Meet Your Audience Where They’re At.
In the world of marketing and sales, connecting with your customers on their level and in their language is crucial. The statement, “Meet your audience where they’re at” may irritate grammatical purists, but the concept is essential for effective communication and engagement.
What exactly does it mean, to meet your audience where they’re at?
It means to connect with your customers on a level they understand, in a language they use and at a skill level they can manage. This is how you build trust on many levels and encourage engagement.
Let me give you an example.
When I give a lecture to a new audience, I ask myself the following questions:
- What is the demographic of my audience? Gender, cultural background, age group, etc.
- From what professions do they come?
- What knowledge can I impart, and how will it help them?
- Which language will effectively convey my message? Formal, informal, academic?
- How long do I have for the talk?
- Is there a question-and-answer period planned for the end?
- Which activities will fit well with this audience?
- What take-home messages do I want to get across?
Having answers to these questions allows me to shape my talk so that it lands and resonates with my audience. It will enable me to produce powerful content, speak to their concerns, and give examples that connect to their industry. I will know how much time I have for delivery, pace myself effectively, and deliver in a timely and organized fashion.
Without this insight, I wouldn’t know what to prepare or why, and the consequences would be disastrous. The audience would hate my lecture because it would add no value, and I would not be invited back.
In a marketing environment, the concept works like this:
When writing any form of communication (social media, blogs, or emails), you want to know your audience. You want to have answers to all the same questions I asked above—and more. You want to know what keeps your people up at night, what stops them from moving forward, and how you can help.
Once you have all the answers, you simply connect the dots, delivering content at the right level, in the right tempo, and with the right metaphors and examples.
Additionally, when producing courses, coaching packages or workshops, you need to consider your audience before you shape your content and timetable. That way, you can deliver valuable content without overwhelm. You may also offer different supporting resources depending on where your customer is on their journey and how much hands on help they need.
In the end, it’s about creating a symbiotic relationship between you and your audience; a dance between their needs and abilities, and your skills. This is what is meant by “Meet your audience where they’re at.”
My experience is, that whlist many coaches and course creators know what it means to speak directly to their customer avatar, they find it hard to focus to one audience. Not because they can’t, but because they fear niching down.
They can’t conceive of the idea that a smaller audience achieves greater engagement, and so they keep hitting brick walls. They post regularly with nonspecific content to keep their doors open, but engagement is poor, and when they do put a product to market, no one buys. This is a typical cycle for an unfocused brand that is struggling to gain traction with their audience.
If this is a concept you struggle with and you’re not sure how to connect your product with your audience, by all means reach out. It really helps to have someone to talk to as you shape the landscape of your brand and business; shaping your ideal customer avatar and aligning your skills with their needs.
Email Dustie’s office on: hello@dustiehouchin or book a new client consultation to talk through your needs. You’ll be thrilled at how much it will help.
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