Somewhere, sometime during your lifetime you have probably played darts – the game where you through feather-tipped pointed objects towards a target hanging on a nearby wall; a flat round object decorated with concentric circles and pie-like segments. At first you probably felt lucky to hit the dart board at all. As you practiced, you got the hang of throwing the darts and you got closer and closer to the center of the board. As your darts closed in on the center you finally hit your goal. A bullseye!
Marketing can be thought of in much the same way as a game of darts. You can just randomly throw the darts and hope you hit a spot that gives you a high score; or you can focus and perfect your aim until every dart lands in the center. By focusing your clients' marketing content, you can ensure that their marketing efforts are aimed at the readers with the potential to become your best customers; the audience in your bullseye.
STAY FOCUSED
Your clients will always face competition in your market, and everyone is shouting, “Look at me, I’m the best.” When they focus marketing content on a specific portion of the marketplace (the center rings on the dartboard) they increase the potential for those customers to notice them.
It is important to become aware of what makes the target market special, and stay focused on their unique needs. Here are a few to go over with your clients:
Demographics:
There will be specific characteristics that apply to the target market. These may include gender, age, race, location, and/or income. By researching the demographics of the target market you can focus marketing content toward their specific interests, needs or concerns.
Psychographics:
This term refers to variables within demographics that relate to values, interests, attitudes, and/or lifestyles. A target market may fit within your target demographics by their age and gender, but their lifestyle may place them outside the bullseye. Lifestyle is an important consideration in focusing marketing content.
PERFECT YOUR AIM
When learning how to master the game of darts, you not only need to learn where to aim, but how to throw – overhand, underhand, with just a flick of your wrist? When aiming for the target market your clients must also learn how to throw out marketing content. Do you use a website? Do you use social media? Do you use videos or whitepapers?
Questionnaires:
Ask current customers how they find information. Include questions about how they search online, what newsletters they may subscribe to, do they get information through Twitter or Facebook. Offer a reward for completing the questionnaire – a special whitepaper download with information that applies to their business.
Check out the competition:
Carefully study competitor’s websites. What information do they provide and through what media? Do they include links to the websites of industry “experts” and who are these experts?
Do your own search:
Do a thorough search online for any information related to your industry. Where did you find that information? How accurate or valuable was that information? Monitor any blogs or conversations about the industry. Here are some free tips and techniques for monitoring social media.
Brainstorm:
Look over any past advertising you have done. What worked and what didn't. Talk with the people within your business who have regular contact with your customers and get their impressions of who your customers are, what they want and what they need.
Do not focus on "selling" in content marketing. Your clients should share knowledge with potential customers. Provide information they didn't know they needed or wanted, but will be glad to have. Become the essential "go-to" source. Gently lead the target market to the conclusion that you have exactly what they need and that they would be foolish to go anywhere else. And be sure you give the target market ample opportunity to share this information with others.
For additional content marketing tips, please visit these links:
By focusing your clients' content marketing efforts towards the best potential customers you (and your clients) can score a bullseye every time.
