What are thyroid tests? How do they work? What do the different test results mean? Get answers to these questions and more in this informative article.

Unraveling the Thyroid: An Overview of Its Role and Function

The thyroid gland is a small, butterfly-shaped organ located in the front of the neck. Despite its small size, it plays a crucial role in regulating the body’s metabolism, energy production, and overall well-being. This gland produces hormones that control various bodily functions, including breathing, heart rate, weight, digestion, and mood.

Understanding Thyroid Tests: The Basics

Thyroid tests are essential for evaluating the health and function of the thyroid gland. These tests can be used to diagnose and manage a wide range of thyroid disorders, such as hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). The most common thyroid tests include:

TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) Test

The TSH test is usually the first step in evaluating thyroid function. It measures the level of thyroid-stimulating hormone, which is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain. This hormone signals the thyroid gland to produce and release its own hormones, T3 and T4.

T3 and T4 Tests

T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine) are the two main thyroid hormones. These tests measure the levels of these hormones in the blood, providing insights into the thyroid’s activity and hormone production.

Thyroid Antibody Tests

Thyroid antibody tests, such as the thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody test and the thyroglobulin (Tg) antibody test, measure the presence of specific antibodies that may indicate an autoimmune thyroid disorder, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Graves’ disease.

Interpreting Thyroid Test Results: What Do They Mean?

Interpreting thyroid test results can be complex, as the normal ranges for each test can vary depending on the individual, their age, and other factors. However, some general guidelines can help you understand what the results mean:

TSH Levels

A high TSH level may indicate hypothyroidism, while a low TSH level may suggest hyperthyroidism. Normal TSH levels typically range from 0.4 to 4.0 mIU/L, but the optimal range can vary.

T3 and T4 Levels

High levels of T3 and T4 can indicate hyperthyroidism, while low levels may point to hypothyroidism. Normal ranges for these hormones also vary, so it’s important to discuss the results with your healthcare provider.

Thyroid Antibody Levels

Elevated thyroid antibody levels can help diagnose autoimmune thyroid disorders, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Graves’ disease. However, the presence of these antibodies doesn’t necessarily mean you have a thyroid condition.

Imaging Tests for the Thyroid

In addition to blood tests, healthcare providers may also order imaging tests to evaluate the thyroid gland’s structure and function. These tests include:

Thyroid Ultrasound

A thyroid ultrasound uses sound waves to create a detailed image of the thyroid gland, allowing the healthcare provider to assess its size, shape, and any potential nodules or other abnormalities.

Thyroid Scan

A thyroid scan uses a small amount of radioactive material to create an image of the thyroid gland, which can help identify the cause of thyroid dysfunction, such as Graves’ disease or thyroid nodules.

Radioactive Iodine Uptake Test

This test measures how much radioactive iodine the thyroid gland absorbs, which can provide information about the gland’s function and the potential cause of a thyroid disorder.

Factors That Can Influence Thyroid Test Results

It’s important to note that various factors can affect thyroid test results, including:

• Medications (both prescription and over-the-counter)
• Certain medical conditions (e.g., pregnancy, kidney or liver disease)
• Age and gender
• Timing of the blood draw (e.g., fasting vs. non-fasting)

Therefore, it’s crucial to discuss any relevant medical history and medication use with your healthcare provider when interpreting your thyroid test results.

When to Get Thyroid Tests

Thyroid tests may be ordered for a variety of reasons, including:

• Screening for thyroid disorders, especially in individuals with a family history or at risk for thyroid problems
• Investigating symptoms of a thyroid disorder, such as fatigue, weight changes, or mood changes
• Monitoring the treatment of a known thyroid condition
• Evaluating thyroid function during pregnancy or while taking certain medications

Your healthcare provider will determine the appropriate thyroid tests and frequency based on your individual health needs and any specific concerns.

Conclusion

Thyroid tests play a crucial role in diagnosing and managing a wide range of thyroid disorders. Understanding the different types of thyroid tests, their purpose, and how to interpret the results can help you work closely with your healthcare provider to ensure your thyroid health is optimized. Remember, regular check-ups and open communication with your provider are key to maintaining a healthy thyroid and overall well-being.

Thyroid Tests: MedlinePlus

Also called: Thyroid panel

Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. It makes hormones that control the way the body uses energy. These hormones affect nearly every organ in your body and control many of your body’s most important functions. For example, they affect your breathing, heart rate, weight, digestion, and moods.

Thyroid tests check how well your thyroid is working. They are also used to diagnose and help find the cause of thyroid diseases such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Thyroid tests include blood tests and imaging tests.

Blood tests for your thyroid include:

• TSH. It measures thyroid-stimulating hormone. This is usually the first test your healthcare provider will order.
• T3 and T4.They measure the level of the different thyroid hormones in your blood.
• Thyroid antibodies test. It measures certain thyroid antibodies (markers in the blood). This test may help diagnose autoimmune thyroid disorders.

