- By: Mark Jakobsen
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Are you saying what your audience wants to hear? Or just what you want to say?
You’ve spent countless hours, and a fair chunk of your marketing budget, making sure your website looks stunning, your social videos are Oscar-worthy, your outreach emails read like Steinbeck, and your ads practically glow. But… where are the leads? If you’re not seeing results, it might be time to ask whether your content is truly connecting. Are you practicing audience-first marketing, or are you just saying what you want to say.
Audience-first marketing is all about speaking their language
You’ve heard the saying: “Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.” That’s the essence of audience-first marketing, or otherwise known as empathetic marketing. It’s about stepping into your customer’s mind, understanding their needs, challenges, aspirations, and goals, then from that shaping your content to resonate with it.
In short, it’s what you want to say vs. What your audience needs to hear.
Why it matters: The stats don’t lie
There’s plenty of evidence that audience-first content performs better:
- 87% of marketers say content marketing has increased leads, by as much as 11%, when it’s tailored to audience needs.
- Personalized content can boost conversion rates by 20% and reduce bounce rates by 17%.
- 70% of consumers now expect some form of personalized digital experience.
Put briefly, content that connects… converts.
It’s not a one-size-fits-all solution
Yes, talking too much about your services without context isn’t great, and we still see plenty of companies doing it, but removing them entirely isn’t the answer either. Your product or service still matters. What you need to work out is the best way to position it.
Different industries, and even different companies, require different balances. Your brand’s tone of voice, your audience’s expectations, and your market positioning all play a role. But one thing is universal: jargon, assumptions, and internally focused messaging will always underperform.
How to get audience-first marketing right
Start with persona development. In short, it’s about knowing your customer, and if you would like to delve further into it, we have an earlier blog dedicated to it here. By undertaking this exercise, you will build a clear picture of your ideal customer: their goals, pain points, preferences, and motivations.
All this information will help you to reframe and breakdown your messaging to match what your customers want to hear. Let’s take a simple example, instead of saying:
“We offer cutting-edge analytics tools.”
Which is all about the tool and says nothing to the customer, try instead:
“Struggling to make sense of your data? Our tools help you turn chaos into clarity.”
It’s a subtle shift, but a powerful one. Make sense?
Talk with your audience, not at them
Here’s a suggestion for you, look at your last few blogs, emails, or ads. Analyse them based on the above to see if they are framed with the customer or the product, service or solution in mind.
By shifting your perspective and embracing audience-first messaging you will build stronger, more meaningful connections with your customers. You’ll be demonstrating a genuine understanding of, and concern for their experiences, which won’t go unnoticed.