Being a professional writer is all about writing to connect with your target audience. This is a skill you can learn. In fact, writing persuasive text is now taught in schools. There may be a whole new generation of copywriters coming along soon 😊.
If you want your marketing to have maximum impact, it’s vital that you have identify who you’re aiming aim.
Just like archery, if you want to hit the target, you need to know exactly where you’re aiming your arrow.
Here are 3 simple steps to help you connect with your target audience…
-
Identify your ideal client
Identifying your ideal client is important because we need a clear picture of who we’re writing for. Your ideal client is not your ONLY client – it’s unlikely this demographic will be the only people to respond to your marketing. However, they are the ones we really want to respond.
In an ideal world, who do you want to do business with? Think about the delightful clients, the ones who make your business life a dream. They’re the opposite of those PITA (pain in the a**) clients you’d rather not deal with.
If you need more guidance on identifying your ideal client, check out this earlier post.
-
Clarify what your target audience wants
By getting to know your target audience, i.e. by actually talking to them and asking them questions, you’ll get to know exactly what they want and expect from your product or service.
For example, let’s say you sell birthday cakes. Your target audience might be parents, in particular, Mums with young children. Let’s call our ideal client Samantha (it really helps to give them a name). What does Samantha (and other Mums like her) want from you? Obviously, you’d need to ASK her, but let’s make a few assumptions for the purpose of this exercise.
In a recent survey, Samantha and other Mums said they wanted:
- Easy online ordering or the ability to speak to an actual person to order
- The ability to personalise the cake by ordering particular coloured icing, their child’s name, and/or a particular theme
- It is vital to have the cake match the picture on your website or in-store – and to get the child’s name right!
- As Mums are busy people, they would enjoy the option of having the cake delivered to their door.
-
Aim your content squarely at what your audience wants
Continuing with the cake maker scenario, let’s look at how to connect with your target audience.  An example of non-targeted content:
ABC Cake Shop. We make cakes. All types of icing and popular themes.
You’ve seen the rest, now order from the best – www.ABCcakes.com.au
Does that ad/content make you want to buy a cake? Notice how the content is all about ABC cakes, there’s nothing in there that appeals directly to the customer.
How about a more targeted approach?
Want the perfect cake for your child’s birthday party? (We’re specifically targeting parents here)
We make and deliver themed cakes, personalised with your child’s name. (The target audience is thinking – that’s exactly what I want)
Check out our beautiful cakes on www.XYZcakes.com.au and order online – or call us to discuss your individual needs.
(The target audience is thinking – great, I can check out their options and call them if I have questions)
While the text is a little longer in the second sample, can you see how much more effective it is to engage and connect with your target audience by knowing what they’re looking for? It’s all about the reader and what the cake maker can do for them, not just the cake maker. The reader feels you are speaking directly to them.
The second ad is simply more appealing, and you could potentially charge a slightly higher price by knowing your audience, what they want, and providing it to them.
Now you know where to aim, are you ready to fire?
I trust this helps clarify the importance of identifying your target audience and writing content that connects with them. After clarifying who your audience is and by doing research into what they’re looking for, you have the information you need to appeal to your ideal client.
If you found these tips helpful, please share them with your business associates or LinkedIn connections. Go ahead and connect with me on LinkedIn.