Imaging tests include:

• CT scans
• Ultrasound
• Nuclear medicine tests, including:
  • Thyroid scan. It uses small amounts of radioactive material to create a picture of the thyroid, showing its size, shape, and position. It can help find the cause of hyperthyroidism and check for thyroid nodules (lumps in the thyroid).
  • Radioactive iodine uptake test, or thyroid uptake test. It checks how well your thyroid is working and can help find the cause of hyperthyroidism.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• Calcitonin Test

  (National Library of Medicine)

  Also in Spanish

• Thyroid Antibodies

  (National Library of Medicine)

  Also in Spanish

• Thyroid Function Tests

  (American Thyroid Association)

  Also in Spanish

• Thyroid Scan and Uptake

  (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America)

  Also in Spanish

• Thyroid Tests

  (Nemours Foundation)

• Thyroid Tests

  (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

  Also in Spanish

• Thyroxine (T4) Test

  (National Library of Medicine)

  Also in Spanish

• Triiodothyronine (T3) Tests

  (National Library of Medicine)

  Also in Spanish

• TSH (Thyroid-stimulating hormone) test

  (National Library of Medicine)

  Also in Spanish

• Ultrasound – Thyroid

  (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America)

  Also in Spanish

• ClinicalTrials. gov: Thyroid Function Tests

  (National Institutes of Health)

• Article: Circulating free T3 associates longitudinally with cardio-metabolic risk factors in euthyroid. ..

• Article: Assessment of thyroid function tests in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary…

• Article: Laboratory policies and practices for thyroid function tests in Croatia: survey. ..

• Thyroid Tests — see more articles

Normal Thyroid Hormone Levels – Endocrine Surgery

What is thyroid hormone?

Thyroid hormone is made by the thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland normally located in the lower front of the neck. Thyroid hormone is released into the blood where it is carried to all the tissues in the body. It helps the body use energy, stay warm and keeps the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working as they should.

Thyroid hormone exists in two main forms: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). T4 is the primary form of thyroid hormone circulating in the blood (about 95%). To exert its effects, T4 is converted to T3 by the removal of an iodine atom; this occurs mainly in the liver and in certain tissues where T3 acts, such as in the brain. T3 normally accounts for about 5% of thyroid hormone circulating in the blood.

Most thyroid hormone in the blood is bound by protein, while only a small fraction is “free” to enter tissues and have a biologic effect. Thyroid tests may measure total (protein bound and free) or free hormone levels.

Production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland is controlled by the pituitary, another endocrine gland in the brain. The pituitary releases Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (abbreviated TSH) into the blood to stimulate the thyroid to make more thyroid hormone. The amount of TSH that the pituitary sends into the bloodstream depends on the amount of thyroid hormone in the body. Like a thermostat, if the pituitary senses low thyroid hormone, then it produces more TSH to tell the thyroid gland to produce more. Once the T4 in the bloodstream goes above a certain level, the pituitary’s production of TSH is shut off. In this way, the pituitary senses and controls thyroid gland production of thyroid hormone. Endocrinologists use a combination of thyroid hormone and TSH testing to understand thyroid hormone levels in the body.

What is a TSH test?

Thyroid tests
Blood tests to measure low or high TSH levels are readily available and widely used. Not all thyroid tests are useful in all situations.

TSH Test
The best way to initially test thyroid function is to measure the TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) level in a blood sample. Changes in TSH can serve as an “early warning system” — often occurring before the actual level of thyroid hormones in the body becomes too high or too low.

A high TSH level indicates that the thyroid gland is not making enough thyroid hormone (primary hypothyroidism). On the other hand, a low TSH level usually indicates that the thyroid is producing too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism). Occasionally, a low TSH may result from an abnormality in the pituitary gland, which prevents it from making enough TSH to stimulate the thyroid (central hypothyroidism). In most healthy individuals, a normal TSH value means that the thyroid is functioning properly.

What is a T4 test?

T4 Tests
A Total T4 test measures the bound and free thyroxine (T4) hormone in the blood. A Free T4 measures what is not bound and able to freely enter and affect the body tissues.

What does it mean if T4 levels are abnormal?
Importantly, Total T4 levels are affected by medications and medical conditions that change thyroid hormone binding proteins. Estrogen, oral contraceptive pills, pregnancy, liver disease, and hepatitis C virus infection are common causes of increased thyroid hormone binding proteins and will result in a high Total T4. Testosterone or androgens and anabolic steroids are common causes of decreased thyroid hormone binding proteins and will result in a low Total T4.

In some circumstances, like pregnancy, a person may have normal thyroid function but Total T4 levels outside of the normal reference range. Tests measuring free T4 – either a free T4 (FT4) or free T4 index (FTI) – may more accurately reflect how the thyroid gland is functioning in these circumstances. An endocrinologist can determine when thyroid disease is present in the context of abnormal thyroid binding proteins.

What is a T3 test?

T3 Tests
T3 tests measure triiodothyronine (T3) levels in the blood. A Total T3 test measures the bound and free fractions of triiodothyronine. Hyperthyroid patients typically have an elevated Total T3 level. T3 tests can be used to support a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism and can determine the severity.

In some thyroid diseases, the proportions of T3 and T4 in the blood change and can provide diagnostic information. A pattern of increased T3 vs T4 is characteristic of Graves’ disease. On the other hand, medications like steroids and amiodarone, and severe illness can decrease the amount of thyroid hormone the body converts from T4 to T3 (active form) resulting in a lower proportion of T3.

