We’re off…the first post in the new blog series called: Successful Corporate Blogs.
And this first one is about writing for your audience.
Remember the old saying, “If you throw enough mud at the wall some of it will stick”?
If you’re an amateur plasterer that may work quite effectively but if you’re an internet marketer it won’t work – you have to choose your walls very carefully.
What I’m saying here is if you aim your marketing at receptive people who are interested in your products your efforts will stick – and a lot more effectively.
So where do you find your perfect audience, and secondly how do you find out what they want?
It’s certainly a lot easier finding your target market online than in the old-fashioned door-to-door salesman days. You never knew who was behind door #3!
Today, marketing online it’s so much easier. Hang out where your target audience hangs out, and use the two simple techniques that successful offline salesmen know only too well – watch and listen.
Forums and popular blogs are a great place to hang out.
Call it spying if you like; I prefer to call it intelligence – it sounds so much more polite.
Make a note of the comments people leave and find out what their problems and concerns are.
If you’re new to a competitor’s blog, introduce yourself, become a regular and gradually build up your reputation as a helpful person. It’s called attraction marketing and it makes sense.
The blogmaster won’t mind because you’re adding content to his site.
He will mind if you run in screaming about how great you, your site and your products are.
Be nice and build relationships.
Nobody likes pushy salespeople; people like those who are helpful and who also know what they’re talking about. This technique works on all types of social media too, especially Facebook.
There’s an added bonus for your good deeds too. If you participate on blogs that allow you to put a link in your bio box, you get a valuable backlink – a key to the door to your own site.
Come on in, the content’s fine…
It won’t take you long to understand what your audience wants.
If you sell an electronic product, look at Amazon’s feedback section – especially at the comments left with three stars and below.
Why was this person dissatisfied with the product?
Were they doing something wrong?
Is that something I can address and remedy?
If I make a video or write an article for my site or for posting on article directories will that help people?
If you sell electronic products or anything that consistently raises questions from buyers and prospective buyers, like “How do I…?” Make a video! Just let them know to follow your link and they’ll see you doing a demonstration. After all, the last thing people want to do these days is read boring instructions.
If you’re selling acne treatment or dog training products – whatever, if you know your product then you can help. What you’re aiming to be is the “go-to” person for answers.
It may take some time, but the more you study people’s problems and needs by giving them the right answers, the more “attractive” you become and the more likely they will be to purchase from you.
In the words of the Kinks, a popular British rock band “Give the People What They Want.”
What’s your view on writing for YOUR audience?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Usually, I get the inspiration from reading comments on my own or on other blogs. In this way, people are actually giving you on the plate all the things they are interested in. Also, forums are a great place to see what is that people truly find intriguing. Mash all that up, and you’ll have a post that people will want to read.
“Give people what they want” is a very important point. Companies tend to publicize their products and features to such a huge extent that they forget to mention why someone would want to buy it or how its going to fill their need. Critical mistake, but it happens!
I say don’t over complicate things, and keep it simple, to the point, and listen to your audience, as if you don’t listen they will go to someone that does.
Wasim,
Excellent point. I like simple and the fact you can easily lose visitors is something to remember.
Andrew
Hey Andrew
I think the other side of this is writing in your own voice so you attract an audience that you resonate with. Your unique voice…
Cheers
Mark
I think smart writers who are also marketers “run campaigns” BEFORE they even think about writing. Meaning they design ways to capture leads, run surveys and ask questions first, THEN write based upon the feedback they’ve obtained. Another way of saying I ought to copy smart writers more … :-]
Beat
You have been able to sum up an excellent product launch in one sentence – impressed!
Andrew
I agree that forums and blogs are the nicest place to hang out to find your target market. The comments people leave in forums and blogs can determine what they want and what kind of customers they are. Replying to their comments and queries is a way to make them feel that you value their business too.
Blogs that target the right audience usually have better traffic than those that have mixed purpose and target audience. Forums are indeed a good place to research about the most talked about topic and this can give us great ideas to blog and share about. Great blogging tips!
I join forums all the time, they are great traffic and are very helpful. Being more helpful than trying hit a sales page at some one all the time is better.
I love writing killer content for web pages that can attract more and more readers. Keeping the target audience in mind is the first and most basic step that must be kept in mind before drafting content.
Hi Andrew,
This first part of your blog series Successful Corporate Blogs will be surely an eye opener for those small businesses that do not think that having a website and a blog is important for the growth and improvement of their businesses. I agree that one has to be nice and build relationships as many of us do not like pushy or aggressive people. If they know how to address and help their potential customers, then they will earn their trust and respect when it comes to the services or products they are selling.
Aggressive marketing will only discourage potential customers. I agree on building a relationship and gaining the trust of members. I like your tip on providing answers. Knowing what the commonly asked questions and providing answers will attract a lot of viewers.
I think besides listening to the audiences, a blogger must know how to write. That is they have to write in an interesting way and pay respect to their readers.
It’s much better to write about a specialized topic and have a smaller number of highly engaged readers. In order to determine what kind of content they are looking for- don’t be afraid to ask! Communicate with target audience members via social media to find out what kind of information they will find most valuable.
I always find that engagement and involvement is the most important thing when building good corporate readership figures; i.e people who will come back again and again.
Relationship marketing is the most profitable form of marketing as it brings repeat business to your company. Quick and easy ways to encourage this sort of relationship is to ask things like; how could we improve X product? Actually listening to their ideas and changing your products accordingly obviously has many benefits as well as building a relationship with the customer.
As what my friend told me, just think that you are speaking in front of people or narrating some stories or picture your self as the audience and what you will feel if you are the one who read the blog.