Ding Ding Ding…the bell rings on round three of the PLAN. Have no clue what I’m waffling about..go here first…then here.  Those will bring you up to speed.

While the first two parts of the process have been all about you, now its time to get focused on those you serve.

Ladies and Gentlemen…its time to meet your Audience!

From the starting blocks, you pick your mark and target your content to suit.

Problem is…in those lonely early stages its really hard to gauge if you’re hitting the bulls-eye or not. So you tend not to worry too much about who’s looking, just that people are looking…right?

Data takes time. But rather than sit on the sidelines and wait, I’m suggesting you dip your toe in the water and test the temperature as soon as possible. It’s the best way to make sure you’re not wasting your efforts and your marketing is being correctly targeted.

Tools, Tools Everywhere:

There are tools & resources around every corner, but they will only provide you with the raw data, you have to analyze and make sense of it all.

To get a clear picture it’s really important not to take any single site in isolation. Assess and look for patterns across the board of consistency and confirmation.

Caution!  Chasing stat’s can turn you into a head case.  Don’t become obsessive and use every application and tool in creation. There will be so much contradictory evidence you wish you’d never started.

Here’s my selection to get the skinny on your crowd.

Google Analytics:

Google analytics is a great tool which you should be using, but it classifies your audience collectively as traffic. Great for exploring traffic sources, content popularity, location, visitor flow, tracking conversions etc…but doesn’t tell you who those individual people are.

Get Clicky:

An alternative to Google with very similar information, but in much more of a visual aspect. Many people find Get Clicky easier to navigate and less technical than Googles tools, but once again demographic makeup is missing from the mix.

Alexa:

While the validity of Alexa’s ranking system often gets called into question, I actually like Alexa for its data on audience demographic (although I’m not sure how it pulls its data).

You can get a feel for the actual people visiting your site, rather than ‘traffic’ as a whole.
Details on age, education, gender, income & search term volume.  Plus the click stream information can reveal a lot about your traffic flow. Where they came from before hitting your site and where they duck off to after leaving you.

While Google and Get Clicky will gather data on your site, Alexa not only gives you your website data, but allows you to research websites in your industry too. Very handy!

Facebook:

Get your page set up early in the game campers. Facebook pages come with their own data analysis (not available to profiles) which will give you data on reach & engagement, age and country demographics, and individual post stats. Check out this Facebook Insights tutorial for more umm…Insight!  aghem…no pun intended.

You will undoubtedly be sharing your website content on your wall, along with other juicy bits and pieces to get your community on-board and sharing your stuff.
Now assuming that you’re not enticing them with something like a giveaway, download or contest. Then the only reason for them to like your page, is because…well, they like your page.

If they like your page, it stands to reason they’d like your website.  Don’t underestimate Facebook as a microcosm of the probable demographic of your website.

Twitter:

Unfortunately Twitter only counts numbers. While there are a lot of twitter applications out there, they are mainly geared to follow management, auto-feeding, or engagement optimization.

Until recently there has been precious little that would reveal more about your audience.  Now this could possibly be because there is no mechanism to filter who follows you.  Any Tom, Dick, Harry, Busty Blonde or Spambot could be part of your swelling ranks of followers….but it doesn’t mean they give two hoots about what you have to say.

But if you are looking for more information on your twitter demographics, a nifty app called  Know Your Followers will enable you to get a quick snapshot of your audience make up.

Quantcast:

I thought I would throw Quantcast into the mix, which is a full audience demographics measurement tool. I have only just begun using their service so am yet to pull any data that I can review. I’ve heard through the grapevine that their service is excellent and I look forward to sharing this with you at a later stage.

In The End, Its What You Do With It That Counts.

These tools will allow you to get a good feel for who your audience is. What content works, what doesn’t. What gets shared, liked, & converts. After all when you know better, you do better.

Do bear in mind that traffic is a strange bedfellow. While your data might suggest that you appeal to that college educated, metro-sexual 30 something male, it may prove be a traffic wave with no substance or conversion appeal at all. It always pays to look deeper.

For example with my site analysis. Google and Get Clicky will return relatively similar data comparisons of page views, bounce rate, visitors etc, so I’m pretty certain of my traffic.

But if I look at my demographics, Facebook has me skewed towards females with the majority of my market between 35 and 54. Alexa on the other hand has me female biased but in the 45 – 64 age bracket. Twitter shows a male dominated follower list. Different results require further testing and exploration to find where I’m really landing.

All the more reason to take your reference points from a number of areas for cross comparison. Careful review will usually uncover inaccuracies and reveal strengths for you to spot the opportunities and provide more of what your market demands.

I hope this post helps you do a little archaeological dig into your audience and would love your comments and feedback below, and please give it a tweet or like or plus while your here.  Thanks

PS>>> If you are looking for more tools and resources to build your online empire. Make sure to check out the Disobedient Directory.