Understanding your audience
So you’ve nailed step one (well done you!) and you have a clear and well defined understanding of who you are as a company, what you offer and what you stand for. Step two should follow logically. You need to define and understand your audience.
You probably communicate differently with your best friend than you do with your boss, or your five year old niece. For this reason, you need to know who you're trying to talk to so you can tailor your message to them. An often misunderstood marketing principle is how to select and refine your target audience. It’s counterintuitive - understandably, most businesses want to appeal to as many people as possible. The broader the audience, the more potential customers, right? The truth is, the broader your audience, the less effective your marketing will be and less your brand will appeal to anyone. So why is this the case?
Consider these two messages.
"Are you looking to grow your business? We offer a range of services to help your company succeed!"
Or…
"Are you failing to find time to exercise because you're juggling work and raising a family? We offer short but impactful workouts that fit with your schedule."
The first of these examples is speaking as broadly as possible to anyone running and hoping to grow their business. And the second is speaking directly to a specific group of people with a specific problem, and then offering a solution. It's not difficult to see why the second would resonate and inspire action much more effectively than the first. By trying not to exclude anyone, you're actually diluting your message.
By narrowing your audience, you're able to tailor a message that will make people feel like this was written specifically for them.
