What Is Your Passion + Who Is Your Audience?
How Are Passion and Audience Connected?
Understanding This Question Can TOTALLY Change Your Business.
How do you view sales? I don’t mean a good ol’ BOGO deal. I’m talking about the industry itself. Do any of these fit your mindset?
Slimy
Pushy
Fast
Confusing
Honestly, these are words that I have had pop up when it comes to working with salespeople. When my husband and I were talking about my role as a copywriter I had a few gut-dropping and then clenching moments.
“Well, you’re in sales now. You’re gonna have to keep selling yourself over and over again.”
Ouch. Ugh.
I remember being a 20-something college student and being talked into selling Mary Kay products. That went absolutely nowhere. You know why? I have no passion for cosmetics - I rarely wear mascara and chapstick is my go-to. I have to push myself just to use the gorgeous LipSense colors that I do have and they are great!
When you have no passion for a product, writing sales copy for it is not gonna light a fire in your soul! Don’t get me wrong - I don’t have to love a product or service to write about it.
But really believing in a product or service and the value it can bring into someone’s life makes the copy (words that call a person to act!) speak to the reader in a beautiful way.
So let’s get to the nitty gritty!
What is your passion?
I am a big-time Jesus lover and disciple. Following Him is a life-time endeavor. That is why I work with and for individuals who are passionate about Christianity. This is also why I am grateful to write for Christian authors, businesses, and influencers.
Do you know what your passion is?
Look at how you spend your time. Do you…
read books on certain topics?
make a point of exercising?
shop for and buy foods based on nutrition?
take your kids to activities?
have a hobby that brings you joy?
spend time with animals?
These are just a few things that might be a spot of passion in your life. Seeing what you are passionate about is as simple as looking at how you spend your time and your money. My credit card statement makes my passion pretty clear-cut, and I bet yours does too.
My prayer for you is that your passion matches up with your work!
Not everyone is blessed with work that matches their passion, but I sincerely hope that yours does. If you have work that flows from a passion then sharing the product or service is so much easier because you know how it can affect others’ lives as well!
Western families (I’m thinking in America and Canada) are inundated with products and services every day. Algorithms on Google and Facebook are just a starting point. Ordering products on Amazon has totally changed the way people shop and spend money in America. Have you been to a shopping mall in the past five years? You and I both live in a society where products and services are marketed to us in new and, dare I say…addictive ways!
So what sets businesses apart from competitors? Passion sets us apart. When you can show consumers how amazing your business is, and do it with authenticity, it is a game-changer. And passion for what you do is a sure way to share the quality you have in a genuine way.
So how does understanding your passion connect to understanding your audience?
When you have passion for your products or services, then you can truly see the person who will benefit from what you have to offer.
So what do you need to do?
Define Your Target Audience
Tailor Your Words To Them
Define Your Target Audience
Who is going to buy your book? Who is going to sign up for your newsletter? Who is going to listen to your podcast? Who is going to donate to your cause?
If you want to get your message out there, then you need to think about your audience.
Is the purchaser a man or a woman?
How old is your customer?
Where do your buyers live?
What is your customer interested in?
Does your buyer have certain values?
Are there attitudes that fit your customer base?
If you want positive results, then you need to tailor your words directly to them.
Men and women are apt to shop differently. Don’t believe me? Check out this business journal article.
I just happen to have a background in Women’s Studies, but you don’t need that to know that men and women are different. Plain and simple. Whether you market to people online or in a brick-and-mortar building, you need to think about gender.
Women look for connections with individuals. Can you find a way to up your customer service or partner the female buyer with one salesperson for each purchase?
Men want straightforward simplicity. How can you put reviews and return policies in close proximity so that the guys see the nuts and bolts easily?
Age will be a huge factor in sales.
You and your mother - no doubt - purchase differently. Does she go into the store while you do a quick search online? Look at what you are selling and see who is buying!
Where you are selling needs to be convenient to your purchasing group!Location! Location! Location!
Physical Location of the Product: If you are a total marketing geek and want to read an in-depth paper at how location plays a part in sales, check this out! Social Science Research Network's paper is pretty interesting. Where you place items or product descriptions matters!
Can the buyers find what they are looking for?
Is there a new item next to something they have already purchased? Suggestions like this are enticing!
If on a website, does the information load quickly?
Think about how loading or lag-time affects consumers who are used to instant gratification.
Physical Location of the Buyer: If your customers are rural, then you need to be selling to them in a way that makes sense. Likewise, do the same for people in more urban areas.
If your customer fits the profile of someone who lives in a larger city, then Tractor Supply won’t be your go-to vendor. This may be an obvious statement, but if your sales are down then you need to think about all of the factors in the supply chain.
Is selling online an easy ‘Yes!’ for you? Make sure that you can ship and still make money with those added costs if it is.
Values play a key role in purchasing power.
You already know I am a Christian - I brought it up in the conversation about passion. If you were selling to me then there would be certain websites and stores that are going to be more effective.
So I ask the question again - who is your target audience?
Are you selling to a stay-at-home mom who is looking for her next good read?
Think about advertising with The MomCo.
Are you trying to reach Christian men?
What about a guest blog on a site like Unravel's?
I could go on and on here with a whole directory of where to get your message out. But really, you need to do the work of determining PASSION and AUDIENCE first.
Ready to work with a copywriter who wants to see your work succeed?
Email me at melissa@blessedwords.net to let me know what your business needs are!
I would love to be a part of your journey to blessing this world of ours.