What is the Difference Between Target Audience and Persona

The main difference between target audience and persona is that a target persona is more focused and detail-specific than a target audience

A target audience is a specific group of people with shared characteristics having a great propensity to buying a certain product or service. A target persona, on the other hand, is a research-based profile depicting a target customer. Therefore, a target audience looks at a group of consumers while e target persona looks at a specific customer.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Target Audience 
      – Definition, Features
2. What is Target Persona
     – Definition, Features
3. Difference Between Target Audience and Persona
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Audience Persona, Target Audience, Target PersonaDifference Between Target Audience and Persona - Comparison Summary

What is Target Audience

A target audience is a specific group of people with shared characteristics who show a great propensity to buying a certain product or service. In other words, they are a certain social segment that is more likely to be interested in your products or services. The target audience serves as a snapshot of your client base. Identifying the target audience of a product or service helps product research, as well as marketing and sales activities.

Main Difference - Target Audience vs Persona

You can break the parameters of your target audience into several types of information:

Demographic: age, gender, marital status, socio-economic background (for example, 18-25, female, single)

Psychographic: values, attitudes, personality (for example, extrovert, highly opinionated about politics)

Behavioral: patterns, benefits, behaviors (for example, interested in history, reading, likes sports, etc.)

Geographic: location (for example, currently living in New York, originally from Texas)

All these details may not be relevant for targeting purposes. This would depend on your targeting activities as well as your product and service. To determine the details about your target audience, you have to conduct surveys and research studies and observing your competitor’s customers. The main thing you have to do is collect the most important attributes shared by your target customers. You can also have more than one target audience; for example, target the audience you currently have and the one for the customers you’d like to attract.

What is Target Persona

A target persona or an audience persona is a character profile defined within your target audiences. The Target persona may have similar details to your target audience. But it will include more in-depth details about lifestyle, behavior, and specific needs of individuals.Difference Between Target Audience and Persona

To build an accurate target persona, you will need to research and answer the questions like what is their background? what are their goals, challenges, and interests? what do they fear? who or what influences their decisions?  what is their main source of information when making decisions?

An audience persona is much more focused than a target audience. For example, the target audience looks at a group of people while the audience persona zooms in to look at specific members in that group. These zoomed-in profiles are archetypes of individual customers. They can provide you with insights into customers’ buying process. They can also help you determine how to market to each type of person most effectively.

Difference Between Target Audience and Persona

Definition

A target audience is a specific group of people with shared characteristics who show a great propensity to buying a certain product or service. A target persona, on the other hand, is a research-based profile depicting a target customer.

Nature

The target persona is more focused and detail-specific than the target audience. 

Costumers

Moreover, the target audience involves a group of customers while the target persona involves a specific customer.

Conclusion

The main difference between target audience and persona is that the target persona is more focused and detail-specific than a target audience. Therefore, the target audience looks at a group of consumers while the target persona looks at a specific customer.

Image Courtesy:

1. “152746” (CC0) via Pixabay
2. “4785076” (CC0) via Pixabay

About the Author: Hasa

Hasanthi is a seasoned content writer and editor with over 8 years of experience. Armed with a BA degree in English and a knack for digital marketing, she explores her passions for literature, history, culture, and food through her engaging and informative writing.

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