Marketers are creating a lot of content to address the increasing trend of self-educated buyers. But how well do they know their target audience and the challenges they are facing in their company or industry? And once they get a better understanding, are they conversing in their prospects’ language?
“Knowing who you are speaking to is a key component of any kind of effective communication. Whether you’re crafting targeted emails or direct mail letters, web banners or blog posts, webcast scripts or tweets, you need to know who’s on the receiving end,” states B2B marketing writer Amy Duchene in a post for Act-On.com.
Demographic data is a first stop, but by no means the last, Duchene says. Surveys and buyer personas are two additional tools that can tell you a lot about what challenges your prospective buyers are facing.
Speak their language
Once you’ve pinned down the topic your prospects want you to address, using the terms and descriptions they use is critical. SEO isn’t just for digital marketers’ use behind the scenes, says Duchene. “Print campaigns and collateral also need to use the industry-specific language your customers use. Seeing those familiar words and phrases helps draw them in to read more — and trust that you know their needs.”
