The simplest place to start this exploration is with the terms consumers and customers.

Consumers: those who actively consume or use your content, product, service, etc.

Customers: those who make a payment (either before, during or after) for accessing your content, product, service, etc (see below for explanation of ‘pay’).

And this is where it gets tricky. Consider the YouTube channel host who earns revenue from advertising. The consumers are, in general terms, those watching their videos. And the host will likely aim to produce relevant, high quality, interesting content to keep that audience of consumers engaged and growing. Why? Because the host’s customers (the advertisers and sponsors) are attracted not by the content, but by the number of the channel’s consumers who are relevant to the customer’s targeting. The consumer and the customer are different, have different priorities and have different needs.

New ways to pay

In addition, nowadays ‘payment’ (i.e. what separates customers from consumers) is very commonly not financial. Hitting the ‘like’ or ‘subscribe’ buttons on YouTube is payment in support. Tweeting is payment in social capital (i.e. it has value based on the audience and influence of the Tweeter). Adding a comment is (potentially) payment in perspective, expertise, experience or kudos. When it comes to reaching a wider audience, all have value. In some cases, a lot of value.

And there are equivalents across many different spheres, whether business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C). If the business researcher ends up pitching your services as the one to choose, they’re no longer a passive consumer. They are effectively acting as your representative. If they’re in an agency tasked with presenting a proposal to a client, rather than working in-house, that agency may not even end up being the ‘money-paying’ customer.

We also now have new models of business, most easily demonstrated by the software-as-a-service (SAAS) sector. I can sign up and become a user of the free version before paying (or not) for the upgrade. Or I might get a 30–60 day trial of the full version before I’m downgraded or have to pay. Am I a consumer, a customer or a user? If I decide not to pay, but write an amazing review, I’ve completed a very customer-like transaction. The value offered to me was sufficient that I decided to expend time and reputation (make a ‘payment’) in writing that review. I received something of value, I gave something of value. Does that transaction make me a customer?

Redefining our audience

So it would seem that consumer and customer are overly broad terms that are no longer fully serving our needs. Instead, we need a new set of terms that clearly describe and define those key subsets of the target audience that are useful from a modern business perspective.

Now, rarely will an organisation be targeting every one of the proposed subsets that I’ve set out below. Individuals may also sit across several of these subsets at one time. And although many of these subsets will also contain individuals or organisations outside our target audience profile, that shouldn’t detract from the potential value such an approach might offer.

Receivers: those who do nothing more than have contact with your content, product, service, etc.

Users: those who use your content, product, service, etc. multiple times (probably more than three times to warrant inclusion in this category) in order to achieve their own goals (beyond pure entertainment), e.g. SAAS, instructional content.

Supporters: those who value your content, product, service, etc. sufficiently to subscribe, ‘like’ or the equivalent (i.e. actions that don’t require financial payment).

Funders: those making a financial contribution in response to, or to access, your content, product, service, etc., e.g. direct payment, Patreon donation, paid subscription.

Providers: those who react to your content, product, service, etc. by providing information, e.g. comments, contact details, survey completion.

Promoters: those who transmit to others your content, product, service, etc., or information about it or links to it (in full, in part or after interpretation).

Connectors: those who respond to your content, product, service, etc. by instigating direct, active contact with your organisation (i.e. more than a passive ‘receive email notification’ relationship).

Outsiders: those who do not come into contact with your content, product, service, etc., either directly or indirectly (i.e. the sector of your target audience you’re missing entirely...and the key question to ask is: why?).

Mapping the flows

It’s clear that there are overlaps, and that individuals and organisations can and will frequently move between these eight categories. Someone who’s prompted to provide an email address for an offered ‘How to..’ pdf will initially be a provider (of the email), likely (but not necessarily) become a user (of the information in the pdf), but may then lapse into being a receiver (of an email newsletter). And eventually perhaps unsubscribe from that email list entirely, at which point they become an outsider.

This example is an illustration of how useful such categorisation might be, particularly when compared with the now outdated ‘black and white’ concepts of either consumer or customer. There are so many shades of grey to consider here!

Imagine mapping out the flows, tracking the triggers and timings of shifts between the subsets, and conducting separate research interviews with these various audiences. Imagine developing those insights into needs, barriers and opportunities for each, including the implications of any overlaps.

Integrating that level of detail into strategies for positioning and delivering brand experience is where it gets really interesting. It may yet prove to be too complicated or too detailed, but it feels like maybe a useful place to start re-imagining how we think about and relate to the various subsets of our audience.