Yesterday, I read one of Seth Godin’s quick blog posts.
The 2% who misunderstand you
His point is a great concept for content marketers to keep in mind. If you’re trying to reach a particular slice of the market – your target market – that means there’s a slice of the market you don’t care about. So, if that slice of the market doesn’t understand you, that’s fine. In fact, it can be good if it keeps them from kicking tires and otherwise draining your attention and resources.
- Focus on attracting the slice of audience you do want and who do understand you. Chances are that slice is going to be a lot less than Seth’s 98%.
- Address the needs of your target audience.
- Speak in terms your target audience is comfortable with, even if it’s jargon to the rest of the world.
- And for the love of Pete, give them relevant information. As Seth puts it, if you waste your time explaining to people how to fasten their seat belt, they’re going to ignore anything else you have to say.
(Which is a strong argument for creating content aimed at all phases of the buying process. Someone who is just starting her search needs basic information that would certainly bore a buyer much closer to decision time.)
So forget being universally understood and concentrate on gaining and keeping your true audience’s attention.
*Am I pointing out the obvious by saying that if they do matter and they don’t get it, there’s something wrong with your content?
