Everyone is different when it comes to interests, education, skill levels in different industries, etc. One of the biggest mistakes I see businesses and bloggers making is limiting their audience. If you want your content to do well or you want your sales copy to help you convert you have to write for multiple demographics and audiences at the same time. To make a sale or to pick up another fan you have to create trust and the best way to create trust is to meet the particular needs of the reader.

My background is in Psychology and I use that background to enhance our client’s marketing efforts. Whether it is content, web design and development, social media or paid search everything is based around how to create trust and reach multiple, broad audiences.

You have to cover your bases in each page or post and when I write I try to cover 9 bases. I have written about this before, but the SEJ audience has not seen it so I am going to review it again.

To Start, Keep These Two Learning Styles in Mind

To learn more about learning styles visit Learning Styles Online.

Visual Learners

Visual learners are exactly what they sound like. They learn from things they see and in sales visual learners are greatly influenced by what they see quickly. You can have a lot of great content, but you have to keep the visual learner in mind and include graphics, videos, charts and/or photos to grab and hold this audience. This audience takes in a lot of information quickly and often make a decision quickly based on what they see.

Copywriting skills are crucial when it comes to visual learners. You need bold headlines that are scannable throughout the page. Colors in headlines and complementary images are good for visual learners. Again, this audience takes in a lot of information quickly and can also make a decision quickly based on what they see. Graphics and headlines are a must!

Auditory Learners

Auditory learners are greatly influenced by what they hear. Videos are fantastic for auditory learners, but it can’t just be a boring video of someone sitting and speaking monotone. Music and sound is really important to this type of learner. When you are creating a video make sure it is not boring and there is some form of music that compliments what is being said. Create an emotion and you create memory in this audience.

Audiences to Address in Your Content Marketing

Obviously these are not all the audiences you should address; just the main broad audiences I keep in mind.

The Newbie

The newbie knows nothing about the subject of your blog or the services/products you sell. They are just getting into the research and with the help of SEO or social media they found your site or blog. Make sure your content is clear and easy enough for the newbie to understand (but it also has to please the expert too…getting to that later).

Related posts are crucial and very influential when you are dealing with a newbie. Give them a chance to learn from you and you have created trust. Pointing out common mistakes and inaccurate data is often good for educating the newbie.

The Intermediate

This audience knows things and has a good grasp on a subject, service or product, but they want to learn more and they don’t want to be talked down to. It is harder to earn this audience’s trust, because they know a good amount of facts already. So for the intermediate I recommend linking to posts or articles that will help those at the intermediate level with valuable information. Make sure you are educating without being condescending. Also, by giving valid facts to the newbie, you create trust with the intermediate.

If you are trying to sell a product or service you have a task to convince the intermediate that you are trustworthy and their needs will be met. Use your content to answer their questions before they ask them.

The Expert

Whether you have a blog or you are selling something, an expert is going to scan your content first to determine if you even have a clue. So your headlines and starting sentences below those headlines need to earn the trust, and the time, of the expert quickly.

Bloggers, to keep an expert interested you have to offer information they feel is worth sharing. Your facts and statements must be correct and offer valid information that an expert feels safe sharing with their audiences. Sound like an expert and you earn the trust of an expert.

Businesses, when you creating content for an expert on your products and services you must answer the higher level questions an expert would have. Address what the expert would know and would want to know in a subtle way (and an easy-to-understand way for the newbie). You cannot earn their trust without making it clear that you know what you are doing and/or your product(s) can meet the needs of the expert.

The Un-Informed Assistant

This assistant has often been told to collect data on a subject, service or product that can be given to their supervisor/boss.  They are not experts and should be treated as a visual newbie. They need to gather data quickly so give them what they need to see fast:

  • Headlines that address the subject, product or service
  • Images or graphics that can influence a sale.

The page should be scannable and informative enough for the assistant to believe it is valid information they can give to their boss.

The Boss / Analytical Thinker

This audience has either been provided information by an assistant or they are a researcher themselves. Their brains suck in and compare data all day. The information in your content needs to be extremely informative, valid and create trust because the boss / analytical thinker HAS to be 100% convinced to invest their time or money.

When you are writing you have to constantly be focused on creating trust for all your audiences,but the analytical thinker will only be convinced by facts and knowledge. Typos will hurt you with this audience. This person will most likely make the final decision in regards to a service or product. Think about what you, an expert, would need to hear to invest (time or money) and make sure you offer this information to the reader.

The Pessimist

Oh how bloggers love the pessimist. They will find anything to complain about and they don’t trust easily. They have no problem pointing out mistakes (and often enjoy it) so if you want to win over this audience you can’t make any.

In regards to business, the pessimist has most likely had a bad experience with a company such as yours. They have been burned and done research on others being burned. Trust is crucial and educational information provided by you can show the pessimist that you are a company that knows what they are doing. Provide related links to content that shows you know your stuff and you may have a chance of winning over the pessimist.

The Hippie

The Hippie is often pretty happy. Life is good and people are good and the grass is a blessing. They tend to be the audience that gets burned because they believe everyone is good. They trust too easily so it is important to point out to this audience how to avoid typical and potential problems that often arise. If they want to stay inside the happy bubble they will need to avoid what? You tell them that in a happy “life is great” sort of way and you win this audience.

These are Broad Audiences to Keep In Mind

With all your marketing efforts you should be target marketing, but these are audiences I keep in mind with everything I do. How do I create trust with these 9 audiences? How do I answer their questions? How do I convert? What do they need to hear?

This strategy has worked for me and I wanted to share it with you. Please let me know what broad audiences you focus on.

Written By By  at Search Engine Journal

Melissa is the Managing Editor of Search Engine Journal & owner of SEO Aware, LLC. Her company specializes in the Psychology behind online sales and conversion. She is a self-proclaimed Star Wars and Internet geek and volunteers with big cats at BigCatHabitat.org.