When you invest in digital marketing school via HubSpot, as I have, what you’re told out of the gate is to know your buyer persona. Now that I understand that phrase better, it makes perfect sense. Quite simply, you need to understand the characteristics and demographic of the person most likely to hire your services.
Define Buyer Persona
What’s not as simple as defining buyer persona is writing to meet those criteria every day. To get there, you have to take a hard, introspective look:
What is your purpose writing blog posts every day, three times weekly or once per week?
If, when you look at a blank screen and see only obligation and weariness, then perhaps your spark for blogging has dimmed.
Instead of looking inward at only you, think about your audience. But, first, think about your business goals.
Bloggers have two paths to take when taking up the virtual pen:
- Be a personal blogger and write to share about families, travel, school, emotion, etc.
- Become a professional blogger where content is king and drives your business ROI.
It’s not easy making the leap. When a blogger writes solid and educational content with genuine authority on a highly consistent basis, that’s when things begin to happen.
Write For An Unknown Audience
How do you get there from here? You put yourself in the shoes of your buyer, reader, customer, prospect. What sorts of writing do you think your unknown audience wants from you?
You need to be developing #RockHot content every day; it’s imperative to ensure you’re climbing the rungs of the never-ending ladder.
Each of us who has been blogging more than three years consistently and has a goal to optimize a blog for monetization (the elusive), knows there’s a steep learning curve to the next plateau. To differentiate, it’s up to you to deliver content oriented to the reader you have never met.
The content you craft has to answer the question, “Does this blog post entice a total stranger to pay attention to my writing?”
Let’s get back to the buyer persona thing for a minute. In my view, keeping my target audience top of mind when blogging is a challenge. I have an incredible community built over time who are at varying stages of business success, who are personal friends, who are bloggers, who are business owners, and who are not likely to hire my services.
Here’s the rub…for all the people you know in your community, there are five handfuls of people you don’t know. It is these lurkers and occasional readers whom you want to lure back every day you post content.
If you’ve determined the characteristics and demographics of that occasional reader and defined your buyer persona, then perhaps the content you craft for your blog can be tailored to that group of people.
Switching gears to write for the buyer is a challenge for me.
Everything I read, every conversation I have, and each time I listen provides blog fodder for me. Because I want to teach and share my passion and enthusiasm for what I do, writing content to earn new business is where I struggle.
I’m working on it; trying to make the total leap to being a solidly successful business blogger who is regarded for authoritative content. Right now, the rocky path I’m on is exactly right. No one said a learning curve is without a detour, and I need to keep reminding myself that it’s OK to stay true to your school.
What about you…any hot tips to share about why you blog and how you regard your audience?
3HatsComm says
“…who are not likely to hire my services.” There’s quite a rub alright, we should get matching t-shirts! I’ve been talking about lurkers and the biting fish that aren’t us for .. how many years now?! It’s a challenge: respecting the community you have whilst writing for the readers you want, the audience you need.
The ‘voice’ I’m trying to adopt is that of a SMB owner or manager; someone debating DIY vs. pro, someone trying to see what they can do in-house and what needs to be outsourced to a specialist; think about their questions and answer them. More than marketing, more than the integrated PR/Social .. the ‘buyer’ I have in mind is one who has a healthy respect for Communications, as an essential function for a Strategic Business. We don’t have to totally change how we write, or what we write – but perhaps reshape it from a different perspective?? FWIW.
Soulati | Hybrid PR says
3HatsComm Girl, thanks for coming over. I see you went on holiday to your fave haunt. You just need to wrap it up and go to work for them! There are so many avenues, like all those timeshares that need selling. Hey, I’m serious.
I was chatting with a youngster who just graduated. I told her, “I am also seeking work.” In fact, you will never stop seeking work, and you have to think about how you brand yourself to put your services at the top of the food chain.”
That was kind of eye opening after I said it. Am I competing with a 20yo? Not really, but yes.
3HatsComm says
Soulati | Hybrid PR Always seeking work: the right client or right company, the right opportunity or gig. So yes, Disney or Carnival or someone needs to call me.. just so long as I ain’t selling timeshares. 😉
SwitchReports says
Great Article Jayme!
Soulati | Hybrid PR says
3HatsComm Soulati | Hybrid PR That old guy who tried to sell me was rockin’ it! Heh.