T3 levels fall late during hypothyroidism and therefore are not routinely used to evaluate patients with underactive or surgically absent thyroid glands.

Measurement of Free T3 is possible but is often not reliable and therefore may not be helpful.

What is a normal thyroid (hormone) level?

To assess thyroid hormone status for low or high TSH levels we use TSH and FT4 tests. The normal value for a laboratory test is determined by measuring the hormone in a large population of healthy individuals and finding the normal reference range. Normal ranges for thyroid tests may vary slightly among different laboratories, and typical ranges for common tests are given below.

TSH normal values are 0.5 to 5.0 mIU/L. Pregnancy, a history of thyroid cancer, history of pituitary gland disease, and older age are some situations when TSH is optimally maintained in a different range as guided by an endocrinologist.

FT4 normal values are 0.7 to 1.9ng/dL. Individuals taking medications that modify thyroid hormone metabolism and those with a history of thyroid cancer or pituitary disease may be optimally managed with a different normal FT4 range.

Total T4 and Total T3 levels measure bound and free thyroid hormone in the blood. These levels are influenced by many factors that affect protein levels in the body, including medications, sex hormones, and liver disease.
A normal Total T4 level in adults ranges from 5.0 to 12.0μg/dL.
A normal Total T3 level in adults ranges from 80-220 ng/dL.

Free T3 assays are often unreliable and not routinely used to assess thyroid function.

What does it mean if my thyroid levels are abnormal?

Patterns of thyroid tests associated with thyroid disease

Primary Hypothyroidism
A high TSH and low thyroid hormone level (e. g. low FT4) can indicate primary hypothyroidism. Primary hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland makes too little thyroid hormone. Symptoms of hypothyroidism can include feeling cold, constipation, weight gain, slowed thinking, and decreased energy.
Causes of primary hypothyroidism include:

• Autoimmune thyroid disease, including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
• Thyroid gland dysfunction due to a medication (e.g. amiodarone, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, or cancer immunotherapy)
• Removal of all or part of the thyroid gland
• Radiation injury to the thyroid (e.g. external beam radiation, radioactive iodine ablation treatment)
• Excess treatment with anti-thyroid medications (e.g. methimazole, propylthiouracil)

Early or mild hypothyroidism may present as a persistently high TSH and a normal FT4 hormone level. This pattern is called subclinical hypothyroidism and your doctor may recommend treatment. Over time, untreated subclinical hypothyroidism can contribute to heart disease.

It is important to remember that normal TSH levels in older individuals (ages 70 and above) are higher than the normal ranges for younger individuals.

Primary Hyperthyroidism
A low TSH and a high thyroid hormone level (e.g. high FT4) can indicate primary hyperthyroidism. Primary hyperthyroidism occurs when the thyroid gland makes or releases too much thyroid hormone. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism can include tremors, palpitations, restlessness, feeling too warm, frequent bowel movements, disrupted sleep, and unintentional weight loss.
Causes of primary hyperthyroidism include:

• Graves’ disease
• Toxic or autonomously functioning thyroid nodule
• Multinodular goiter
• Thyroid inflammation (called thyroiditis) early in the course of disease
• Thyroid gland dysfunction due to a medication (e.g. amiodarone or cancer immunotherapy)
• Excess thyroid hormone therapy

Early or mild hyperthyroidism may present as a persistently low TSH and a normal FT4 hormone level. This pattern is called subclinical hyperthyroidism and your doctor may recommend treatment. Over time, untreated subclinical hyperthyroidism can worsen osteoporosis and contribute to abnormal heart rhythms.

Thyroiditis
Thyroid inflammation, also called thyroiditis, causes injury to the thyroid gland and release of thyroid hormone. Individuals with thyroiditis usually have a brief period of hyperthyroidism (low TSH and high FT4 or Total T4) followed by development of hypothyroidism (high TSH and low FT4 or Total T4) or resolution.

Some forms of thyroiditis are transient, like post-partum thyroiditis or thyroiditis following an infection, and often resolve on their own without need for medication.

Other forms of thyroiditis, like thyroiditis resulting from cancer immunotherapy, interferon alpha, or tyrosine kinase inhibitors, usually result in permanent hypothyroidism and require long term treatment with thyroid hormone replacement.

Your endocrinologist will monitor your thyroid tests during thyroiditis and can help determine if you need short- and long-term medications to balance your thyroid function and control any symptoms.

Central Hypothyroidism
A low TSH and a low FT4 may indicate pituitary disease. Detection of central hypothyroidism should prompt your doctor to check for problems in other pituitary hormones, an underlying cause, and you may need imaging tests to look at the pituitary gland.

Central hypothyroidism is treated with thyroid hormone replacement. Importantly, adequacy of thyroid replacement in central hyperthyroidism is assessed with FT4 and Total T4 tests not TSH as in primary hyperthyroidism, and deficiency in stress hormone cortisol should be assessed before starting thyroid treatment to prevent an adrenal crisis. 

Causes of central hypothyroidism include pituitary gland disease, such as a pituitary mass or tumor, history of pituitary surgery or radiation, pituitary inflammation (called hypophysitis) resulting from autoimmune disease or cancer immunotherapy, and infiltrative diseases.

