Everyone could use one of these.
There isn’t anyone who couldn’t benefit from my services.
These things could be true—but they’re probably not.
No. We take it back. They definitely aren’t true.
It seems intuitive that the more people you market to, the more people you cater your products and services to, the more successful you’ll be. Let us save you the time and trouble by telling you right now that’s not the case.
This is especially true if you’re trying to reach everyone, everywhere with your blog. You’ll end up doing a huge disservice to your business.
Here’s why, but let’s start with what your blog is supposed to do for your business in the first place.
The point of a blog
For many businesses, having a blog is just another thing to put on the to-do list, and it’s one thing that usually gets put at the bottom. We get it. You have a million other things to do that are more important.
Well, your blog is more important than you think for some very impressive reasons:
- It can establish you as an expert in your niche
- It can boost SEO on your website, allowing you to be searched for on the internet more easily
- It can create leads, and ultimately, sales
- You can use your blog to learn more about your target audience
Your target audience. What does that mean?
By offering something to everyone, you become nothing to no one
This is where many businesses chime in by saying their product or service appeals to everyone, so their blog should appeal to everyone too. To illustrate that this is never the case, let’s think about a few businesses that should appeal to everyone, but they don’t. Take a hair salon, for example.
Everyone needs to have their hair cut, so shouldn’t all the salons in the area cater to everyone in order to make the most money? Absolutely not.
Some salons are all about being quick and cheap, which is great for families on the go. Some salons cater to men by playing sports on a big screen TV and offering complimentary scalp massages. Others are all about the glam, and some, like RedBloom, are all about offering a comprehensive customer experience.
Now think about clothes, shoes, and electronics. Some labels appeal to teens, some shoes are marketed to athletes, and certain electronics are marketed to creatives, like photographers.
Businesses are effective because they offer a specific something to a certain subset of people. They understand that by offering something for everyone, they have absolutely nothing to offer anyone.
How to create a blog that appeals to your target audience
If you’re just getting over the idea that you should be everything to everyone, you have to start at the very beginning.
That means understanding your company’s values and your greater purpose in order to build a brand persona that your target audience will connect with. Once you’ve done that, you can start thinking about the kinds of things a brand like yours would talk about on a blog.
Let’s use the salon example from above. If your salon is all about quick, cheap haircuts, you probably shouldn’t blog about the latest hairstyle trend that takes hours to complete. Instead, think about your target audience and what they would want to read about. You’d be better off writing an article about hairstyling products that allow you to achieve all-day style in less than 10 minutes.
That doesn’t mean you can’t be a little creative with your blog. If you create sustainable fashion, writing about the latest advances in green technology might be worth your time. If it’s something that aligns with your purpose, and it’s something your target audience cares about, give it a try.
Creating the right voice
Creating a blog that is written for a target audience means creating the right voice. We’ve all read those blasé blogs that are obviously targeted to everyone. They’re the blogs that you realize you’re reading, but you’ve completely stopped paying attention to the words on the digital page.
Write with some personality, but do it mindfully. You can get away with some bad language on your blog if make custom choppers, but not if you’re marketing bedding to seniors. Use modern lingo if you’re marketing to teens and 20-somethings, and keep things positive if you’re targeting pregnant women.
If you market to the masses, you’re doing it wrong. If you blog to the masses, you’re doing it wrong.
Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb and create a few blog articles that align with your purpose and values, even if what you have to say might offend or be completely unappealing to some people. Track the progress of those articles and you may just find they’re the most popular ones on your website!
Need a blog boost? Let us help! Contact BottomLine Marketing. Not only can we help you learn how to Market with Impact, we can help you with content marketing that ensures you get noticed for all the right reasons.