Why matching your marketing content and style to your audience matters …
When I’m asked what style of music I like, I usually reply, “Pretty much everything from Bowie to Bach! But I’m not really into headbanging or what I call techno-funk, music that has no soul – in my humble opinion :).”
As you can see, my musical tastes are fairly diverse and I confess to being shocked at a performance by the Australian Chamber Orchestra some years ago, when several people walked out the auditorium because one item featured an amplified violin! While I and many other audience members appreciated the different texture and mood created by the amplified violin, some people with deeply traditional expectations of how a well played violin should sound, were offended and departed in a huff!
In other words, the musical offering was a mismatch to the audience, or at least to some members of the audience.
In the same vein, when I first saw this spoof video, featuring two brilliant cellists, I was struck by how well they demonstrated the importance and value of matching your marketing content and style to your target audience.
Video – message to market match or mismatch?
Keep your eyes on the audience 🙂
How well does your web marketing content match your audience?
When I am asked who my typical clients are, I answer, “Baby Boomer business owners who feel frustrated or confused about how to get their businesses found online, without having to learn or interpret a bunch of technical jargon.” In other words, I have a clear idea of who my typical client is, to the extent that I can picture her in my mind and have a conversation with her when I write; writing as if I’m speaking to her, to my avatar.
What is an avatar?
An avatar is an icon or figure representing a particular person in a computer game, internet forum, etc. So in the context of online marketing, your avatar is a visual representation of your typical or desired client.
How to use your avatar to communicate your marketing message more effectively to your online audience
- Create a clear picture in your mind of your avatar – age, gender, socio-economic status, and most importantly, his or her biggest challenge that can be solved by your product or service.
- Imagine a clear voice in your head of how your avatar speaks when she is talking about the problem that you can solve. What kind of language does she use? What emotions does she express?
- Then, as you’re creating your web marketing content, whether it’s a blog post like this one, or a script for a video or a podcast, just imagine that you’re having a one-to-one, face-to-face conversation with your avatar, and use the kind of language that you would use as if you were in a live conversation with her. Always remembering of course, what her biggest challenge is, what emotional words she will use to express that challenge, and how you can genuinely help to solve her problem with your product or service.
Have I perfected the art of the avatar?
Well, to be honest, not yet! But here’s a little secret that I believe is helping me to be better and better … I have started using speech to text software. That means that I am literally speaking my message and the software types it for me, creating a more natural and conversational tone; and helping to match my message to my audience – I hope 🙂