Rare causes of abnormal thyroid function
Thyroid hormone resistance
Iodine induced hyperthyroidism
TSH-secreting tumor (TSH-oma)
Germ cell tumors
Trophoblastic disease
Infiltrative diseases, such as systemic scleroderma, hemochromatosis, or amyloidosis.

When abnormal thyroid function tests are not due to thyroid disease

While blood tests to measure thyroid hormones and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) are widely available, it is important to remember that not all tests are useful in all circumstances and many factors including medications, supplements, and non-thyroid medical conditions can affect thyroid test results. An endocrinologist can help you make sense of thyroid test results when there is a discrepancy between your results and how you feel. A good first step is often to repeat the test and ensure there are no medications that might interfere with the test results. Below are some common reasons for mismatch between thyroid tests and thyroid disease.

Non-thyroidal illness
Significant illness, such as an infection, cancer, heart failure, or kidney disease, or recent recovery from an illness can cause transient changes in the TSH. Fasting or starvation can also cause a low TSH. An endocrinologist can help to interpret changes in thyroid function tests in these circumstances to distinguish non-thyroid illness from true thyroid dysfunction.

Test interference
Biotin, a common supplement for hair and nail growth, interferes with many thyroid function tests and can lead to inaccurate results. Endocrinologists recommend stopping biotin supplements for 3 days before having a blood test for thyroid function.

Individuals who have exposure to mice, like laboratory researchers and veterinarians, may develop antibodies against mouse proteins in their blood. These antibodies cross react with reagents in multiple thyroid function tests and cause unpredictable results. A specialized assay can accurately measure thyroid hormone levels and TSH in this circumstance.

I don’t feel well, but my thyroid tests are normal

Thyroid blood tests are generally accurate and reliable. If you do not have low or high TSH levels and your thyroid tests are normal, your symptoms may not be related to thyroid disease, and you may want to seek additional evaluation with your primary care physician.

How is hypothyroidism treated?

What is thyroid medication?

Thyroid Hormone Treatment
Levothyroxine is the standard of care in thyroid hormone replacement therapy and treatment of hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine (also called LT4) is equivalent to the T4 form of naturally occurring thyroid hormone and is available in generic and brand name forms.

How do I take levothyroxine?
To optimize absorption of your thyroid medication, it should be taken with water at a regular time each day. Multiple medications and supplements decrease absorption of thyroid hormone and should be taken 3–4 hours apart, including calcium and iron supplements, proton pump inhibitors, soy, and multivitamins with minerals. Because of the way levothyroxine is metabolized by the body, your doctor may ask you to take an extra pill or skip a pill on some days of the week. This helps us to fine tune your medication dose for your body and should be guided by an endocrinologist.

For patients with celiac disease (autoimmune disease against gluten) or gluten sensitivity, a gluten free formulation of levothyroxine is available. Some individuals may have genetic variant that affects how the body converts T4 to T3 and these individuals may benefit from the addition of a small dose of triiodothyronine.

Liothyronine is replacement T3 (triiodothyronine) thyroid hormone. This medication has a short half-life and is taken twice per day or in combination with levothyroxine. Liothyronine alone is not used for treatment of hypothyroidism long term.

Other formulations of thyroid hormone replacement include natural or desiccated thyroid hormone extracts from animal sources. Natural or desiccated thyroid extract preparations have greater variability in the dose of thyroid hormone between batches and imbalanced ratios if T4 vs T3. Natural or animal sources of thyroid hormone typically contain 75% T4 and 25% T3, compared to the normal human balance of 95% T4 and 5% T3. Treatment with a correct balance of T4 and T3 is important to replicate normal thyroid function and prevent adverse effects of excess T3, including osteoporosis, heart problems, and mood and sleep disturbance. An endocrinologist can evaluate symptoms and thyroid tests to help balance thyroid hormone medications.

How do I know if my thyroid dose is correct?

Monitoring thyroid levels on medication
Correct dosing of thyroid hormone is usually assessed using the same tests for diagnosis of thyroid disease, including TSH and FT4. Thyroid tests are typically checked every 4-6 weeks initially and then every 6 to 12 months once stable. In special circumstances, such as pregnancy, a history of thyroid cancer, central hypothyroidism, amiodarone therapy, or use of combination T4 and T3 thyroid hormone replacement, your endocrinologist may check different thyroid tests. Additionally, your endocrinologist will evaluate for symptoms of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism and perform a physical exam.

Women who are pregnant and women who may become pregnant should only be treated with levothyroxine (T4). Only T4 efficiently crosses the placenta to provide thyroid hormone to the developing fetus. Thyroid hormone is critical in early pregnancy for brain development. Normal ranges for thyroid tests in pregnancy are different and change by trimester. Women with thyroid disease in pregnancy or who are considering pregnancy should be under the care of an endocrinologist to guide therapy.

Individuals with a history of thyroid cancer, even if only a portion of the thyroid was removed, also have different target ranges for TSH and FT4 tests. Thyroid hormone replacement in these individuals is closely tied to ongoing thyroid cancer surveillance, monitoring of thyroid cancer tumor markers, and dynamic assessment of recurrence risk. These patients are optimally managed by a multidisciplinary team including an endocrinologist and endocrine surgeon.

