14 Types of Target Audiences and How to Identify Them

You know your target market - great, you now have a group of people that you can tailor your marketing efforts towards. But, did you know that within this target market, there are different types of audiences? These are known as target audiences, and understanding them can help you craft amazing marketing campaigns that really hit the mark.

In this guide, we’ll break down the different types of target audiences and show you how to identify them for maximum impact.

What is a Target Audience?

A target audience is a specific group of people with shared characteristics and needs. This group can include individuals, groups, or even businesses that are most likely to reciprocate your offerings—whether by purchasing your product, using your services, or engaging with your content.

Once you’ve nailed down your target audience, you’ll be able to create highly targeted marketing campaigns that speak directly to their needs. Contrast this with casting a wide net and hoping for the best - an approach that often wastes time, energy, and resources.

To ensure your target audience is actionable, ask yourself the following:

Is the group large enough to drive growth?
Are they genuinely interested in what you’re offering?
Do they have the means and willingness to pay?
Most importantly, can you actually reach them through your marketing channels?

When you get these details right, you’ll be well on your way to smarter, more effective marketing strategies.

Target Market vs Target Audience - What's the Difference?

The terms target audience and target market are often used interchangeably, but they're not the same. To make things clear, here's a quick breakdown:

Target market refers to the overall group of people that share similar characteristics, needs and preferences. Think of this group as your entire pool of potential customers.
Target audience, meanwhile, is a subset of your target market that has been further defined by characteristics such as interests, behaviors, and preferences.

So imagine you're a coffee shop owner:

Your target market might be all people who drink coffee in your city who enjoy cosy café vibes.
Your target audience, however, could be narrowed down to busy professionals aged 25-40 who live or work within a 2-mile radius of your shop. You might target them with ads for a quick morning coffee on their way to work or a lunchtime pick-me-up.

To put it simply, your target market is the big picture while your target audience is the more specific portrait within that frame. This distinction helps you tailor your messaging more effectively while still keeping the bigger picture in mind.

Primary and Secondary Target Audiences Explained

Target audiences generally come down to two categories: primary and secondary:

Primary Target Audience: These are your main customers most likely to buy and benefit from your product or service. They have an immediate need and are your top priority for conversion.

For a fitness app, it might be health-conscious individuals aged 25–60 looking for guided workouts.
For an athletic shoe brand, it could be athletes and fitness enthusiasts.

Secondary Target Audience: This group isn’t as immediately likely to convert but is still important. They might influence your primary audience (like influencers or reviewers) or buy less frequently.

For the fitness app, it might include gyms considering partnerships or personal trainers recommending apps to clients.

For a shoe brand, it could be casual wearers who appreciate comfort and style but don’t prioritise athletic performance.

By defining these two groups, you can launch campaigns that consider both audiences. For your primary audience, you can use targeted messaging and incentives to drive conversions. For the secondary audience, you might focus on brand awareness and relationship building.

14 Target Audience Example Types

Below are several examples of different types of target audiences that businesses may have:

Broad Audiences

When we say broad, we really mean the broadest possible audience (within reason) within your target market.

Most businesses avoid targeting this audience as it lacks the specificity needed for effective marketing. Even a fast-food chain, while appealing to many, narrows its focus to groups like busy professionals or families seeking affordable dining.

If you don't have a target audience in mind, you can start with a broader targeting approach. As you gather more data and insights, you can refine your target audience to be more specific according to your findings.

Generational Audiences

Boomers, Millennials, Gen Z - each behave differently as consumers. And for good reason, each generation has unique views, characteristics and preferences that influence what and how they buy. For example, Gen-Z, are known to care more about the environment and sustainability. Therefore, if your brand is eco-friendly, it's one audience you just don't want to miss.

Demographic-based Audiences

This audience can be divided into several categories, such as

Age
Gender
Income level
Education level
Location and more.

These are often the first attributes that businesses focus on. This is because they are relatively easy to measure and can provide valuable consumer behavior insights.

For example, if your business sells luxury products, you could target high-income individuals at specific locations known for their affluent population. Similarly, if your product is hip and trendy, targeting a younger demographic may be more effective.

Geographic-based Audiences

Geographic-based target audiences focus on location, whether that’s a city, state/province, country, or broader region.

Local businesses usually target audiences within a specific radius of their physical location. This is especially useful for brick-and-mortar stores that rely on foot traffic. Online businesses, meanwhile, target customers in specific regions or countries based on their shipping capabilities and market demand.

Platforms like Facebook or Instagram allow targeting based on current locations or frequent check-ins. For instance, a pizza shop in NYC could target users who frequent popular NYC spots.

