How to write for your target audience
What do good copywriters and good actors have in common? And no, I don’t have an Oscar and a star on the Walk of Fame, before you ask.
It’s to do with getting into character.
In order to write for lots of different clients – and therefore their target audiences – it’s essential for writers to get into the minds of their readers and understand what makes them tick. (But not in a creepy way, I promise.)
When I worked for a massive agency, I wrote marketing copy for around 10 separate clients every day. That’s 50 – usually new – clients a week. They were as diverse as diverse can be: restaurants, law firms, local bakeries, garages, vets. One time, I wrote for a private detective agency.
As a freelance writer, I tend to work on longer-term projects, but I still get to collaborate with a huge variety of organisations from across the industries.
So, how do we do it? How do we get into character for hundreds of different audiences, and write in a way that appeals to them?
We do a whole lot of research, that’s how.
Here’s what you need to think about when you’re writing for a new audience:
Are they commercial clients or members of the general public?
Where are they based? Edinburgh? Texas? Mars? It all counts.
How does everyone else in your industry talk to them?
How do they talk?
Can you create some super-specific profiles to bring them to life in your head?
Let’s break that all down. Notebooks at the ready!
1. B2B or B2C?
B2B stands for ‘Business to Business’. It’s when a business’ customers are – you guessed it – other businesses. B2C means ‘Business to Consumer’. It’s when a business’ clients are the general public. Examples of B2B companies include PR agencies, tech consultancies, and engineering firms, while B2C companies might be hairdressers, clothes shops, or museums.
It may seem obvious, but establishing whether your audience is businesses or consumers from the get go is really important. At the end of the day, the person reading your content is still a person, but whether they’re in business mode or in ‘everyday life’ mode makes a big difference.
A business will be considering their options from a collective point of view. They’re asking, “How will this purchase affect the whole of the company?” Whereas an individual consumer will be thinking about their decision from a personal point of view.
Being B2B vs B2C also impacts where your clients show up, which, as we’ll see, is crucial to doing your audience research.
2. Pin them on the map
I’ve written for businesses across the UK, the USA, Canada and Australia – and the writing style can differ dramatically because of location.
I don’t just mean spelling. This is about tone of voice, word choice, even punctuation use. In fact, how you write can (and often should) change down to the very neighbourhood you’re writing for, especially when it’s B2C communications.
The reason it’s such a biggie is because original, targeted writing is the secret sauce to good copy. Yes, you could write something generic that works in every country, every state, or every town. But if you want to really connect with your audience, you have to show them you understand who they are and what they need.
Essentially, you’re profiling your audience, so (depending on the purpose of your copy) it’s useful to know things about where they’re based, such as:
what the weather and climate are like (don’t go talking about a snowy Christmas if your customers live in Florida)
the political leanings of the area (mentioning your vegan, planet-friendly credentials may go down better in some areas over others)
local – or national – dialect (Brits are more likely to say ‘off the shelf’ or ‘one size fits all’ rather than ‘cookie cutter’, for instance)
timely, cultural events taking place nearby (is there a sports team playing that EVERYONE supports?)
the landscape and neighbourhood (do they live by the sea? In a touristy area? In the middle of nowhere? Can you reference any of this?)
If I’m writing for a local business, I’ll hop onto Google Street View and have a virtual wander around their town, just to pick up on the vibe. Is it modern and trendy… leafy and suburban… quaint and charming? The more you know, the better.
When companies get location wrong, it immediately builds a wall between them and their customers, who don’t feel like they’re on the same page.
One cringe-worthy example of this was a famous ice-cream company who installed a massive billboard in Picadilly Gardens, Manchester, stating that their product was the only thing that could make lying there “even better”.
Piccadilly Gardens sounds like a nice, green space for sunbathing, doesn’t it?
It is not.
Anyone who knows Manchester knows that it’s a busy, concrete square, infamous for substance abuse and anti-social behaviour.
The advert completely missed the mark for its audience, because the company hadn’t done its location research with enough rigour.
3. What’s everyone else saying?
Competitor research! Or, at least, industry research.
