When it comes to marketing, almost nothing is more important than knowing your target audience.

But what if I told you over half of marketers are missing critical information on their consumers?

In our annual survey of over 1,200 marketers, we found that just 42% know the basic demographic information of their target audience, like their name, gender, and location.

And, the data gap doesn’t stop there:

Less than half of marketers know their audience’s interests and hobbies, shopping habits, the products they are interested in buying, their purchase history, and where they consume content.

Only 31% know the online communities their target audience is a part of and even less know the challenges they are facing.
Just one-fourth of marketers know the social causes their target audience cares about – a huge missed opportunity when it comes to expressing your brand’s values, especially when marketing to Gen Z and Millennials.

So why are marketers having such a hard time getting these data points?

Let’s take a look at the biggest challenges marketers face in getting the data they need and discuss some solutions to the disconnection marketers are seeing with their audience.

The Biggest Challenges Marketers Face in Understanding Their Target Audience

A whopping 82% of marketers say having high-quality data on their target audience is important to succeeding in their role – but more than half of them say they’re missing key information.

So why is it such a challenge for marketers to get the data they need?

The biggest challenges marketers face in understanding their target boil down to two main issues:

1. New Data Privacy Measures

Data privacy regulations are reducing marketers’ access to the consumer data they need. At the same time, consumers are less trusting in sharing their personal data.

This results in marketers missing out on critical data on their target audience, from their shopping and media consumption habits to their basic demographic information.

2. Evolving Audience Targets

Consumers’ lives have changed drastically over the past few years, and with a looming recession, their habits, attitudes, and preferences are likely to continue shifting quickly.

The two challenges above are difficult to overcome because they’re actively developing as data privacy regulations tighten and unprecedented events that change consumer behavior continue.

So, what can marketers do now?

How Can Marketers Improve Their Data Strategy?

1. Gather First-Party Data

A great solution to increased data privacy regulations like Google’s planned phase-out of third-party cookies is gathering your own first-party data.

First-party data can be collected from many sources – your website, surveys, email, SMS, your CRM, and more.

Since first-party data comes directly from your customers, it offers high-quality insights about your audience and allows you to create a personalized experience for them.