Interest-based Audiences

This audience is defined by the interests, hobbies or activities that they enjoy. These can include things like sports, music, fashion, cooking and more.

Interest-based targeting connects you with individuals already drawn to topics related to your product or service. For example, a fitness brand can target health enthusiasts, while a gaming platform reaches esports fans.

Seasonal Audiences

Seasonal audiences are temporary but recur annually around holidays, events, and cultural moments. By targeting specific times of the year, you'll tap into heightened consumer interest with timely campaigns.

For example:

A jewellery store could advertise custom rings for Valentine’s Day.
A supermarket might promote Thanksgiving dinner deals.
An apparel brand could highlight summer outfits during spring break.

This strategy, especially effective in retail, connects businesses with customers during peak shopping periods, driving engagement and sales.

Subculture Audiences

Subcultures are like small, vibrant communities within a larger culture, united by shared interests, values, or lifestyles. Think of K-pop fans, eco-friendly activists, or cat lovers — they all have unique identities that brands can tap into through targeted advertising.

Gucci, for example, embraced skateboarding culture with their #GucciGrip campaign, creating watches that matched the style of skateboarders. This deeper, more specific approach connects brands with passionate subcultures and can lead to highly successful campaigns.

Psychographic Audiences

Psychographics involve targeting audiences based on their lifestyle, values, beliefs and personality traits. This type of targeting business owners to know how their target audience thinks, what motivates them and how they make purchasing decisions.

Here are a few examples:

A luxury resort targeting affluent travelers who value adventure and wellness experiences.
An eco-friendly brand targeting environmentally conscious individuals.

While you don't have to be a mind reader to use psychographic targeting, it helps to understand what drives your target audience. The better you understand your audience, the more effective your advertising will be.

Purchase Intent-Based Audiences

This type of audience is grouped by their readiness to buy. They’re typically divided into:

Cold Audiences: People who don't know your brand or it's respective offerings.
Warm Audiences: Individuals who have shown some level of interest, such as visiting your website or engaging with your social media posts.
Hot Audiences: People who've shown a high level of intent to purchase, such as adding items to their cart.

You can use various tactics to target these audiences, such as retargeting ads, email marketing, or offering special discounts. The trick is to use these audiences strategically to move them from one category to the next.

Behavioural Triggers

If you’re using Google Analytics, you may be already tracking user behaviour on your site—things like which pages they visit, or which products they’re eyeing. But to turn that data into targeted ads, you’ll need a pixel, like the Meta Pixel or Google Ads tag.

Once that's set up, you can use this data to target specific behaviours, like cart abandonment or page views. You can also use this data to create lookalike audiences, targeting people with similar behaviors and interests.

Lifecycle Stage Audiences

This target audience represents key moments or milestones in their lives. These could be major life events that influence purchasing decisions and create specific needs.

Here are a few examples:

Engaged couples: A wedding planner could offer special packages to couples who’ve just gotten engaged.
New parents: A baby clothing brand might share personalised offers for growing families.
Retirees: A travel agency could promote retirement-friendly vacation deals.

If you’re offering something specific—like niche products or services tied to life events—it’s a great way to reach the right people at just the right moment.

Technographic-Based Audiences

Technographic-based audiences are groups of people who share similar technology preferences and behavior.

For example:

A SaaS provider could target companies already using complementary tools (e.g., Slack or Salesforce).
A gaming company might focus on users who’ve downloaded a certain genre of games.

This type of targeting is great for businesses that offer products or services related to specific technologies.

Event-Based Audiences

These are audiences based on specific events, i.e., anything from local festivals to holidays. For example:

A local gym could promote membership offers during New Year’s resolutions.
A flower shop could send discounts before Mother’s Day.
A movie theater could advertise special showings for Halloween.

Event-based targeting is generally short-term and can create a sense of urgency for potential customers. It's also a great way to reach audiences who may not have been actively looking for your product or service.

Customer Loyalty Audiences or Fan Audiences

These are customers that have shown the most love to your brand, which include:

VIP customers who frequently purchase high-ticket items.
Avid followers on social media.
Frequent reviewers of your products and services.

These devoted fans often look forward to upcoming releases, updates and news from your brand. They trust your product, service, or company vision and are more likely to engage with your content.

How to Identify Your Target Audiences

Typically, smaller businesses have an easier time identifying their target audience. Since they're often in a niche market, they're more familiar with their customer base. Larger companies with a wider product or service range, meanwhile, may have several target audiences to consider.

