Connecting and Communicating With Your Audience, Part 4

Knowing your audience is key in your business. Have you ever felt all over the place when you're networking and people ask, "who is one person I can connect you with?" When we aren't CLEAR on who our audience is we dread the question. Be honest, who has found themselves in this position? If I'm being truthful, I have, and it's those times when my anxiety takes over and I freeze. However, I've done the work to discover "our people" so I'm able to answer the question when asked.

In order to survive in business, we have to know who we're speaking to, where they hang out, and why it matters. I've covered the who and the where in a previous blog, so today the big WHY comes into play.

Why it's important to know your ideal audience

When you've defined your audience you can focus on your marketing, which saves you time and money in the long run. For example, if you're a wedding planner, it's your job to understand what couples want on their wedding day. Some couples want a small wedding, others want a huge affair, or a destination event. Once you've narrowed down your audience your copywriting can focus on the 5 Ws - who, what, when, where, and why.

This is when the importance of using the correct language for your marketing comes into play. The language you use on your website, your social media, and in your presentations is key so you're speaking to the people you want to develop relationships with. If you're talking to wedding professionals (florists, caterers, churches, travel agents) you can use the language they're used to; for instance, MOB (mother of the bride), bouts (boutonnieres), MOH (maid of honor), and the list continues. However, if your audience is geared towards the wedding couple you want to use language they understand.

When you're speaking to your ideal audience and using the language they understand, you're showing up and connecting with them, and you're developing relationships. Whether you're writing or speaking, tell stories your ideal audience connects with and they'll remember you weeks or months after meeting you. This leads to future clients and sales for your business, which we all know is key to surviving in business. It may not happen overnight or after one meeting (in fact, in recent years touches were between 17 and 27).

In closing

As I have said before, narrowing down your ideal audience can be challenging, but in the long run it will save you time, money, and work. In the end, you'll work with the people you respect and who respect you.

If you'd like an Avatar worksheet, fill out our contact form and we'll be happy to send one your way!