{"id":25669,"date":"2026-03-03T22:24:33","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T20:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/glossary\/target-audience-analysis\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T15:15:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T13:15:41","slug":"target-audience-analysis","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/target-audience-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Target Audience Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"background:#f0f1f3;padding:1.5rem;margin-bottom:2rem;border-radius:12px;\">\n<strong>In a nutshell:<\/strong> Target group analysis is the systematic process by which companies identify, segment, and understand their existing and potential customers based on demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics. It forms the foundation for effective marketing, tailored product development, and successful business model innovation.\n<\/div>\n<nav style=\"background:#f8f9fa;padding:1.5rem 2rem;border-radius:8px;margin-bottom:2rem;\">\n<strong style=\"font-size:1.1rem;\">Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol style=\"margin:0.75rem 0 0;padding-left:1.25rem;\">\n<li><a href=\"#definition\" style=\"text-decoration:none;color:#1a5276;\">What is Target Group Analysis? \u2013 Definition <\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#methoden\" style=\"text-decoration:none;color:#1a5276;\">Methods of Target Group Analysis<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#kriterien\" style=\"text-decoration:none;color:#1a5276;\">Segmentation Criteria<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#durchfuehrung\" style=\"text-decoration:none;color:#1a5276;\">Conducting Target Group Analysis: 6 Steps<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#tools\" style=\"text-decoration:none;color:#1a5276;\">Tools and Data Sources<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#innovation\" style=\"text-decoration:none;color:#1a5276;\">Target Group Analysis as an Innovation Driver<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#kmu\" style=\"text-decoration:none;color:#1a5276;\">Target Group Analysis for SMEs: Pragmatic and Effective<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\" style=\"text-decoration:none;color:#1a5276;\">Frequently Asked Questions about Target Group Analysis<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#verwandte-glossar-begriffe\" style=\"text-decoration:none;color:#1a5276;\">Related glossary terms<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<h2 id=\"definition\">What is Target Group Analysis? \u2013 Definition <\/h2>\n<p>Target group analysis is a strategic process aimed at identifying the most relevant customer segments for a company and understanding their needs, behaviors, and decision-making patterns. It answers the fundamental question: For whom are we actually creating value? <\/p>\n<p>In the context of <a href=\"\/glossar\/geschaeftsmodell-innovation\/\" style=\"color:#1a5276;text-decoration:none;\">business model innovation<\/a>, target audience analysis goes beyond traditional marketing. It identifies not only who buys, but why\u2014often uncovering untapped customer segments that open up new business opportunities. <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/jobs-to-be-done-jtbd\/\">Jobs-to-be-Done<\/a> interviews systematically explore the &#8220;why&#8221; behind purchasing behavior.  <\/p>\n<p>For the <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/business-model-canvas\/\">Business Model Canvas<\/a>, target group analysis provides the basis for customer segments and the <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/value-proposition\/\">Value Proposition<\/a> \u2013 two of the most important building blocks of any business model.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"methoden\">Methods of Target Group Analysis<\/h2>\n<table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:1rem 0;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background:#f1f5f9;\">\n<th style=\"padding:0.75rem;text-align:left;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Method<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding:0.75rem;text-align:left;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Approach<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding:0.75rem;text-align:left;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Suitable for<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/buyer-persona\/\">Buyer Personas<\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Detailed, fictional customer profiles<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Marketing, content, sales<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/jobs-to-be-done-jtbd\/\">Jobs-to-be-Done<\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Customer needs defined as &#8220;jobs&#8221;<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Product development, innovation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Market segmentation<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Divide total market into homogeneous groups<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/go-to-market-strategy\/\">Go-to-market<\/a>, strategy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/customer-journey\/\">Customer Journey<\/a> Mapping<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Analyze customer journey in phases<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">UX, service design<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Data analysis<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Evaluate CRM and analytics data<\/td>\n<td style=\"padding:0.75rem;border:1px solid #e2e8f0;\">Existing customer analysis, optimization<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 id=\"kriterien\">Segmentation Criteria<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Demographic:<\/strong> Age, gender, income, education, occupation, marital status, company size (B2B)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Geographic:<\/strong> Region, city\/country, federal state \u2013 often crucial for Austrian SMEs<\/p>\n<p><strong>Psychographic:<\/strong> Values, attitudes, lifestyle, personality traits, willingness to innovate<\/p>\n<p><strong>Behavioral:<\/strong> Purchasing behavior, usage