Thanks for the Cash F@cker!

While the title of this post may suggest something completely different, I'd like to demonstrate the effectiveness of well-written and relevant website and marketing copy - specifically content that has been created with one's target audience in mind.

We, as marketers, understand the need for reaching out to our site's visitors. We understand that creating a conversation, rather than just a one-way dialogue, is crucial. More importantly, we understand the real value when engaging our target audiences in a way that makes sense to them. However, what we don't understand is how to actually do so.

My inspiration for writing this post actually stems from a real life event that happened to me just a few months back. It had been nearly a week after being married, and my wife and I were sitting down to write out our "thank you" notes. Personally, I really didn't want to participate - I have horrible penmanship, and Jackie's handwriting is perfect. However, in the interest of fairness (and to avoid my wife's Sicilian temper - I'm joking, she's a sweetheart) I decided to be a team player and help out.

It was decided that I would write the notes for my family and friends, and she would do the same for hers. One by one we sat at our table and wrote out our thank you notes until we were each finished. The next day, we mailed them. About a week later, Jackie and I both received a text message on our phones from Ryan, one of my life-long friends, which said:

"That was the best thank you card I've ever received, thanks. That's how they all should be. LOL. I'm going to frame it and hang it on my wall."

Now at this point in time Jackie and I had been together nearly 8.5 years, and to say that she knows my friends is a true understatement. She knows that Ryan is the last person in the world you'd ever expect to receive a "thank you" text from, especially for sending him a thank you card. The jig was up. She immediately turned to me and asked "what did you write?"

I told her the truth. I wrote: "Ryan - Thanks for the Cash F@cker! We'll use it to buy stuff. Sincerely, Karl and Jackie."

At first, Jackie remained speechless as she stared at me. I remember looking on waiting for her eye to twitch - a true sign that she was upset - but that didn't happen. Instead, she began to laugh. She said, "That's Ryan".

And it was. It was Ryan to a "T" - immature and straight to the point.

When I began writing out Ryan's thank you note, I knew that not only would he have recognized any one of our 4 canned responses as being B.S., but that if I didn't make personal enough we'd run the risk of turning him off, appearing lame, or worse yet coming across as being unappreciative as is the case with most canned "thank you" cards. I decided to call an audible and go off script. And it worked.

Going back to my original statement about writing for your site's target audience, I'd like to tie in my real life example. While I certainly understand that writing page copy for a website or a marketing campaign in general is complex and is not going to be as easy as personalizing a thank you note for a friend, I believe the process for doing so is the same. In my real life example, I was able to trigger a positive response from Ryan (my audience) by simply engaging him in a way that made the most sense to him, not to me, Jackie, or our other family and friends. To do this, I needed to have a great understanding of my target audience and be willing to follow through, despite other's opinion.

Know Your Target Audience
Knowing your target audience isn't the same as knowing the general age and sex of the people that buy your products and services. Instead, I'm suggesting that website owners need to have a much deeper and more personal understanding of their customers. Owners should know what their customer's exact needs are, as well as any number of other concerns that may influence their purchase.

For example, liquor store owners know that the average customer stepping through their door is going to be male and over the age of 21, but how does that help them sell more alcohol? It doesn't. However, should this liquor store be conveniently located next to a major college university campus, then we'd all agree that he or she would benefit greatly knowing that college students in general tend to have very limited funds and in most cases prefer quantity over quality. True? With this knowledge, the liquor store could stock up on and advertise 30 packs of Keystone Light beer for $10, as opposed to $55 bottles of Grey Goose vodka.

My point is simple. The more you know and understand about your target audience, the better you'll be at engaging them in a way that makes sense to them. In my earlier example, I was very fortunate because my target audience happened to be one of my good friends. While coming up with "Thanks for the Cash F@cker" wasn't exactly rocket science, the verbiage was unique and targeted, and in return generated a positive reaction.

Follow Through, Despite Other's Opinion
First and foremost, the only opinions that matter in regards to your site's content and marketing messages are those of the people it is meant for. That's it. Your best friend's opinion, your neighbor's opinion, and even your own personal opinion on the matter are not valid.

When writing Ryan's thank you note, several scenarios went through my head. What if someone other then Ryan reads it - Jackie, his family, his friends? What will they think of it? What will they think of me? How will they react? When it all comes down to it, the only opinion that mattered was Ryan's.

The same can be said for your site's content and marketing efforts. Your goal as a website owner is to capture the attention of your target audience and then influence their decision through special, targeted verbiage. If you do this, you'll have no problem with getting customers to open up their wallets (or, whatever it is you're trying to accomplish), and you'll put yourself on the right track heading for success.

Labels: commentary-rants