Mind The Gap: How to Determine a Target Audience

OK so what are you going to create your course on?

A good place to start is to think about what you are both “passionate about” and “good at”. This overlap is “your space”.

Now, “your” space, is purely about you.

Although a great place to start, you will need to think about the people you want to share “your space” with – “your audience”

You’ll need to find your audience and identify what “they need” and what they “will pay for”.

The overlap of what you can offer and what your audience needs is “the gap” that you can fill with your courses.

Ok so how do you ‘actually’ go about identifying the gap? I suggest starting with ‘yourself’ and doing some self reflection to determine “your space”.

Think about all the things you are passionate about, and of them what you are quite good at. But note that I didn’t say that you need to be an expert in all areas of your passion.

For example you might love food but you can’t bake…. but you do know how to make tasty smoothies. Maybe your space is smoothies.

Take the time to see what really resonates, so that you pick a space that really aligns with you.

Then you want to look at the ‘audience’ in ‘your space’. You will need research them to find out what they need and what they will pay for.

Start with your “own experience”

• You may already have an exisiting audience that may have already expressed a need through emails, comments, or surveys.
• Maybe when you were learning you wish you had a better way get where you are now.

Then look beyond your own experience and research your space and the niches within your space:

First search the web for “existing courses”. Drill down into niches.

For example Photography might be your space so you will not only want to look at general photography courses but also look at landscape or street photography or even more niche like smart phone street photography.

If you see paid ads and listings then you know there is competition. Which is a good sign by the way because it shows that there is a need.

If there is no competition then keep researching to find out why. To see if there is an unfulfilled demand or there is actually just no interest. Better to know now rather than after creating a course.

When you look specifically at the courses, you see what they cover in there course outline. See if you can identify indications of audience numbers such as feedback numbers and if that feedback shows gaps where student would like to know more.

Also note the cost of these courses. Basically you want to build a picture what courses are out there and opportunities that may exist.

Then you want to go to where your audience hangs out and shares… and go “listen”.

This could be social media groups, forums, video comments, blogs, book reviews, podcasts and question & answers sites.

What are their problems, fears, pains, how could they make or save money, how could they save time, and how could they change their life in a positive way.

Search using terms like “how”, “tips” and “help” such as “tips for renovating house” to hone is on where the needs are.

You may find after research that there are multiple gaps and an opportunity to create multiple courses. Initially though you will want to tackle a gap that you have the capacity to fill.

You will want to be able to answer this question to define the gap: “Who is my “target” audience, and what is their “specific” need?”

Note the wording here. “Target” audience and “specific” need. It is a common mistake to try and cover off everything to everyone but “a course on everything to everyone helps no one”.

So coming back, to if smoothies is my space, then I might find my “target” audience is yoga mums who “specifically” need to know how to make fast healthy pre and post workout smoothies.

It is important to define this gap well because you will measure everything you create in your course against!!