The initial goal of any marketing campaign or piece of content is simple – to capture the attention of the target audience. Sounds simple, right?
But what if, despite all your best efforts, your ads, emails or funnels are falling flat? When the click through rate is low and the conversion rate practically non-existent (or cost per conversion is sky-high), it’s time to take another look at things. You may be alienating your target audience without even realizing it.
This article breaks down four ways entrepreneurs and business owners may be actually pushing target audiences away instead of attracting them, then gives suggestions on how to really start grabbing their attention and getting things back on track.
Mistake #1: Not Knowing WHO The Audience Really Is
A few years ago, a friend of mine had a client who sold all-natural skin care products. The products were amazing, and she knew they had a hit on their hands. The only problem was the women they were marketing to didn’t seem to agree. In the first few months of running Facebook ads, they struggled to get reasonable-costing sales.
Turns out, the problem lurking just beneath the surface was lack of clarity on WHO the ideal customers really were. It wasn’t until they really dialed in on the specific type of buyer who not only wanted the all-natural products but were willing to pay higher prices for them that things took off. The brand has since become a multi-million dollar company with a strong, vibrant customer following.
Sometimes we decide who an offer is for but forget to ask them if they want it. Then we feed them copy and images that – surprise, surprise – don’t resonate because we don’t really understand who the target audience is.
How to Fix It: Do the target audience research. Ask your customers and clients what appeals to them about your offer and what doesn’t. Find out what they’re struggling with, then match your messaging to that. Stalk your competitors and watch what they’re doing.
Sometimes you’ll find that the type of person you thought was a PERFECT fit for the offer just plain isn’t. Don’t give up – just because they aren’t doesn’t mean your perfect person isn’t out there. They are, and when you really know and understand WHO they are, you’ll be able to create copy and messaging that catches their attention.
Mistake #2: Not Knowing WHAT The Target Audience Understands
I could sense my coaching student’s frustration through the screen.
“It’s just not converting to sales, Christa,” they said. “I know this is my target audience. This offer has converted well over the phone, but it’s not working online. I don’t understand what’s wrong!”
I pulled up the funnel and identified the problem immediately. His headline featured the name of his program, but it didn’t give any indication of why they needed the offer or what it would do for them.
“How much does your target audience understand about what your program does based on the name of it?” I asked. “Do they understand yet why they need it?”
Although my client’s offer was amazing and 100% brought about the results it promised, he had forgotten to put himself in the mind of his target audience. Instead, he had skipped right over their pain and gone straight to the solution.
And that was a problem, because the audience didn’t even know it was the solution yet!
How to Fix It: Want to capture your target audience’s attention and keep reading? Show them you know and understand what they’re thinking, feeling and experiencing. Be on their side. Remember, sales copy should be a journey, not a destination, and you want them to enjoy it! That means you have to come alongside them and build the road ahead with the information they need to take the next step and the next.
Be their guide, not their drill sergeant.
Mistake #3: Not Going WHERE The Audience Is
Ever see an ad show up on your newsfeed and click the Facebook page just to see what it’s all about, only to be disappointed when there’s NO information there? One surefire way to not capture your audience’s attention is to just plain not show up. You can’t expect great results if no one knows who you are or what you do and sell.
Everyone starts somewhere, and when you’re marketing to cold audiences, you can expect results to be slower and likely more expensive. If you’re coming out of nowhere with a non-existent online presence, no testimonials, and no social proof, it’s going to take time and effort to grow an audience of engaged followers.
If you’re not being present online wherever your ideal clients and customers hang out, you’re missing a huge opportunity for visibility and connection. You don’t want to be seen as just another one of “those guys” who hit them with an offer out of nowhere but never deliver.
How to Fix It: Figure out where your ideal clients and customers hang out, then get active on that platform. You can use paid video ads, organic social media, email marketing – whatever works to reach them is worth doing. Provide value everywhere you go. Don’t be afraid to let your expertise show!
Mistake #4: Not Knowing HOW To Speak Their Language
“Okay, but what does that actually MEAN?” I asked my client. “That name doesn’t mean anything to your audience if they don’t understand what it means and does for them.”
We put so much time, energy and money into building our offers – so much time, energy and money that it becomes almost second nature. We forget what it was like to be the person struggling with the things your ideal clients and customers struggle with. That makes it really easy to come at them with our proprietary terms and high-level sales language.
Guess what? A fancy name doesn’t mean much to them if they don’t know how the program or product behind the name will help them.
How to Fix It: Make sure you’re not overwhelming your audience with fancy terms or proprietary names they aren’t familiar with. If they don’t understand what you’re talking about in the first few lines of copy, they’re gone. Period.
Break what your product or service does into simple terms that are easy to understand. I promise, people would much rather just plain “get it” than be impressed by five-dollar words.
More from Christa Nichols
Want to learn the same attention-capturing strategy I use with my 7- and 8-figure clients? This strategy is just one of five copy optimization techniques I’ll be teaching for FREE inside my Funnel Copy Fix 5-Day Challenge. The challenge features daily Live video trainings inside a private Facebook community, plus the Funnel Copy Fix Workbook, daily action tasks to implement as you go, Live funnel copy reviews, prizes and bonuses, guest expert interviews, and more!