intensity, brand loyalty, price sensitivity, information sources<\/p>\n<p><strong>B2B-specific:<\/strong> Industry, company size, decision-making process, buying center, <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/digital-maturity\/\">digital maturity<\/a>, willingness to innovate<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"durchfuehrung\">Conducting Target Group Analysis: 6 Steps<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Existing Customer Analysis:<\/strong> Who are your best customers? Analyze CRM data, sales distribution, industry mix <\/li>\n<li><strong>Qualitative Interviews:<\/strong> 10\u201315 in-depth interviews with customers and non-customers. <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/jobs-to-be-done-jtbd\/\">JTBD<\/a> methodology for insights beyond demographics<\/li>\n<li><strong>Quantitative Validation:<\/strong> Quantitatively validate insights from interviews via online surveys<\/li>\n<li><strong>Segmentation:<\/strong> Cluster customers into homogeneous groups based on the most relevant criteria<\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/buyer-persona\/\">Persona<\/a> Creation:<\/strong> Develop detailed buyer personas for the 2\u20134 most important segments<\/li>\n<li><strong>Prioritization:<\/strong> Prioritize segments based on market potential, strategic fit, and accessibility \u2013 the basis for <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/brand-positioning\/\">positioning<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/go-to-market-strategy\/\">Go-to-Market Strategy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 id=\"tools\">Tools and Data Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>CRM Systems:<\/strong> Analyze existing customer data \u2013 purchase history, segmentation, CLV (Customer Lifetime Value)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Web Analytics:<\/strong> Google Analytics, Hotjar, Search Console \u2013 understand the target group&#8217;s digital behavior<\/li>\n<li><strong>Social Media Analytics:<\/strong> Platform insights into follower demographics and interaction patterns<\/li>\n<li><strong>Market Research:<\/strong> Statistics Austria, WKO industry reports, Eurostat \u2013 market data for segmentation<\/li>\n<li><strong>Survey Tools:<\/strong> Typeform, SurveyMonkey \u2013 for quantitative target group surveys<\/li>\n<li><strong>AI-powered Tools:<\/strong> <a href=\"\/glossar\/ki-strategie-unternehmen\/\" style=\"color:#1a5276;text-decoration:none;\">AI-based<\/a> analytics for automatic customer segmentation and behavior prediction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"innovation\">Target Group Analysis as an Innovation Driver<\/h2>\n<p>Target group analysis is more than a marketing foundation \u2013 it is an innovation engine:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Discover Non-Customers:<\/strong> Who isn&#8217;t using your industry \u2013 and why? This analysis is central to <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/blue-ocean-strategy\/\">Blue Ocean Strategy<\/a> <\/li>\n<li><strong>Find Unmet Needs:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/jobs-to-be-done-jtbd\/\">JTBD<\/a> analyses reveal innovation opportunities that quantitative market research overlooks<\/li>\n<li><strong>Validate Business Models:<\/strong> Without target group understanding, there is no <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/product-market-fit\/\">Product-Market Fit<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/competitive-analysis\/\">Build Competitive Advantages:<\/a><\/strong> Whoever best understands their target group can formulate the strongest <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/usp-unique-selling-proposition\/\">USP<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"kmu\">Target Group Analysis for SMEs: Pragmatic and Effective<\/h2>\n<p>SMEs don&#8217;t need expensive market research studies for effective target group analysis:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Evaluate CRM Data:<\/strong> You already have your most valuable data \u2013 identify top customers and recognize patterns<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conduct 5 Customer Interviews:<\/strong> 45 minutes per conversation, semi-structured \u2013 you&#8217;ll be surprised how much you learn<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create 2\u20133 Personas:<\/strong> Not perfect, but vivid and usable for the entire team<\/li>\n<li><strong>Discuss as a Team:<\/strong> Sales, service, and marketing have different customer perspectives \u2013 involve everyone<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/innovation-consulting\/\">Innovation consulting<\/a> can moderate the process and bring in external perspectives.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:linear-gradient(135deg,#1e3a5f,#2563eb);color:#fff;padding:2rem;border-radius:12px;margin:2rem 0;text-align:center;\">\n<h3 style=\"color:#fff;margin-top:0;\">Understand and Reach Your Target Groups<\/h3>\n<p style=\"font-size:1.1rem;\">We help you systematically analyze your target groups and derive effective marketing and innovation strategies from them.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/business-model-innovation-services\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;background:#fff;color:#1e3a5f;padding:0.75rem 2rem;border-radius:8px;text-decoration:none;font-weight:600;margin-top:0.5rem;\">Book a Target Group Workshop now \u2192<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/FAQPage\">\n<h2 id=\"faq\">Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<\/h2>\n<details itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" style=\"background:#eaecee;border-radius:8px;margin-bottom:0.75rem;overflow:hidden;\">\n<summary itemprop=\"name\" style=\"padding:1rem 1.2rem;font-weight:600;cursor:pointer;color:#2c3e50;\">How often should a target group analysis be conducted?<\/summary>\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\" style=\"padding:0 1.2rem 1rem;color:#2c3e50;\">\n<div itemprop=\"text\" style=\"margin-top:0.75rem;\">\n<p>A comprehensive target group analysis is recommended every 1\u20132 years or when significant market changes occur. Additionally, customer data from CRM, analytics, and feedback should be continuously evaluated to identify changes in customer behavior early on. