Finding out the nitty-gritty about your audience
If you haven’t yet thought about your online audience, we recommend Video Mar- keting For Dummies, by Kevin Daum, Bettina Hein, Matt Scott, and Andreas Goeldi (Wiley). It provides a more in-depth look at audience needs and identification than we can offer here, but we do want to offer some food for thought. When planning your YouTube channel, have an image of your targeted fan base in mind at all times. Ask yourself these questions:
» Who are they? Marketing people like to use the term demographics to describe some of the characteristics of their target audience. Think about your
audience and attributes such as age, gender, and interest. If you’re selling baby products, for example, your audience may be new mothers between 24 and 36 years old. Be specifi
YouTube now attracts more 18- to 49-year-olds than most cable networks. However, if you’re seeking senior viewers, it may be a bit more diffi than if you were targeting a slightly younger audience. Fortunately, even some of your older friends are discovering YouTube as well!
» Where are they? YouTube works as well for small local businesses as it does
for the big, international companies. Your social media eff around your YouTube channel should involve infl in the geographic location you serve.
» How do they get their information? Make an eff to understand what
your audience reads, where they go on the web for information, and which events they attend. This will infl the direction of your channel and its contents.
» Who infl them? Which bloggers or YouTubers do your targeted
viewers connect with? Pay attention to the style of how these web celebrities communicate.
Be authentic. Don’t feel that you need to mimic an infl because your
audience will see right through it.
If you have other properties, such as a website, a Facebook page, an Instagram channel, or a Twitter account, you likely have much of the audience information you need for your YouTube planning process. As your channel grows in popularity, don’t be surprised if your audience changes as well.