Enticing Your Target Customer: Are You Missing the Mark?

It’s a term that’s used by virtually everyone involved with Internet marketing: target customer. You’ve heard it a million times.  You may even be able to define its meaning.  But, are you actually focusing on this target when you write copy, or are you missing the mark?

It’s a common mistake in copywriting: one I see very often.  People want to push information at a group of readers instead of pulling a single target customer toward them through effective communication.  The difference?  One is all about you, and the other is all about them.

I’ve seen copy that completely ignored the site visitor.  It didn’t make a single mention of the word “you” or “your.”  It was all “we, we, we” and “our, our, our.”  Considering that your target customer has all the money and they are the ones whose business you want to win, I’ll bet you can figure out where the focus should lie.  It’s time to stop “we-ing” all over the place.

A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words

Before you begin writing copy, take about 1,000 words and create a profile of your target customer. Jot down all the information you know about them.  Don’t guess!  If you’ve never done any target audience research, now’s the time to get started.  After all, how will you be able to write effective and enticing copy to someone you know nothing about?

Male or female?  What is their home life like?  How much money do they make?  Are they the end user, or are they buying on behalf of someone else (a business, an older parent)?  What challenges do they face that your products/services can help them overcome?  What dreams will your products/services help them fulfill?  What results will they see after they’ve used your products/services?

These are just a few of the dozens of questions you can ask about your target customer.  If you’ve never attempted to get this information, try using a Survey Monkey or some other online survey tool to collect details.

Does it Really Make a Difference?

Who would know whether you wrote copy to a group of people or to your particular target audience?  Can understanding who they are, where they’re coming from and what they need really make a difference?  You be the judge.

For the sake of example, we’ll pretend we’re Realtors and our product is a beautiful one-story, brick house on a gorgeous corner lot.  As you know, Realtors have many different segments within the single homebuyer target audience.  We’ll look at three: first-time homebuyers, growing families and retirees.

First-Time Homebuyers – Fresh out of college, these young couples probably have a ton of student-loan debt hanging over their heads.  Excited and anxious at the same time, they have no idea what to expect from all the paperwork and meetings that come when buying a home.  They’ll need guidance.  With no kids and a very limited budget, price is a primary factor: they’ll sacrifice space and amenities for a few dollars less on their mortgage payment.  After all, it’s just their first home… they’ll upgrade in a few years.

Growing Families – With student loans paid down (thanks to several promotions and pay raises) growing families are looking for more room.  They’ve got money to spend and priorities to fill.  With 2.4 children in tow, safety, good schools and short commute times rank high on their wish lists.  Experienced in the home-buying process, they are ready to show off the rewards of their hard work with a newer, bigger and better house.

Retirees – These folks are downsizing.  They’ve raised the kids, put them through college and gotten them out of the house.  As their life focus changes, they no longer want days filled with yard work and housecleaning.  They’ve got fun things to do in their retirement years.  On a fixed income, seniors still have some money to spend, but it doesn’t flow as freely as when they were working.

Can you see the difference?  You wouldn’t use the same language or highlight the same benefits within the copy when writing to growing families as you would when writing to retirees.  Yes, they are all shopping for houses.  Yes, we are selling the same one-story, brick house; but each buyer has their own needs, wants and criteria.  The copy has to be individually crafted to entice everyone on their level.

The same applies to your target audience and its individual segments.  Finding out as much as you can about them will help your copy strike a more personal and emotional chord while – at the same time – positioning your product or service as the perfect solution.

Catch my enlightening session about knowing & writing to your target audience during Online Copywriting 101′s FREE 10-day telesummit. Mark your calendar for September 1, 2010 so you won’t miss a second of this hour-long session.  Get your FREE pass today.

(c) 2010, Karon Thackston, All Rights Reserved