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" style=\"background:#eaecee;border-radius:8px;margin-bottom:0.75rem;overflow:hidden;\">\n<summary itemprop=\"name\" style=\"padding:1rem 1.2rem;font-weight:600;cursor:pointer;color:#2c3e50;\">What is the difference between a target group and a buyer persona?<\/summary>\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\" style=\"padding:0 1.2rem 1rem;color:#2c3e50;\">\n<div itemprop=\"text\" style=\"margin-top:0.75rem;\">\n<p>A target audience is a broadly defined market segment (e.g., &#8220;SME managing directors in Austria&#8221;). A <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/buyer-persona\/\">buyer persona<\/a> is a concrete, detailed profile of a fictional person within this target audience (e.g., &#8220;Maria, 42, managing director of a 30-person mechanical engineering SME in Upper Austria&#8221;). Personas make the target audience tangible and actionable.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" style=\"background:#eaecee;border-radius:8px;margin-bottom:0.75rem;overflow:hidden;\">\n<summary itemprop=\"name\" style=\"padding:1rem 1.2rem;font-weight:600;cursor:pointer;color:#2c3e50;\">How do I find my target group as a startup?<\/summary>\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\" style=\"padding:0 1.2rem 1rem;color:#2c3e50;\">\n<div itemprop=\"text\" style=\"margin-top:0.75rem;\">\n<p>Start with a hypothesis: Who has the problem you are solving? Validate through conversations with potential customers (customer development). Begin with the narrowest possible segment\u2014&#8221;all SMEs&#8221; is not a target audience. Use <a href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/lean-startup\/\">Lean Startup<\/a> methodology to progressively identify the optimal customer focus.   <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"mainEntity\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Question\" style=\"background:#eaecee;border-radius:8px;margin-bottom:0.75rem;overflow:hidden;\">\n<summary itemprop=\"name\" style=\"padding:1rem 1.2rem;font-weight:600;cursor:pointer;color:#2c3e50;\">How many target groups should an SME have?<\/summary>\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemprop=\"acceptedAnswer\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Answer\" style=\"padding:0 1.2rem 1rem;color:#2c3e50;\">\n<div itemprop=\"text\" style=\"margin-top:0.75rem;\">\n<p>For SMEs, 2\u20134 clearly defined target groups are recommended. Less is often more: It&#8217;s better to serve 2 segments excellently than 5 mediocrely. Each target group should be large enough for economic growth, clearly distinguishable from each other, and reachable through relevant channels.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details style=\"background:#eaecee;border-radius:8px;padding:0;margin-bottom:0.75rem;\">\n<summary style=\"padding:1rem 1.2rem;font-weight:600;cursor:pointer;color:#2c3e50;list-style:none;\">What is the ideal target audience size for an SME?<\/summary>\n<div style=\"padding:0 1.2rem 1rem 1.2rem;\">A focused target audience of 10,000-100,000 potential customers is often ideal for SMEs, depending on average deal size and sales capacity. A narrower focus allows deeper expertise and more effective marketing with limited budgets. Many successful SMEs dominate small niches rather than competing weakly in large markets. Calculate backwards from your revenue goals \u2013 if you need 100 customers and can convert 2% of those you reach, you need an addressable market of at least 5,000 prospects.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Related Terms<\/h2>\n<div style=\"display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:0.5rem;margin-top:0.5rem;\">\n<a style=\"display:inline-block;background:white;border:1px solid #d5d8dc;border-radius:20px;padding:0.4rem 1rem;margin:0.3rem;color:#1a5276;text-decoration:none;font-size:0.95em;\" href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/innovation-management\/\">Innovation Management<\/a><br \/>\n<a style=\"display:inline-block;background:white;border:1px solid #d5d8dc;border-radius:20px;padding:0.4rem 1rem;margin:0.3rem;color:#1a5276;text-decoration:none;font-size:0.95em;\" href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/design-thinking\/\">Design Thinking<\/a><br \/>\n<a style=\"display:inline-block;background:white;border:1px solid #d5d8dc;border-radius:20px;padding:0.4rem 1rem;margin:0.3rem;color:#1a5276;text-decoration:none;font-size:0.95em;\" href=\"\/en\/glossary\/business-model-innovation\/\">Business Model Innovation<\/a><br \/>\n<a style=\"display:inline-block;background:white;border:1px solid #d5d8dc;border-radius:20px;padding:0.4rem 1rem;margin:0.3rem;color:#1a5276;text-decoration:none;font-size:0.95em;\" href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/digital-transformation\/\">Digital Transformation<\/a><br \/>\n<a style=\"display:inline-block;background:white;border:1px solid #d5d8dc;border-radius:20px;padding:0.4rem 1rem;margin:0.3rem;color:#1a5276;text-decoration:none;font-size:0.95em;\" href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/lean-startup\/\">Lean Startup<\/a><br \/>\n<a style=\"display:inline-block;background:white;border:1px solid #d5d8dc;border-radius:20px;padding:0.4rem 1rem;margin:0.3rem;color:#1a5276;text-decoration:none;font-size:0.95em;\" href=\"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/glossary\/change-management\/\">Change Management<\/a>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a nutshell: Target group analysis is the systematic process by which companies identify, segment, and understand their existing and potential customers based on demographic, psychographic, and behavioral characteristics. It&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24529,"parent":25140,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-25669","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Point-of-New-Business-Model-Innovation-Benedikt-Hasibeder-scaled.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25669"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25669\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28070,"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25669\/revisions\/28070"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pointofnew.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}