4 signs your content is missing the bullseye with your target audience
If you think of your content strategy like a dartboard, your goal is always to hit your target (your target audience), with the dart you hold (your content).
When your content strikes a chord with your audience (or hits the bullseye), converting viewers into active participants and spending customers is easier. Just don’t expect sales to take off right away.
People often need multiple interactions with your brand in order to make a purchase decision. But the more your content speaks to your audience, letting them know who you are and what problems you solve that are relevant to them, the more inclined they’ll be to purchase from you because they resonate with the messages you’re sharing. When this happens, you’ve gained more points with them and are winning the content game!
Just like that dartboard, the further away your content lands from your target audience, the fewer points you’re going to gain with them on each piece of content.
Here are a few signals that might indicate your content is missing the mark:
You’re getting a lot of views on your content or website, but no one is purchasing or signing up and/or you’re spending a lot of ad money with little to no results (both of these scenarios illustrate a low conversion rate)
You’re putting out a lot of content but engagement is inconsistent or low
You’re receiving a lot of questions about who you are and what you offer (especially if you think the answers are obvious)
The demographics of people viewing or responding to your content are not aligned with your target audience
If any of these sound familiar, you might need to address one or more of these areas:
Unclear messaging
If your messaging is unclear your audience won’t be able to figure out who you are, what you do, or how you might be able to help them.
Ensure that you are clear when you explain your mission, what you do, and who you serve.
Why did you start this business? What are you and your team all about? What do you offer? Revisit these topics regularly in your content.
Remember that everyone who views your content is at a different place on the customer journey. Yes, some will be customers who are very clear on what you offer, but others are only just discovering you!
Focus on how you can nurture your audience at all points. Don’t worry too much about repeating content—only a fraction of your audience actually sees each piece of content anyway.
For example, if you offer marketing services but your Instagram feed is full of photos of sunsets, you don’t have your website linked, and you only post once a month, people are probably going to struggle to determine the value that you offer them. Rather than attracting genuine customers, you’ll likely attract people who like sunset photos (great people, wrong audience).
Make sure you’re also sharing how people can get involved with your brand, purchase from you, or support you. And keep the customer in mind when you set up the process. If it’s unclear or too difficult, they may not purchase from you even if they want to.
Lack of understanding on your customer pain points
When you’re not clear on your audience's pain points or problems, your content won't resonate because your audience won't see themselves in the content.
Put more of a focus on the problems that you solve and the transformation you provide.
What is the purpose of your product or service? What are people struggling with and how do you help them? What does it look like before someone purchases your product/ service and what does it look like after? How does your audience feel before and after your product/service?
Get super clear on what it is that you offer. This is where testimonials can help! Why do your current customers keep coming back? This can help illustrate what problems you’re solving.
Chat with your customers and ask why they come to you specifically. How does it feel to have someone they can trust help them? What changed for them after they worked with you?
Don’t be afraid to evoke emotion in your content so people can truly see themselves in the process and start to crave the transformation. People often purchase based on emotion over logic.
You’re focusing on pain points that don't apply to your ideal client
You not only want to focus on the problems you solve but how these apply to your ideal client. Otherwise, you'll attract too many people who aren't your ideal client.
Granted, there will always be people who purchase from you that aren’t part of your target audience. But, if you’re finding constant inconsistencies in who is coming to you, or if no one at all is coming to you, it’s can indicate of a problem in your messaging.
Who is your ideal client? What is the transformation they’re looking for? If your product or service offers a number of benefits, which ones are most important to them?
There may be benefits of your services that aren’t important to your target audience. Making those benefits too prominent in your messaging can attract too many clients that don’t fit your ideal client profile. Keep your messaging laser-focused on the things that matter most to your ideal client.
You’re speaking at your clients (rather than to them)
Generally, this happens when you center your opinions or point of view without considering your clients and what they want to hear from you.
The impact? Slow growth and having a harder time earning your clients’ trust.
Create content that centers your audience. What are the questions or problems they struggle with? How can you offer value with your content strategy?
Note what content seems to do well in terms of engagement and conversion. You’ll likely see that it’s the content that speaks to your ideal client directly.
Get to know your customers and ask questions around their pain points. What type of content are they looking for? What language do they use? Ensure your content is streamlined, clear, and specific, built around your ideal clients rather than you.
Correct your form, and your aim will improve
Like any sport, you have to work on your form before you’re going to see results. Focus on creating content that has a clear direction. Experiment and test out different content, tweaking your strategy as you go. Throw by throw (content piece by content piece) you’ll find yourself getting closer to that target.
Love the way you used the example, but since car repair services aren't in my target audience, I made it generic. I tried to think of a service-based business that would work as well and I'm coming up blank, of course. 🤪