I am often asked, "What is
the most important thing to know about advertising?" The answer
is
simple, although it eludes many people…
Know your target audience!
When you ask most business owners who their target
audience is, you are generally quoted a list of demographics. While
demographics are a portion of the make up, to know your target audience
goes far beyond statistics.
Advertising is a message you send to the people whose
business you would like to gain. It is a form of communication to
a specific group of buyers. When you communicate with friends and
family, you take the communication style of that particular person
into account before you speak or write. The same holds true for
your target audience.
When you begin to write a letter, you don't sit down
and begin writing without first determining who the letter will
be addressed to. If you are writing your mother, you will no doubt
design the message differently than if you are writing your best
friend. Your verbage changes and your style changes according to
who you are writing. You make a point, although sometimes subconsciously,
to write in such a way that your audience will be receptive. These
same principles apply when addressing your target audience via advertising
messages.
Find out all you can about what kind of people your
target group consists of… not just what demographic segment
they fall into. The closer you get to those in your target audience,
the more effectively you'll be able to communicate with them…
and the better received your advertising will be!
Most buying decisions are emotional. Your ad copy
should be, too!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Karon is President & CEO of Marketing Words, Inc. who offers
targeted copywriting, search engine copywriting, and ezine article
writing. Subscribe to Karon's free ezine at http://www.marketingwords.com/ezine.html
or visit her site at http://www.marketingwords.com
. You can also learn to write you own powerful copy at
http://www.copywritingcourse.com
.
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