Thursday 18 October 2012

Listen… Then Reach your Target Market

Are you one of the many who feel that their audience isn’t listening to what they have to say? Content site and blog owners work hard to bring good quality content to their readers but are disappointed when it isn’t taking root with the readers.

What’s the problem? If the problem is a bad connection with the target market, you can use a few choice tools to change that. Revamp your marketing strategy or consider link building to fix what’s going wrong. When that doesn’t work, the problem may lay between the site owners (you) and the market.

Everyone wants to be listened to. To get your market to listen to what you have to say, try listening to them first. Learn what your market is interested in and what information they desire from you. Superficial answers won’t do. Build a stronger relationship with your readers by digging a little deeper.

Try these 8 ideas to give you a head start to being a better listener:

1. Keyword Research: Your target market won’t find your blog unless the content you post is optimized for them. Starting a project with keyword research will drive traffic your way that will be interested in what you have to offer. But, only half of the equation is due to keywords. You will get the readers by tapping into what they enter into search engines but you won’t know WHO exactly is searching for you. Another part of the equation is missing, so keep reading through these tips to help you…

2. Correspondence and Comments: Actually take the time to read the comments that readers leave for you. The feedback will give you helpful insight into what they are thinking.

3. Track Links: Who is clicking on the links on your website? Through tracking, you can see what offers are being taken advantage of. Even though people say they want a certain product, they may be clicking on something else entirely.

4. Submissions: Create a form where readers can record suggestions. See if any of their comments are similar, following a common thread or trend.

5. Message Boards: These can be addictive, but are a valuable source of information. You don’t want to spend all of your time here especially when other business activities take priority. What you do what to do is skim the more popular ones and see what people in your target market are talking about. To find the message boards of your choice, type “XXXX message board” in any search engine.

6. Twitter and Facebook Groups: Again, social networking can be just as sidetracking as message boards, so use your time strategically and wisely. Stay in contact with groups that reflect your target market to catch up on the latest trends. It will help you to modify your content to meet their needs.

7. Read the Blogs of Your Own Readers: Just about everyone has a blog and an opinion to go with it. Use your RSS feed reader to keep tabs on what they write about.

8. Competition: Keep an eye on what your competition is doing and how their audience responds. Use your feed reader to track their headlines.
Listening doesn’t have to take huge chunks of time. It should become part of your daily routine, giving you a deeper understanding of your target market. Keep your eyes and ears open and you’ll learn what you need to know to reach your intended target.

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