Who is my target audience?
Who is My Target Audience? Identifying and Connecting with Gen Z for Environmental Education
Learn how to identify and connect with your target audience to effectively market your environmental education content. Discover the power of Gen Z as a key demographic and how to tailor your messaging to inspire individual action and drive positive change.
Understanding your target audience is crucial for successful marketing. While it may be tempting to reach out to everyone, it's essential to focus on a specific group that resonates with your message. In this article, we explore the process of identifying your ideal audience and highlight the significance of connecting with Gen Z, the generation poised to make a significant impact on the planet. Discover how you can tailor your content and communication strategies to inspire action and foster environmental consciousness.
Embracing the Power of a Niche Audience:
The realization that not everyone can benefit from your content or share the same level of interest.
One of the most important pillars of a successful business is knowing how to market to your target audience. I struggled with figuring out who my ideal client is because I want everyone in the world from all backgrounds to be able to find value in environmental education. But the truth is, you can’t serve everybody. Not everyone can benefit from the information I have to share, and not everyone cares. As much as I would love to walk down every street in America with a bullhorn and posters of emaciated polar bears, most people are too busy worrying about their own lives that what I have to say is inconsequential to their wellbeing.
Explore the importance of defining a specific target audience that aligns with your goals.
However, as a marketer and communicator, it has to be on the forefront of my mind how to pinpoint exactly who my ideal audience is. Am I speaking to conservationists? Maybe, maybe not. Am I speaking to people on the opposite side of the political spectrum that don’t believe in climate change? Once a belief becomes part of one’s personal identity, it’s hard to change someone’s mind. The concept of who I was creating content for eluded me.
Recognize the limitations of broad messaging and the benefits of focusing on a niche audience.
Your initial followers, who resonate strongly with your message, will provide the strongest support and engagement, ultimately driving the success of your business.
Discovering Your Target Audience:
A Personal Journey
A personal anecdote about connecting with my little sister, a Gen Z teenager.
I was having breakfast with my little sister the other day. She’s a decade younger than me and we’ve spent the past 17 years estranged from each other. As we build our relationship and learn about each other, I have to be a safe space for her and I get to learn so much about her experience as a Gen Z teenager. When the bill came around and the waitress took our plates I snagged the last two slices of bacon off her plate. I despise food waste. Even though I’ve been vegetarian for the majority of the last three years, I’ll sacrifice my gut health to make sure that the food on our plates (especially the meat from which an animal gave their life to feed us) does not go to waste. I asked why she didn’t want her bacon and she replied that she’s transitioning to become a vegetarian. I asked her what motivated this change and her response took me by surprise.
“Do you have any idea how bad consuming meat is for the planet?”
Yes. Yes I do.
But I had no idea that she knew how bad it was.
The topic was inspired by a piece of bacon, but she felt adamant about never eating fish. We specifically started talking about commercial versus farmed fishing methods and the damage overfishing does to ecosystems as well as the collateral damage caused down the line with animals (including humans) that rely on healthy oceans. I didn’t want to steal her spotlight in the conversation but I wanted to tell her all about my experience working with artisanal fishermen in Mexico and the team at Blue Turtle Sustainable working to tackle this problem in the Pacific. Yes, I knew exactly how bad overfishing was to the planet. I’d seen it firsthand, studied its effects on communities and coastal habitats, and invested half a year of my life documenting the individuals fighting against commercial fishing operations.
I switched my career path from veterinary medicine to conservation biology after watching a documentary on the death of coral reefs.
Then it hit me: my little sister is my target audience.
Highlighting the value of learning from younger generations and their unique experiences.
There’s something about Gen Z that I love. Maybe it’s the ease of access to globalized information that allows people her age to get an education in things that I had to go through the university system to understand. Maybe climate change and environmental science are topics taught in school that are now so commonplace and widely accepted as truth, whereas the jury was still out when I was her age. I grew up right at the birth of social movements like Black Lives Matter and PRIDE. I grew up in a town that was heavily influenced by the generation above me that preached white cis-gendered heteronormative societies built around fundamentalist christian opinions about marriage and race and climbing the corporate ladder. I formed my own opinions about all these things, but for her, society raised her to be more open and accepting of everybody and to fight for the health of our planet. Regardless, it’s obvious that her fears for the future are ever present in her mind and she’s eager to understand how she can do her part to mitigate the fallout of climate change that she and I will both have to face in our lifetime.
