Is it time to redefine target audience classification?

It is unwise to ignore statistics particularly those that claim significant growth in new communications channels that could become important marketing tools.

So it comes as little surprise that the consumption of social media now accounts for 25% of all time spent online - by far the biggest defined activity, with others such as email (7%) in single figure percentages. Likewise it is not surprising that Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are ranked as the top 3 most popular web sites. By now even the most laggard business has acknowledged that a web site is an essential marketing tool. But statistics like this tend to support the view of sceptics that the Internet is somehow frivolous and not a serious marketing channel. The real question is, where are your customers spending time in this space? Facebook claim 500 million accounts globally. But how many are active accounts? Anecdotally I have observed that some people I know discover Facebook, embrace it with great enthusiasm, add a lot of information, make friends with total strangers, then just as rapidly lose interest.  Others of course remain loyal and regularly communicate with friends. Data from Facebook shows 57% of members are female and 43% male. Based on Facebook's charts over two thirds are under 35 years of age too. The largest group is 18 - 34 (approximately 54%). For many b-2-b companies in the industrial and engineering sectors for example this may not correspond with the profile of their customers. A quick look round a typical engineering exhibition suggests the audience is mainly male, older and judging by dress code, conventional and possibly not a Facebook convert.

The thing is, it is unlikely the average b-2-b company has profiled their target audience in this way. Much more likely the target audience is classified, where it is thought about at all, by job functions, specification authority, industry sector - not by age and gender demographics.  It is easy to see big numbers and assume the media is essential, but quite another to have realistic data that it will deliver the audiences that specify and buy products and services from b-2-b enterprises. It calls for research to find out. It is no good waiting until competitors have stolen a march as many did when web sites were the coming thing. On the other hand why invest marketing pounds in channels that may be irrelevant?

But it is not just social media that may hold opportunities or not, other tools are on the up as well. The UK has seen 70% increase in smart phone ownership over the last 12 months - far greater than our European neighbours - and with it a big surge in mobile search. It prompts another question - how many web sites are mobile friendly?