Whether you are starting a new company or working with an older business ... it's always important to understand your target audience! 
Let's say that you have already narrowed it down using your general knowledge of running a business but need help getting your content to the right people. 

"How am I going to target my target audience?" | "how am I going to target my ideal customer?"

KNOW YOUR CITIES

Before even thinking about advertising you need to develop a target location to then target your audience. If you are a local shop, this might be a lot easier for you than someone targeting the USA. 
Here are a few things I did:

I knew I wanted to target small businesses in small cities. Great , now what. There are no "small cities" option in the target audience search bar via Facebook. This is where you can use the internet's many resources.
I Googled small cities in the USA. Result: A travel magazine with their top 15 small cities to visit within the US.
This works awesome! Now I have set number of cities to target when using advertising.

This could work great if you wanted to target large cities. Or maybe even small towns.

I find that magazines do a great job of summarizing the best of the best (given they only publish about once a month ... it's got to be good. right?)

And like I said before, if you are staying local, then just use your city as a target. Know the radius of your city/town can insure you include everyone in your budget.

PICK YOUR ADVERTISING WISELY

FACEBOOK/INSTAGRAM

Recently I have had a bit of a pickle with Facebook advertising. I honestly describe it to my clients as "Vegas". A recent article suggested that Facebook increased their pricing by 123%!!!! WTF!
Where ever your dollar may be going, make sure you're targeting the right people to get the best bang for your buck.
Use the suggestions above for better targeting location-wise.
Based on your research and company basics you can then target your audience even more with age groups, interests, etc.

Fill out these options (even advanced options) to the best of your ability. It is better to fill it out thoroughly than leave them blank for Facebook to decide!

Take note and watch your metrics to ensure get getting your ROI.

PINTEREST

Depending on your target audience determines whether they may be a user of Pinterest. I personally love this platform for posting and advertising. 

Always make sure to post things that are relevant to what "they" may be looking for. The great thing about Pinterest is that you don't have to post within your industry. If you are someone the builds websites post about designs you like, home decor, and fashion so others have a better understand as to who you are and who your company is.

Below is an image I used for my own Pinterest. Notice the size is elongated to fit the vertical style of the platform. I also linked it to my website tab within TYM for people to learn more. It is also appealing and colorful for my target female audience.

OTHERS

Where else is your audience going to be?

Etsy?
Stumble Upon?
Reddit?

Ask yourself these questions and start looking into advertising with them. It is important to be where your audience is looking. Keeping those outlets relative will end up saving you both money and time.

BE ACTIVE

Every target audience has a favorite platform (or a couple favorites). Make sure you and/or your company are active on them! Making sure to post a couple times a day on Facebook, posting once a day on Instagram, sharing and posting throughout the day on Pinterest, etc.

The better and more relative your content, the more "they" will listen and interact.

One of the best lessons I have learned is to interact yourself. This does not mean follow-for-a-follow! But take the time to start a conversation. Ask them questions and understand more about the audience you're trying to sell to. Overtime this will help you close more customers organically via social media.

DON'T OVER DO IT

I am guilty of this too! If you are on every social platform, do you have the time to manage them all? Probably not if you are a small company. 

I fall into that category as well ... posting from Instagram and sharing that exact same post on Twitter and Tumblr without leaving the Insta app. 

It does no good mass sharing. You are better off spending the time editing and publishing your posts specific to the platform. This makes your followers more interested and willing to engage. 
There have been so many times when I am on Twitter and see a link that someone posted about their newest Instagram image. But do we click? Most likely not unless it Cara Delevingne or some other obsessive celeb.

REACH OUT

Nothing is better than cold calling. And believe me, I HATE IT TOO! But what better way to get in front of someone other than them hearing about you WOM (which is the BEST way to get business). 

One thing I try to do every day is call 1 contact. 1 contact per work day = 5 contacts a week.
A contact qualifies if I actually speak with them via email/insta message/phone. 

This is, and always will be the best way to gain clients. 

Hope this helps! Comment below if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions! I'd love to hear from you!

Happy Trekking,
-A.

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