Getting to know your target audience

Posted by Ben on September 16, 2009 | Permalink | Hits: 1294 
Tags: target audience, knowledge, expectations

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Who are you writing for? Knowing your target audience is extremely important for the long-term success of your blog. This post is split into two parts; first, we'll look at 5 things you should know about your target audience, then we'll look at 5 ways to connect with your target audience. (Image by archangeli.)

5 things you should know about your target audience

How well do you know your target audience? Are you writing with them in mind? Or are you just writing anything in the hope that someone, somewhere, might hear your thoughts?

We need to look at a simple question. When it comes to your target audience, who are they?

1. What do they want or need? Why are they reading - and can you give them what they want?
2. What's their background? What do they do? How does this relate to what you publish on your blog? Are you writing for the right people?
   
3. What do they know? What would they like to know, or need to know?
4. Where will they be in the future? Where are they heading? Can you help them to realise or accomplish their ambitions?
5. Will they come back? Are you looking for repeat visitors or drive-by clicks?

The important thing to remember here is that there is no right or wrong approach in terms of the audience you choose to write for. I think you'll be making a mistake if you don't have a clue who you're writing for. It pays to do your groundwork before you start writing any posts.

It doesn't stop there. Here are some further considerations to take into account when thinking about who your target audience is:

• Do they know more than you? How many potential readers will walk away because the person writing the content doesn't appear to have any experience? A classic case is the person who teaches you how to make money online, but doesn't actually make any money of their own. It's best to write what you know - don't try and fool people into thinking you're an expert on something you just don't know.
• Are they technical? A "WordPress tips" blog may be aimed at bloggers, but not all of them have been blogging for as long as you have, while others may not yet have a blog at all. This issue doesn't only apply to online activities. A blog that focuses on how to do other non-bloggy things - learning to cook, speak a foreign language, or catch fish - still requires the posts to be written in plain English if you're hoping to teach people a thing or two. You don't have to dumb down your posts to the point where your readers feel you're patronising them, but it's wise to define jargon as it comes up, or avoid using it unless it's absolutely necessary.
• Are they open to humour? Is it good to throw the occasional joke into your posts, or would this lessen the quality? Are you the kind of person who makes people laugh without really trying, or do people tell you that you try too hard? I'm somewhere in the middle, depending on the circumstances. It is hard to work humour into posts - I think it works best if you have a funny post every now and again, but not all the time, unless that's what your blog is about.
  
• What length of post is acceptable? Some readers prefer short posts, some prefer long posts - which type of reader do you mostly attract? Look at which posts perform best - it may be a tough call as some readers will enjoy both posts, but you may start to see a preference towards one post length or the other. Even if there's a clear winner, it's still good to shake it up a bit with a different style of post every now and again.
  
• Do they comment? Many blogs receive comments, but I've noticed that it's often the same people doing the talking. That's fine, but if you find yourself covering old ground in new posts, there may not be much point in asking a lot of questions if they'll lead to the same answers you received last time. On the other hand, there's always the chance that a fresh face could find your blog today, so why not ask questions anyway? The goal here is to find a balance that works for you as well as your readers - they should be able to comment if they want to, but not feel bad if they don't. If you're used to getting very few comments, at least there are no surprises if you continue to get a small number on most of your posts. However, it's always nice to get a few new people replying.

5 ways to connect with your audience

It's all very well to say that you need to know your target audience, but how can you actually connect with them? Here are 5 ideas.

1. Share your story. Is there a specific reason why you started blogging, and why you keep doing it?
2. Say who you are. Go beyond "My name is Ben and this is my blog" (especially if your name isn't Ben). Give a few details about yourself that aren't relevant to your site.
3. Don't look down on people. Are you an expert in your field, or particularly well-known? Avoid sounding condescending. Nobody likes a teacher who acts like they know best, no matter how hard you try.
4. Relax. Is your writing very rigid and formal? This can make for a difficult read. Loosen up a bit - you may find that readers prefer it.
5. Ask questions. Connecting with your audience isn't only about getting comments, but part of it is. Pushing your readers to share their views will go a long way to establishing that writer/reader connection.

Your feedback

How well do you know your target audience? What could you be doing differently in your writing, if anything? Are you connecting with your target audience as well as you could be?

This is quite a different style of post, so any feedback on the format is welcome, too.

Comments on Getting to know your target audience

2

Ben | October 25, 2009 | 180 comments

Thanks Garg. :) There's another post about staying true to your focus, which might be of interest. Balance is the key - find what works best for you.