Have Questions About Normal Thyroid Hormone Levels?

Please Contact Us.

Target audience (TA) – what is it, examples, definition, compilation of TA

The target audience (TA) is people who are interested or may be interested in your products or services. Often, entrepreneurs’ knowledge of the target audience is very limited and looks like this: “everyone who needs our very cool and useful product”, or “all residents of Moscow and the Moscow region.” We tell you why you need to know the audience in detail and how to get this knowledge.

What you need to know about your target audience

The target audience, as already written above, is not “all residents of Moscow and the Moscow region”, but people with a certain and fairly specific set of characteristics. Here’s what you need to know to correctly identify and segment your audience:

Sex

Men and women have different life scenarios, often different values ​​and exactly different needs.

It is believed that men respond better to figures and facts…

It makes sense to sell the same product to male and female audiences differently.

…and women for emotional content

Age

Women in their 30s and 60s are different target groups. Even the same woman at 30 and at 60 are actually different people, with different requests, problems and expectations. It makes sense to consider age both when preparing content and when launching advertising campaigns.

Thirty-year-old women are too early to offer remedies for age-related ptosis, and sixty-year-olds do not need creams for first wrinkles.

Sometimes a brand may not reach the target audience even visually. Posting such photos for women 30+ is guaranteed to scare off customers

Geography

Our country has 9 time zones and 11 climate zones. It is logical that it is better to promote snowshoes in areas where snow lies for a long time – in Siberia, in the northern regions of the country, and not in the villages of the Kuban.

And taking into account the religious preferences of different regions, publishing articles for residents of Tatarstan on how to properly and tasty cook pork neck is pointless

Location

Example: two guys live in the world, both are 22 years old. Both the first and second are called Nikita. Nikita-1 lives in Samara, a million-plus city, and Nikita-2 lives in Pokhvistnevo, a regional center in the same Samara province. In addition to the name, age and region of residence of these people, nothing unites them.

Nikita-1 studies at the law faculty of the university. He loves the Off-White brand, often goes to nightclubs, does not think about the family yet and hopes to make a career as a lawyer. Nikita-2 graduated from the polygraphic college. He has a family and a young daughter, knows little about brands, and spends his evenings riding motorcycles with friends.

You need to talk to these people in different ways, appealing to the values ​​​​of each, and not to some fictitious “common values ​​of 22-year-old guys. ” And the location in this case is of great importance

And location is also important for offline business — a bookstore, a beauty salon, an optician, a cafe. As a rule, people choose these establishments, focusing on their walking distance.

Marital status

The most obvious and understandable example is brides and grooms. People stay in this status for a short time, but during this time they make a lot of purchases and order a sea of ​​services.

If you are selling wedding planner services or wedding outfits, it makes sense to work with this narrow but highly interested audience

And it is rational to offer family vacations to married couples, but not to people who are divorced.

Professions / field of activity

The field of activity always leaves an imprint on the consumer behavior of a person. So, for office workers in companies with a strict dress code, high-quality office clothes are important, it makes no sense for musicians and doctors to offer nail extension services, and a remote copywriter may well become a client of personal time management courses.

Financial level of the target audience

In the economy segment, discounts and promotional offers work well to promote goods, services and increase sales. In the luxury segment and with large purchases, frank discounts, promotions and even ill-conceived gifts for a purchase are more likely to repel.

One can recall the advertisement “Buy an apartment – get a baseball cap” from a Moscow developer, which caused a flurry of ridicule

In the luxury segment, the very word “discounts” is banned – in order to increase the value of the offer to potential buyers, they offer “benefits” or “advantages”.

What is the degree of warmth of CA

This criterion is also known as the Ben Hunt Recognition Ladder. It consists of 5 steps.

First stage. There is no problem or the person does not know about it. Lives in Moscow 30-year-old Elena, sales manager. Her back hurts all the time. But Elena is not fully aware of how serious this problem is and how it can further affect her health.

It seems to Elena that everyone lives like her, and back pain is natural for a person

Second step. There is a problem, there is no solution. Elena realized that not everyone has back pain. She wants to change the situation, but she does not understand how to do it, and begins to look for a solution.

Third step. Choice of solution. Elena found out that pills, physiotherapy and physiotherapy exercises can relieve back pain. It looks up information about each method and compares them.

Fourth step. Product selection. Elena decided to get rid of her back pain with the help of physiotherapy. She delves into the methods and chooses which physiotherapy device for home use to buy and what characteristics to focus on when choosing.

Fifth step. Supplier selection. Elena’s choice fell on device “B”. Now she is looking for exactly where to buy this device, and compares the service from different suppliers: price, delivery terms, training materials, extended warranty.

The audience that you can work with successfully is those who are on the third, fourth, and ideally on the fifth rung of the Ben Hunt recognition ladder. Working with people who are at the first and second stages is built in a completely different way. They need not advertising, but educational materials that will show and update the problem and talk about what ways to eliminate it exist in principle.