Whenever I write for a new client, I like to make notes on the other organisations performing well in their sector. The terminology they’re using, the tone of voice, the points that get highlighted time and again.
This is the copy your target audience is already consuming when they look for the service you provide.
Especially for B2B clients, I find this helpful for understanding the sort of lingo people in the industry are using. I’m a firm believer of stepping away from jargon, but you do want to make sure you’re not accidentally writing something that makes you sound like a newbie.
Of course, if you’re writing your own copy for your business, you’ll already have a good idea of how everyone talks about what you do. But there’s another reason researching your competitors is a grand idea – and it’s one you’ll want to underline and highlight and dust with glitter:
Knowing how organisations in your industry sound in their copy means you can make sure you *don’t* come across like everyone else.
You want to stand out. You want to be memorable. You want to give your audience a reason to pick YOU.
(On a speedy side note, that’s one reason why working with copywriters who have experience across the industries is a good idea. We’re not stuck in an industry bubble – we can pull from ideas that work in other sectors and put them to your benefit, too.)
Once you understand how your target audience is already being spoken to, you can give them just enough of what they’re expecting that they don’t get scared off – but a good dollop of something new and exciting, too!
4. Talk like your audience
Okay, so I’m not saying you want to parrot your audience to a tee – that would be unprofessional and a little bit odd – but it’s true that humans like feeling part of the pack. Using the sorts of words your audience uses and making references that will resonate with them is a good way of showing that you’re a trusted entity.
If you’re a B2B company, it’s likely that a lot of your clients will have their own website. Have a nosey and take note of how they describe who they are. Is their tone formal? Friendly? Confident? Professional?
Having your own, unique voice is essential, but it’s a good tip to develop your voice with your target audience in mind. If you discover through your research that a lot of clients are highlighting a particular quality that you share, it might be worth bringing that to the fore in your own copy, for example.
A sprinkling of common sense is, as ever, useful here: Let’s say you provide engineering services for theme parks. You wouldn’t necessarily want your copy to reflect the fun, magical tone of voice of Alton Towers’ or Disneyland’s homepages. Instead, you could take a look at their safety pages and be inspired by the language they use there.
For B2C companies, your customers might not have their own websites – but they will (for the most part) be all over the internet more generally. Scroll through the comments you get on your socials to see how they’re talking and what they’re talking about.
If you don’t have socials, take a sneak peek at the comments your target audience leaves on other organisations’ posts from your industry.
Imagine having a conversation with these people. When they chat with you in your spaces, how do they talk? When I worked in a museum, visitors often had questions for the team. These fed into my marketing copy: I knew I was addressing an audience hungry for more information and behind-the-scenes details.
5. Sense check your writing for your audience
Last one before we can all pack up and get back to our knitting.
This one’s not strictly research; it’s more like a post-writing proof. And it’s a point that brings us back to the writer-actor simile from the start of this blog post (everything comes full circle).
It starts with you imagining three different clients. This could be three clients you actually have – if so, then that’s perfect! But I want you to imagine the person reading your copy, not just a business or client ‘type’.
If you’re B2C, picture someone you can imagine (or would like) buying your product or visiting your organisation. You can really go to town here – it’s fun.
What are they called? What’s their job? Why are they even reading your copy?
What do they want for their birthday? What do they get up to at the weekend? Where’s their ideal holiday destination?
You get the idea: you can be as specific as you like.
The point is that you now have a fairly clear picture in your mind of three (different) clients, real or otherwise.
Now, go back and read your copy imagining that you are those people. What do they think of what you’ve said? Are there any words you’ve used that wouldn’t make sense to them? Are you including content that resonates with them?
If you can complete this exercise and still feel happy with the words you’ve written, then you’re onto something.
So, get out there and immerse yourself in the world of your audience.
Once you fully understand who you’re talking to, it’s time to write some targeted, relatable copy that’ll make your customers say, “Wow – they really seem to understand me. Count me in!” (Or words to that effect.)
Alternatively, feel free to drop me a message and I’ll do it for you.
I’d love to help you connect with your clients, visitors, or supporters – and writing on-point, audience-focused copy is how I do that!