Use the following methods to determine your target audiences:

Search Through Your Existing Customers

If you have a CRM system, or even just a list of customer contact information, start looking for patterns. Identify common demographics such as age, gender, location and income level, aswell as other purchase patterns or behaviors. This can help you create a profile of your ideal customer as well as identify any potential secondary target audiences.

Research Your Competitors’ Audiences

Next, put your detective cap on and research your competitors. Check their social media posts and ads with the most engagement, analyse their followers to spot trends, and review customer feedback to uncover opportunities.

Resources like the Facebook Ad Library is a great place to start to access competitor ads and their audience targeting.

Use Online Tools to Help Learn More About Your Audience

There are many tools available online that can help you better understand your target audience. Some free ones include:

AnswerThePublic: Shows popular questions and queries people are asking about your industry. For example, if you type "football shirts," you'll see questions like "where to buy official football shirts" or "when do football shirts go on sale." Use these insights to address their specific concerns in your campaigns.

Google Trends: Helps you track search trends over time and across regions. For instance, you can identify when interest in football shirts spikes, such as before major tournaments, and plan your campaigns accordingly.
SurveyMonkey: Lets you create custom surveys to gather insights from your audience. You can ask questions about their preferences, opinions, and needs to make informed decisions about your marketing strategy.

These tools should help create a clearer, more detailed picture of your target audience, which you can then use to refine your marketing approach.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics provides essential insights into your website visitors, from demographics and interests to behaviours and traffic sources. For e-commerce, it’s invaluable for spotting your best-performing products and high-converting pages. Plus, it helps you understand how customers find your site, giving you a clear direction for optimising your marketing strategies and focusing on what works.

Social Media Analytics

Not sure where to start? Run an ad on Facebook, TikTok or another social media platform using a broad audience and track which groups were most responsive.

Most social media platforms have built-in analytics tools that partly reveal your target audience. For example, if your conversions are mostly from women between the ages of 25-35, target them in your next campaign. You'll have a much higher chance of success than if you were to target everyone.

Target Audience Examples From Real-life Brands

We mentioned the Facebook Ads Library as a helpful tool to discover your potential audience. While you competitor's target audiences are unique (and should never be copied), it does give you a solid starting point.

Here are a few examples from famous brands and their target audiences:

Deepwear's Target Audience

Deepwear works with businesses and individuals in the fashion and textile industry who need top-notch garment production. Here's a look into their target audience:

Mostly 25-34 years old (40%), followed by 35-44 (30%) and 18-24 (20%).
Slightly more men (60%) than women (40%).
A global audience with most buyers coming from Italy (22%), France (18%), and Spain (15%).
Interested in fashion innovation, sustainable textiles, and reliable manufacturing.
Highly engaged users, spending an average of 7 minutes 30 seconds per visit and exploring 6-7 pages.

Based on this data, we can see that Deepwear's target audience is primarily young and interested in fashion innovation and sustainability. They also have a global reach, with a slightly higher male demographic.

Totally Tallow

Totally Tallow’s audience is made up of people who care about what goes on their skin and want organic, sustainable options. Here’s what their audience looks like:

Mostly aged 35-44, with a good mix of 25-34 and 45-54 too.
Slightly more men (60%) than women (40%).
Spread across Europe, with strong engagement from Ireland, Croatia, Sweden, and Portugal.
Big on natural skincare, eco-friendly living, and sustainable health choices.

Based on this data, we can see that Totally Tallow's target audience is slightly older and has a strong interest in natural skincare and sustainable living. They also have a good mix of male and female customers from various European countries.

DC Shoes for Men

DC Shoes attracts a passionate crowd of skate and snow lovers who want stylish and functional shoes. Let's take a look at their audience:

Mostly aged 25-44, with some younger fans (18-24) and older enthusiasts (45-54.)
While its a shoe for men, we can
Buyers are predominantly from Spain, France, and Germany.
They’re into skateboarding, snowboarding, and outdoor adventures, all while rocking stylish, functional gear.

This data reveals that DC Shoes' target audience is primarily young and interested in action sports such as skateboarding and snowboarding. They also have a global reach with a slightly higher male demographic.

What Else Can We Learn?

While two out of three examples primarily target men, it’s clear that women play a big part in the purchasing process too. Even though men are the ones using the product, women often step in as key decision-makers or buyers—whether it’s picking out gifts for a partner, friend, or family member.

When defining your target audience, it’s worth thinking beyond just the end users. Who else might influence the buying decision? From gift-givers to those recommending the product, addressing their needs and motivations can help you craft a more well-rounded and effective marketing strategy.

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