6 ways to study the target audience

Studying your target audience is a separate line of work. Here are the methods you can use:

1. Talk to your sales people

Often they are more aware than the business owners of the problems, requests and objections of customers. They also know what questions customers ask about a product, which helps or hinders them in making a purchase decision. Their knowledge will help to create a portrait of the target audience.

2. Study the audience of your groups in social networks

For example, VKontakte gives good statistics for each account.

VKontakte shows detailed geography and age of subscribers

Additionally, you can use audience parsers in social networks. Usually targetologists turn to them, but they are also a great tool for studying the target audience. The functionality of some parsers allows you to study in detail the interests and socio-demographic indicators of the audience – for example, to see what groups of topics they are subscribed to, what they are interested in, whether they have children, what universities they graduated from.

You can also study the groups of the largest competitors in your subject, which will also help clarify the portrait of the target audience.

3. Analyze your site’s web analytics data

For example, “Yandex.Metrica” ​​will show the number of visits to the site and the channels where the traffic comes from.

And also – the geography of users, the number of bounces (visits lasting up to 15 seconds) and the number of warm audiences that access the site via a direct link

Read also:

How to install the Yandex. Metrica counter

4. Analyze large review resources. For example, Irecommend.ru

Their usefulness lies in the fact that here you can see what advantages of the product or service of the company are noted by users, what disadvantages they see.

Users often see more cons than you think

It is quite possible that what you see as an advantage is a tangible disadvantage for your target audience.

See also:

How to deal with negative reviews on the Internet

Example: you produce ice cream with traditional flavors – vanilla, strawberry, chocolate. But for your target audience – teenagers who are prone to trying new tastes – this is not enough. They would love to try mint, exotic fruit, and even salty ice cream. In this case, you can refine the product and expand the range of flavors to better meet the expectations of the target audience.

5. Interview clients

This can be a very easy interview option: you send out a 5-7-question questionnaire to customers and offer a discount or bonus for filling it out.

Here you can ask what problem or need the customer wanted to solve with your product, and how well they did it. And besides – to clarify the geography and profession of the buyer.

6. Look for live forums in your area

If they are, it is very easy to see all the topics related to the product that interested users have discussed.

If you sell goods for children of the first year of life, it makes sense to read the forums for young mothers

And if your product is fiberboard for making furniture, you can go to the furniture makers forum. Reading forum discussions will help you better understand the needs of your target audience.

What tasks can be solved by knowing the target audience

The strategic task of studying the target audience is the growth of sales. But within this strategic “protection” there are local, but very important tasks for business development. I counted at least eight.

1. Advertising budget optimization

By setting up advertising for a narrower and most interested audience, you can get more sales with smaller budgets. This is the case if the goal of the advertising campaign is sales and greater brand awareness, if coverage and information are needed.

2. Cutting off obviously failed hypotheses

Marketing and promotion is always testing hypotheses. Knowing your target audience, you can cut off obviously unviable options without investing in testing.

Example: You want to open a luxury restaurant and you see that there are no such restaurants in District A. Hypothesis: we have no competitors in area “A”, so we open a restaurant of expensive molecular cuisine here.

But is haute cuisine sure to find its audience here?

If you know that the target audience of the restaurant is high-income people who choose prestigious locations and new unusual tastes, you will abandon this hypothesis. The reason is simple: you found out that the area consists of factories, plants and five-story buildings of the 60s of the last century.

Obviously, there is not a single luxury restaurant in the “A” area, precisely because the inhabitants of the area cannot afford it. You have two options: look for another place or open a cafe-dining room with complex lunches, which will bring good income in the area.

3. Optimization of the budget for complex promotion

Integrated promotion is not only contextual or targeted advertising, but also blogging, working in social networks and publishing on external sites. If you know your target audience, you will be able to choose those promotion channels that will help you contact them, and allocate a budget for communication in these channels. It makes no sense to publish content on Odnoklassniki if your target audience is teenagers from TikTok. Rejection of unpromising promotion channels is a significant budget savings.

Website promotion in the TOP-10

• Payment by the days of being in the TOP
• We select queries that bring real buyers!

4. Development of an effective offer

The general formula of a working offer (commercial offer) looks like this:

[Product] that helps [target audience] get rid of/obtain [a specific request or problem of the target audience] using [product feature].

If you lose sight of the target audience, what remains is just a product that helps an indefinite circle of people solve an unexplained problem. Such an offer will not work and bring you customers. Compare:

It is obvious that the second option, developed taking into account the needs of the target audience, will be more effective

5. Market expansion

Analysis of the target audience and its segmentation (breakdown into groups) will help you enter new market segments.

Example: you sell ground coffee to connoisseurs of this drink. But after studying the target audience and search queries, you see that women use ground coffee in making homemade body scrubs. You can make an attractive offer for this group of consumers if you sell coffee in mini-packs and attach recipes for its use in personal care.

This is how you expand the sales market for your company

6. Building a sales funnel

One of the fundamental questions when working with a sales funnel is: “Who are they, the people who will buy my product?”. Without an answer to this question, it is impossible to build a working sales funnel.

7. Company tone of voice selection

Knowing that your target audience is young people aged 16-19, you are unlikely to choose the official tone of communication for “you”. And vice versa, when entering the segment of the 30+ business audience, you will not “poke” and use teenage slang.

