I recently participated in a panel discussion for the NH Creative Club on the topic of Inbound Marketing. One of the tenets of inbound marketing is that you’re creating content that captures people’s attention, driving them to find out more about your company. If you’re doing inbound marketing, it’s more important than ever to know your audience (for more on inbound marketing, go here).
Many of the questions from the attendees had to do with social media, websites, conversions, measurement. But during that give and take one word kept coming up: Audience. Without knowing your audience and understanding who they are, you won’t be able to connect with them via social media, they won’t visit your website and there’s no chance that you’ll “convert” them.
We often forget that an audience is made up of people. And people are individuals. So stop and think about who’s on the other side of the computer, tablet or smartphone. Consider these concepts when formulating your next marketing plan:
Visualize your audience – what would one member of that audience look like? What do they do for a living? What are their hopes, their worries? How would your product/service/cause fit into their life?
Consider your voice – you’re trying to make a connection. Are you speaking their language? Are you talking in a way that easily accessible? Is it appropriate for what you’re talking about?
Make images count – what will connect visually? Can an image be tied to your company or mission? Does it resonate with your audience? A friend told me about a photo that she’d posted that was matched with an inspirational quote. It was a simple image but related to her organization’s mission. That simple image had more shares, more likes and created more conversation than anything she’d posted before.
Think about your audience as a group of individuals rather than a block of people sharing attributes. You’ll stand a better chance of getting their attention and that will make your marketing more effective.
