In public relations, identifying a company’s target audiences is a foundational step to ensure the right messages are reaching the right people. Defining target audiences also helps to provide clarity and direction throughout nearly every area of a marketing campaign (e.g., plan and strategy development, content mapping and development, media outreach, social media, etc.). Ultimately, effectively reaching the right audiences enables companies to achieve their communication and business objectives.
As we head into a new year, it is wise to reevaluate a company’s business and communication objectives, and the strategies in place to achieve these objectives, to determine if there are areas that should be updated because of external trends or internal changes. As a result of these discussions, there may be a need to revisit the company’s target audiences.
With this in mind, I was intrigued by Fast Company’s article highlighting data from a consulting firm’s 2020 Tech and Media Outlook. The report by Activate lists “the 16 most important” insights for technology and media companies in 2020. An area of the report that stood out was around “super users” and the impact these smaller audiences can have on a business’ bottom line.
The idea of “super users” – or a smaller audience driving a disproportionately large consumption of business – is not a new concept. However, the data from the 2020 report, which forecasted super users as “the imperative for technology and media companies,” can help marketing professionals in these industries more effectively define and target key audiences.
In the report, there were four activities or areas of consumption where super users outperformed other customers: spend, share, time and loyalty. Below are ways marketing decision makers can leverage these four areas to identify their company’s super users and in turn improve target-audience efforts in B2B settings.
1. Spend. Putting a fine-tooth comb to sales data from the last few years can help businesses uncover super users, or the target audiences driving the most business. Narrowing in beyond a customer’s region or industry and getting granular with their age, gender or their job title can help break down a larger audience and uncover potential super users. For example, according to data from the Tech and Media Outlook, in 2019 super users in the experience industry (e.g., concerts, sporting events, etc.) spent more than twice as much a month than all other users. This insight is helpful for businesses so they can see who is driving higher than average consumption and so they can determine if it may make sense to start partnerships or increase promotions to incentivize these groups.
2. Share. According to Activate’s report, super users are 2.3 times as likely to share their experience than other users. “Sharing” can refer to when customers share their experiences with a product/service on social media, as well as when they share reviews on Google or other platforms. Just as a company carefully reviews their sales data, it is important to take a similar approach when analyzing how (and which) customers are talking about their experience with the brand. For example, reviewing and cross-referencing social media follower demographics with engagement patterns can help brands identify which followers are driving engagement. The company can then tailor its posting cadence, content or interaction levels to best provide for the super users who are regularly engaging with the brand. Additionally, analyzing company reviews to better understand which customers or demographics are leaving reviews can help guide company efforts to increase or incentivize reviews among these audiences.
3. Time. In the media and entertainment industries, super users spend 1.4 times as much time every day consuming media as all other users. For the media industries where customers are playing a game or watching Netflix, time can be an easier measurement. For B2B companies, looking at website or blog traffic and the time spent on specific web pages can help flesh out which audiences are investing more time than others. By analyzing time spent, a company can determine if they need to adjust content they are developing to better align with super users’ preferences. If a company can effectively identify and drive “sharing” (as discussed above), it can leverage those findings to improve the time customers spend consuming the product. For example, if a super user shares that they prefer to consume infographics vs. webinars, the company can leverage that insight to drive traffic from similar super-user customers.
4. Loyalty. According to the report, super users purchased products at 4.6 times the rate of all other supers. This demonstrates how super users have extreme loyalty to specific brands, as well as the individuals associated with the brand (i.e., a blogger or celebrity influencer). B2B companies can analyze customer or partner longevity to better understand which industries and customers have been dedicated to the company for a long period of time. The company decision makers can then use this data to offer benefits or create customer loyalty programs to recognize and reward the longstanding customers, as well as drive loyalty among newer existing customers. Securing third-party influencers in the form of analysts or high-profile customers can also help B2B companies drive loyalty but is not always a guarantee.
While a company might not currently have or know its “super users,” analyzing customer patterns around spend, share, time and loyalty can help marketing decision makers identify these valuable individuals in their larger pool of target audiences. Plus, given the high volume of business these super users can drive, it is wise to at least check to see if leveraging their loyalty is a potential for the new year.