8. Website promotion

If you are familiar with the user audience of the site, you will be able to publish content that is interesting to them. When users willingly read articles on the site, move from page to page, this is a signal to search engines that the site has quality content. Behavioral factors have a very active influence on the ranking of the site and improve its position in the search results.

Website promotion is one of the main areas of work of the Kokos agency, and we perfectly understand how to bring the target audience to the client’s website.

Drawing conclusions

Studying the target audience is an indispensable component of a successful business. The more precisely you know your customers, the more effective value proposition you can make to them.

When studying the audience, it is important to segment it according to the main criteria:

• Floor.

• Age.

• Geography.

• Location.

• Family status.

• financial level.

• Profession.

• Degree of warmth.

This will help solve several important local business tasks at once and the main strategic one – increasing sales volumes for active business development.

what it is, how to define the target audience and what it is for

The target audience is a group of people who may be interested in the goods or services of the company and buy them. People in the target group are united by the same characteristics – place of residence, age, social status, interests, needs, purchasing behavior and much more.

Why does business study the target audience

It is important for business to study the target audience in order to sell the product not to all people, but to those who are more interested in it. If a company knows what people look for when buying, it can:

• create advertisements that consumers will definitely notice;
• offer promotions that will interest them and bring sales;
• improve the properties of goods in order to outperform competitors;
• create new products that are interesting to specific people.

Consider examples of how brands use knowledge about the target audience.

Children’s goods store “Detki” knows that parents start looking for New Year’s gifts for children not at the end of December, but much earlier. And they offer a profitable promotion already in November:

Promotion of children’s goods store “Detki”

Another example is CDEK. The company is aware that some of their customers buy items from the Asos online store. But often clothes that cannot be tried on do not fit in size or style, and customers have to return the order back to the store at their own expense. To make returns easier, CDEK is offering a free return to Asos to the target audience from any CDEK outlet:

A CDEK offer aimed at target customers who shop at Asos

What is the target audience

The target audience can be classified according to different criteria.

By type of product purchase

This group is divided into main and indirect audiences.

Main

These are the people who make the decision to buy the product themselves. For example, dog owners decide what food to buy for their pets.

Indirect

This is an audience that uses goods and services, but does not decide on their purchases. An example of an indirect audience for a toy store is children. They choose toys, but the decision to buy is made by the parents.

Interests

Broad

Broad target audience is a group of people who are interested in a store, brand or company.

For example, a wide audience of the Lamoda online store is people who prefer to choose clothes and accessories online.

Narrow

Among all the people who buy clothes in the Lamoda online store, there can be men, women, teenagers, mothers of children, office workers, stylists, and so on. All these are different groups that pay attention to different details when buying.

For example, it is important for women to be able to order several sizes of the same dress and choose the one that fits best. And for teenagers – save on purchases, for example, buy two goods for the price of one.

To meet the needs of each group, the store creates offers for each of them.

Read also

How storytelling works

By type of target group

B2B

The B2B segment includes companies that sell goods to other companies, for example, metal structures for the construction of apartment buildings , or offer services for them, for example , legal advice.

The target audience of the B2B segment pays attention to who makes the decision to buy or sell, taxation and tax reporting, annual income.

B2C

The B2C segment includes companies that sell goods or services to ordinary people. For example, clothes, cars, apartments, dental or beauty services.

For the B2C segment, it is important to consider how people choose goods, whether they pay attention to delivery conditions, at what price they prefer to buy, which may affect their choice of goods, and so on.

Ready to buy

Cold

Cold audience are people who are not yet familiar with the company and do not feel the need to buy something from it. For a cold audience to want to buy, you need to find its problems and offer their solution through the purchase of a product or service.

If the cold audience becomes interested and responds to the offer, it will become “warm”. But it may be that the audience will not see the solution to their problems through the product and will remain in the cold group.

Warm

These are users who have already interacted with a brand or company or simply know about the existence of such a company and / or its product. They could not buy the product, but, for example, save it in their favorites or put it in the shopping cart.

Hot

These are users who have bought at least once. They are the target customers of the company.

Read also

How to immerse the author in the project so that his text is useful for the brand

Characteristics of the target audience

Geographic

Geographic target audience can be grouped by country, city, region, region, district or even one building. For example, a children’s room in a shopping center may be of interest only to those parents who come to the center for shopping, and not to everyone in the city.

Geographic characteristics allow you to customize the display of ads in certain cities and regions in different advertising accounts.

And also plan logistics and open new offline points of sale. For example, if the target audience is not in some city, it makes no sense to open a store there.

Socio-demographic

The audience can be divided by gender, age, education, marital status, income, and so on. Characteristics are used to set up detailed targeting in advertising accounts to show ads to those who are more likely to be interested in them.

Psychographic

According to psychographic features, the audience can be segmented by habits, values, interests, speed of decision-making, hobbies, lifestyle, personal qualities.

If, after studying these parameters, “pressure” on the problems of the audience, you can strengthen advertisements – offer to solve problems with the help of goods or services.

