Last month, we talked about personalizing your content marketing by presenting your content with a consistent – and human – voice. Even B2B companies benefit from this approach. After all, it’s not a business making the buying decision. It’s a businessperson.
And while it’s obvious that people respond better to other people than they do to a faceless corporate entity, what’s often ignored – and, ironically, even more obvious – is the fact that people respond best when what they’re hearing interests them. Knowing what interests your audience means knowing your audience, so let’s take a look at painting a more personal picture of them.
The first step in this process is understanding that your audience is not a single monolith. Nearly every firm’s audience invariably consists of various segments, each of which, by definition, has different needs and interests than the others. (There can be overlap, of course, but if you can’t find a real difference between segments, chances are you’re not looking deeply enough. Or you’re not defining segments properly, though that’s less likely.)
Learning more about these segments – how many there are, what they are, etc. – can take many forms. Popular tools and concepts you’ll hear about include voice of customer (VOC) research, creation of customer persona, and developing customer profiles.
