Despite all that I know about the first rule of content marking, this corner of my website has been sadly neglected, making a mockery of my so called expertise.
What is this golden rule?
Create fresh and relevant content.
I have no problems with the “fresh” bit, as I’d be more than happy to write here and tell you about the daily minutiae of my life, but is that what you really want to read? No? I didn’t think so.
I’ve struggled with the “relevant” aspect because for the longest time I wasn’t clear who I was writing for. Am I writing for writers? For business owners? For bloggers? All of the above?
Last week I attended a workshop on Online Marketing and once again I was faced with this question – who is my ideal client? Finally, I was given a clear template and a little bit of time to fill in the gaps.
As I completed the template and worked through more steps in the Marketing Strategy, the content I wanted for this website changed in my head and I even gained more clarity about the products I wanted to make available to you.
While I quietly work on all those things in the background, I thought I might share with you the information you need to know about your client(s). This information isn’t proprietorial or new, as I’ve come across it in various mediums over the last couple of years, but since it took me a few times to truly internalise it, you could find that reading it again here will be the trick to finally understand it and utilise it in your business.
Client Analysis
Client Name – choose a generic name that represents a specific client group, eg: Business Betty, or Sample Sally.
Photo – think of an existing client or a well known person that represents this client group.
Background – basic details about this client’s role, their business, relevant background like education or hobbies.
Demographics – gender, age range, house hold income, urban/suburban/rural.
Identifiers – buzz words, mannerisms.
Goals – primary and secondary goals.
Challenges – what keeps this person up at night? what problems do they face?
How we can help – how you and your business solve this person’s problems and challenges, how you help this person achieve their goals.
Common objections – identify the most common objections this person will raise during the sales process, eg: cost, relevance, time.
Marketing messaging – how should you describe your solution to this person?
You might do this two or three times, once for each major client group, leaving you with a clear description of the two or three “personas” you want to do business with. For example I quickly realised that writers were not one of my key client groups, but business owners are, as are bloggers. I have two separate business streams to cater for those two, even though it’s not yet clear on my website.
Once you have these “personas” in front of you, clearly defined, it becomes much easier to not only write for them, but to develop your entire marketing strategy around them. Don’t forget the photos!
What does this have to do with keeping your blog fresh and relevant? Personally I find it much easier to write for an individual, such as those who ask me questions on Facebook or Twitter, or those I already work with, than a large amorphous group called “readers”. Tailoring content to a specific group represented by a “persona” is so much easier than trying to be everything to everyone.
However, the most important thing you need to do to keep your blog from being sad and neglected?
Be Yourself!
I have a personal blog where I write as myself, Dorothy, a sole parent to two boys and a business owner. My writing there is more like therapy and it is purely me. I don’t try to be anyone else, I don’t put labels on myself.
Starting to write here, I put a label on myself, “writer”, and decided that I must be all professional.
There is nothing wrong with being professional as long as you keep your heart in it. When your heart is elsewhere, your desire to update your blog will quickly vanish. My heart isn’t in being a “writer”. My heart is in helping business owners and bloggers in whatever way my skills allow me. Sometimes that will be through writing, sometimes through managing Facebook competitions, or dealing with PR. My blog needs to reflect that. So from now on I will write to you as a fellow business owner and blogger, sharing with you what I’ve learnt and what you want to learn.
What about you? Is the blog sad and neglected, or fresh and relevant? How do you keep yourself motivated?
Image by Mike Licht from here.
Sometimes it’s hard to juggle the business and personal hats we wear. I decided to combine my blog into one after years of keeping things separate. Best thing I ever did. And absolutely having your ideal client a firm picture in your mind is so important. Great tips, I’ll use these 🙂
I was thinking exactly the same thing, about combining my personal and business blogs. I have some ideas about restructuring my online presence and will probably do just that in months to come.
How right you are about blogging with heart. My heart IS in writing, at least at the present time, so I find it easy to get motivated… my difficulty it finding time with a young family to spend the time I would like to. X
I had a bit of a crisis of identity a few months ago, I found myself leaning more towards the mummy blogger and less towards the mental health blogger. Then I realised that I can be both. My blog is about reducing the stigma, and showing that mentally ill doesn’t mean your life is over. What better way to show that then to offer a glimpse into what my life is on the day to day. I’ve always wanted to have my blog have that personal touch, so it was never going to be filled with information bites only.
My blog goes through phases I guess. I get busy and distracted and lost for words and then I guess it’s not very fresh and relevant at all, but lately, I have revamped the look of my blog, it feels like a better fit with me now and it has made the world of difference. Sometimes a little change is more inspiring than you think!
I’m laughing out loud because today I posted to my blog for the first time in a month. This, from the girl who CLAIMS she wants to blog twice weekly.
Ha!
So thank you for the perfect timing and the clear reminder of exactly why my poor blog has been left shivering out in the paddock. Time to bring her in from the cold!
Fantastic focussing advice to define audiences Dorothy. Thanks
My petsandplants blog surprised me when I assumed my audience/clients would be Ballarat based. It’s not called the world wide web for nothing!
My client groups are an animal welfare group.
Little Janey who wants information about animals she owns or is researching for a school project eg guinea pigs!
The perma/culture people local and global.
For Fionaludbrook.com, I find myself using terms like “mobile or cell phones” and have become very much more aware of American v English vernacular.
Networking through relevant groups is invaluable.
So is travelling abroad and checking out what is going on on the ground in relation to pet and plant innovations globally!
I have met people who both inspire and add to my business networks.
Other pet writers and garden writers have been fabulous, b oth within Australia and beyond!