For example, a company is engaged in property insurance. The problem of its target audience is the fear that trouble will happen to housing: a fire, neighbors will flood or robbers will enter when everyone is at work. A company can show an ad with a family in which all fears happen at the same time, but since the family has previously taken out insurance, it is in order and does not incur any losses.

Behavioral

These characteristics describe how consumers behave when buying:

• what they pay attention to when choosing a product or service: quality of service, reviews, price, delivery, bonuses, and so on;
• how to choose a product: consult with relatives, study information and reviews on the Internet, look at reviews, consult with managers;
• why people buy goods, why they use services;
• how they behave on the site: which pages are viewed, which links are clicked, which product cards are saved to favorites.

This information is needed to build the sales process. For example, if you know that users look at reviews before making a purchase, you can create a page with the opinion of those who have already bought, and introduce “cold” customers to it through advertising.

Read also

We divide customers by loyalty using RFM analysis

What is target audience segmentation

Segmentation is the division of the general target audience into small groups that are united by certain interests.

Segmentation is needed, for example, to fine-tune the display of advertisements or create a promotion that will fall into the needs of certain people.

For example, a flower shop can sell flowers to all people. Or divide them into several groups:

1. Men who periodically buy flowers as gifts for their wives and girls.
2. Young men and women who give flowers to friends or relatives on certain holidays. For example, on Mother’s Day. The Semitsvetik store offers separate bouquets to those who want to congratulate their mother on
3. Parents of schoolchildren who periodically give flowers to teachers.
4. Event decorators who decorate rooms with flowers.

The store creates its own assortment for each group. For example, it offers discreet bouquets for Teacher’s Day, and for March 8 – bouquets of expensive flowers.

How to segment the target audience

Customers can be segmented by purchasing behavior, average bill, place of purchase – offline or on the Internet, product of interest, and so on.

Here is one example of a segmentation based on purchase frequency:

Active shoppers

This is an audience segment that buys frequently and spends a lot. The segment stands out among the entire audience so that the company can continue to increase its loyalty and not let itself be forgotten.

Interested in buying but not yet buying

This segment of the audience is interested in products but has not yet made a decision to buy. The search for a segment is necessary so that the company can figure out how to “squeeze” users and transfer them to the segment of active buyers.

Rare buyers

This segment of the audience has already partnered with the company and trusts it, so the goal is to reactivate it. To do this, the company creates a separate series of letters, profitable promotional codes and a loyalty system that should encourage consumers to buy from it again.

For example, the re.Store store sends reminder emails if the subscriber has not visited their website for a long time:

When the email is opened, the brand tells the latest news:

An example of a reactivation email from re.Store

Never bought, but may be interested in goods

This is a cold audience segment. He needs to be involved in the buying process with advertisements and mailing lists, persuaded to the first purchase.

How to determine the target audience

Let’s consider some popular methods in marketing.

The 5W method

In this method, you need to answer five questions and fill out a questionnaire to fully describe one or more segments of the target audience.

The questionnaire template looks like this.

Three-level method

This method divides audience characteristics into three levels:

1. General level.
2. Product category level.
3. Brand level.

General level

At this level, you must specify the main characteristics of the target audience: age, gender, location, as well as psychographic ones – personality type, life position, values, beliefs, etc.

Product category level

Here you should define how the audience makes a purchase decision, how they choose from the assortment, and also:

• how often the product is used: daily, once a month, once a year or less;
• how often he buys from the brand;
• whether he buys all the time from one brand or periodically “leaves” to competitors;
• where he makes purchases: on the Internet, in a store, in a market;
• is planning a purchase or decides to purchase a product spontaneously.

Brand level

Describes how the audience feels about the brand:

• whether they know about the brand and how they feel about it;
• how loyal to the brand;
• what he thinks about the brand, whether he considers it better than competitors.

After that, all characteristics are collected in one file to describe the target audience.

Persona method

The method is used to create a detailed, generalized image of a potential customer – a character. The persona method is not suitable for primary research of the target audience. It should be used when information has already been collected and needs to be systematized.

Here are some tips for creating target characters:

1. First, give a general description: describe gender, age, geographic location, education, income, and so on.
2. After indicate what the character values ​​in life: comfort, status, functionality, or something else.
3. At the next stage, describe where he spends time more often: offline or online. If online – in which social networks he is registered, on which domain he uses a mailbox, what applications he installs on his smartphone.
4. And finally, to determine why the character needs the product, how he needs to buy, what characteristics he pays attention to in the first place.

Collect all answers in one document. Add a character name and photo. As a result, several characters will be created – representatives of different segments of the target audience. It is important to make them realistic, you can even come up with a biography.

The main thing about the target audience

The target audience is a group of people united by common characteristics who may be interested in the product or services of the company and buy them. The unifying characteristics include gender, age, interests, hobbies, experiences, way of choosing a product, brand awareness, frequency of purchase, and much more.

All characteristics can be divided into the following:

• socio-demographic;
• geographical;
• psychographic;
• behavioral.

The target audience can also be divided into groups:

• according to their readiness to buy: cold, warm and hot audience;
• by interests: wide and narrow;
• by type of target group: for the audience for B2B and B2C segments;
• by type of acquisition: main and indirect.