Master Your Audience In 5 Simple Steps
The prior blog post briefly discussed the importance of audience research when creating copy. However, because this topic is a central theme in copywriting, it deserves its own post. In other words, good copy must always be directed to a specific audience, if it isn’t, it will likely fail to produce the desired results. You can effectively identify and address your target audience by following these few steps:
1) Research, research, research!
There are soo many ways to get intel on your audience. First, figure out who your message would resonate the most with. What are their ages? Genders? Preferences? Values? And so on, the more you can narrow down, the better. Then, you can dive into surveys, and social media insights, and even start conversations with them. Get to know them like the palm of your hand!
2) Put yourself in their shoes👟
Remember, they are humans, like yourself (hopefully). So, lean into your empathy, being able to walk a mile in their shoes goes a long way when writing copy—it’s somewhat of a superpower. Think, what keeps them up at night? What gets them out of bed in the morning? What are their dreams? Understanding their perspective is the key to personalizing your messaging accordingly.
3) Create audience personas
There are different stages of familiarity in every audience. It’s good to segment the audience based on how familiar they are with your brand/content. The segments can range from new prospects, mildly acquainted individuals, to those very well acquainted. Once this is done, creating fictional characters that represent each segment will help you visualize their needs, objections, and proclivities. Give these characters names and back stories—it’ll make them feel more real.
4) Listen up
Monitor social media conversations, read reviews, and engage with your audience whenever possible. Pay attention to what they are saying—both directly and indirectly. Doing this, you’ll find valuable information about your copywriting strategy’s performance.
5) Test and improve
This step applies to pretty much every part of copywriting. The only way you’ll be able to tell whether your copy does what it’s meant to do is if you put it out into the world and see how your audience responds. Study results, collect feedback, and use this information to improve your approach. Repeat and consistently polish your copy.
Well, my friends, I hope this post helped you get over the analysis paralysis that comes with finding your target audience. Now, you should be on track to conducting efficient audience research and using the information you gather with efficacy. All you have to do is start, put your best efforts forward, and never give up. You got this!
Have a great weekend! Love you💟
