Web Writing:
Know Your Demographic
If you’ve been writing professionally for more than two
weeks you know what the demographic is. For the rest of you, the demographic is
the sweet spot of your client’s market. It’s your target audience.
And the better you understand that target the more effective
your writing. It’s all about pushing the right buttons to compel the site
visitor to perform the MDA – the most desired action.
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| Who Are You Selling To? |
The Target
Demographic
Believe it or not, many of your clients won’t be able to describe
their target audience. Let’s say you’re hired to write website content for a
brick-and-mortar hearing aid retail outlet somewhere in Montana . (It could happen.)
The owner of the store may have had a lock on a 25 square
mile service area – the only hearing aid dispenser in the region. So, dropping
a quarter page advert in the local newspaper was all it took to create a
profitable business. And the store owner never gave more than a thought to who
she was trying to reach.
So, during the discovery phase you ask, “What’s the target demographic?”
Your likely to get an incomplete answer: “People who need hearing aids.”
However, that’s a broad demographic so a little research might produce a better
return for your client.
Research the
Demographic
Hearing aids. So you’re likely to immediately think of the
over-50 crowd. Probably right. Nerve deafness goes hand-in-hand with aging so
trying to hit that over-50, Baby Boomer demographic bubble may be just the way
to go.
But, what do you know about this particular group, other
than what you know about your grandparents and the 60-year-old neighbor next
door? These people don’t make up a large enough group to actually define the
needs and preferences of people over 50.
For example, a little research reveals that the over-50
crowd:
- Are less likely to use computers at home
- Are less likely to comparison shop for products on line
- Don’t make as many on-line purchases
- Are less familiar with local search engine options
- Scroll less than their younger counterparts
- Spend less time on line altogether
- Are not as tech savvy as younger computer users
All of these factors create a clearer picture of who you’re
targeting with your writing. For example, if you know that seniors don’t scroll
as much as younger people, all of the important stuff must be at the top of the
page.
Use the Language of
the Target Demographic. Jargon Sells!
What do these people want and need? What information do they
require to make an intelligent buying choice? How do they talk to each other?
Your writing should use the language of the target demographic.
Let’s say you’re writing a user manual for a mainframe
computer company. (It could happen.) You better know what a trouble ticket is
and what downstream consequences are. You can quickly learn the insider jargon
by visiting websites that sell mainframes or service them.
There’s jargon in every profession. It’s a form of
shorthand. But it’s also exclusionary, keeping out those who are NOT members of
the gang. So, the use of the demographic jargon (1) enables you to present
information in shorthand form and (2) makes you a member of the exclusive group
of mainframe computer administrators.
The best place to look for industry-specific jargon is on
websites and blogs designed to provide solutions to the specific demographic.
These sites detail what the demographic wants so to cut down on research time,
cut to the chase and go hang out with the people you’re trying to reach.
That’s the best way to learn the lingo. And deomographic
wants and needs, as well.
What Does Your Target
Demographic Want or Need?
Increased productivity? Faster shipping? A baby-soft
maternity gift? If you don’t know what the target market wants or needs you
can’t push the right buttons to induce the site visitor into taking the MDA. In
other words, your text missed the mark.
Before you write a single word, know to whom you’re writing.
Know how they talk then talk right to them.
Know what they need or want. Then meet those needs and
wants.
Don’t rely on your client to give you the goods on the
target demographic. Most of these people are focused on business matters. It’s
up to you to hit that bull’s-eye sweet spot with your writing.
And if you do, guess what? You just added a regular to your
client base – a buyer who will come back for more without any effort on your
part.
And repeat buyers are the basis of success for any freelance
web writer. So know to whom you’re speaking when you write. Take aim at that
bull’s-eye and fire away.
The more times you hit the mark, the more of the client’s
problems are solved. And the bigger your client base grows.
editor@webwordslinger.com
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