Should Your Startup Tech Company Target a Deep or Wide Audience?

Is it better to target a deep audience, or a wide one?

One of the first decisions startup tech entrepreneurs need to make is who their target audience is going to be. These are the people who will (hopefully) be buying your products, and making it possible for your company to grow.

But before you dig into specifics here, there’s one broad distinction you should get straight. Is your company better suited to target a wide audience, or a deep one?

The Wide Audience

By targeting a wide audience, you’ll be casting a wide net. Typically, startups that target wide audiences focus on quantity over quality; they want as many people as possible to see their product. The advantage here is the sheer volume of people you’ll be exposed to. If your product has a wide appeal, to multiple demographics, this can be advantageous.

The drawback here is that you’ll probably see a much lower conversion rate, a much lower rate of customer retention, or both. You’ll also need to spend more money on marketing and advertising to sustain that level of exposure, especially over a period of years.

The Deep Audience

The counterpart to the wide audience is the deep audience. Here, you’re not focused on numbers; instead, you’re focused on defining a highly targeted type of person. You’ll need to consider lots of different variables here, including demographic information and behavioral traits. As a result, you’ll wind up with a much smaller number of potential customers—but each of those customers will be far more relevant to your brand.

Because you’re focusing on such a specific demographic, you’ll face much less competition, and will spend less in marketing and advertising. However, your growth trajectory may be more limited.

Finding Your Answer

Once you’ve decided between these two broad categories, you can spend more time digging into the specific demographic makeup of your audience. And from there, you can start building your business. If you need help deciding who to target, or what to do once you have a target audience in mind, reach out to me directly—I have years of consulting experience and can make sure your startup gets started right.

About the Author

Jose Vasquez is a serial entrepreneur and tech specialist dedicated to helping startup tech companies grow and succeed. As the founder of Build. Brand. Blast., Jose has worked with dozens of enterprises to find direction, gain momentum, and achieve results.