Understanding the factors that motivate Gen Z to engage with environmental issues and seek positive change.
So, for now she is choosing to reduce her meat consumption in order to shrink her carbon footprint and I am choosing to write stories about people like her in order to inspire more individual action. I am writing to people like her who want to understand how they can make a change. I am making videos and taking photos of my experiences working in environmental science because my sister’s generation has fully embraced visual media as the predominant form of communication. It’s her generation that will have the most influence on the planet. It’s her generation that will make the most change because they have the most to lose.
Gen Z as a Target Audience:
Understanding Their Influence
Exploring the characteristics of Gen Z, such as their access to globalized information and environmental awareness.
Growing up in the digital age has equipped them with a wealth of knowledge and resources, making it easier for them to educate themselves about environmental issues and take action for a more sustainable future. Social media and visual arts play a vital role in influencing positive change among Gen Z. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube provide spaces for young individuals to share information, raise awareness, and mobilize others towards environmental causes. Engaging visual content, such as compelling videos and captivating photography, not only captures their attention but also effectively communicates complex environmental issues in a relatable and impactful way, inspiring them to take meaningful action for a more sustainable future. By harnessing the power of social media and visual arts, environmental advocates can leverage Gen Z's innate connection to digital platforms to drive significant positive change on a global scale.
Comparing societal influences experienced by different generations and their impact on the environmental landscape.
Older generations may have encountered societal norms that were less focused on environmental concerns, while younger generations, like Gen Z, have grown up with a greater emphasis on sustainability and environmental awareness. Understanding these generational differences allows us to appreciate the shifting values and priorities surrounding environmental issues and adapt our messaging and approaches accordingly to foster greater environmental consciousness across all generations.
Recognizing the fears and concerns Gen Z harbors for the future and their determination to mitigate climate change.
This generation recognizes the urgency of the environmental crisis and displays an unwavering determination to take action and mitigate the effects of climate change. Their resolute commitment to sustainable practices and advocacy reflects their genuine desire to create a better, more sustainable world for themselves and future generations. Gen Z faces the harsh reality of a future with limited finite resources and an uncertain political landscape that often clings to outdated ideologies, posing significant threats to their future. With a firsthand understanding of the environmental challenges ahead and the potential consequences of inaction, Gen Z is fueled by a sense of urgency to drive systemic change and demand sustainable practices from industries and governments to secure a livable planet for themselves and future generations.
Crafting Content for Gen Z:
Tailoring Your Message
The importance of adapting content to suit Gen Z's preferences and communication styles.
By understanding their digital habits, preference for visual media, and preference for concise and interactive content, businesses can create relevant and impactful messages that resonate with Gen Z. Businesses can foster meaningful connections with their Gen Z audience by leveraging social media platforms and engaging in authentic conversations. By actively listening to their feedback, addressing their concerns, and involving them in decision-making processes, businesses can establish a sense of community and co-creation, building trust and loyalty among Gen Z customers who feel valued and heard. This fosters long-term connections and creates a positive impact on both the audience and the success of the environmental initiatives pursued.
Embracing visual media as a primary means of engaging with Gen Z.
Visual media can amplify marginalized voices, showcase diverse perspectives, and highlight the interconnectedness of environmental and social issues, fostering empathy and understanding among viewers. Additionally, the globalized nature of visual media means that anyone with internet access and the freedom to explore this information can be exposed to narratives that inspire positive behavior change, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries to create a collective movement towards a more just and sustainable future.
Looking Back:
Reflecting on Your Younger Self
Think about your own past and identify your younger selves' needs and desires.
So when it comes time for you to pinpoint who your target audience is, try picturing yourself 10 years ago. Before you had the product or service you offer, who were you? What did your younger self want? How can you best serve the version of yourself that needs what your business offers? Start there, and allow yourself the freedom to expand on that idea.
Recognize the potential for serving others who share similar aspirations and struggles.
When I write, I write to her. When I imagine her watching my videos and listening to my podcasts I tailor my content toward her getting the most out of it. Not only that, but I get to educate in a way that I wish I had access to when I was her age. Environmental education needs to be as accessible as possible.
Embrace the growth and expansion of ideas based on the target audience's needs and expectations.
Your target audience will always guide you in the right direction for your business. Luckily, you get to decide who that will be.
