Know your Audience Before you Write your Book or Web Site

If you want happy customers to use your service or buy your
product, you need to focus on their needs and desires.

Unhappy customers leave when they can't find what they
want--benefits and an easy way to buy. Perhaps your site has
barriers you don't realize. If anything is difficult, customers will
leave and give their business to someone else. Know your
audience and write headlines that Wow them.

Know your Audience Before you Write your Book or Web site
Copy

Before you list those benefits--you must know your particular
audience. Who will buy your book? What are their biggest
fears--their worries? What problem do they have that you can
solve?

Know their Assumptions about You and Your Product. What is
their number one life's dream? What are their assumptions about
your subject or service? What are their excuses for not acting on
what they want? Do they think your product is too much
money? They don't trust you yet? Do they think there is no
hurry? Do they think they don't have the time to implement your
skills?

Three Types of Audiences

1. The Narrow--one specific target market. No, not everyone
will want your book. These folks have a common need or
problem. Your product or service will solve that problem. For
instance, www.stopyourdivorce.com's product already has its
audience. They are compelled to buy because you are answering
their one biggest need. They will buy on the spot.

When all else has failed them, they want a cure right now
because of their pain and discomfort. They don't want
prevention. A good example is men--they don't want to prevent
prostate problems, but once they are diagnosed with a problem,
want a cure right now.

2. Short-Cut Time and Money Investment for a big payoff. The
audience wants a roadmap to where he or she wants to
go--fast! For instance, my ebooks and print books show
professionals how to shorten their journey to book publishing
and promotion.

3. Massive passionate audience. These are the readers of the
Chicken Soup servies. Think about the 68 million sold so far,
and the authors didn't even have to write the book. Full of
inspirational short stores, the massive audience responds. It's the
sheer volume of sales like the the 70 million who show Wal-Mart
every day. One client wrote a how-to book aimed at the now
70million baby boomers out there called Put Old on Hold. She's
an inspiration herself--looks and feels like a 50 year old.

Who is your particular audience? Make sure you know them,
inside and out.

How old are they? Male? Female? Age? Baby boomers?
Seniors? Entrepreneurial? Corporate? Are they middle or upper
class? What kind of work do they do? What is their income?
What do they spend discretionary time and money on? Where
do they live? What books and magazines do they read? What
different attitudes do these reflect?

What are their interests, hobbies, and values? What challenges
do they face that they want answers to? Are they business
people, retired people, over 50? What magazines do they read?
What radio shows do they listen to? What TV programs do they
watch? What do they do with their free time? What events do
they attend?

What organizations do they belong to? What causes do they
support? Are they Internet savvy? What kinds of sites do they
visit? How many of them are out there to sell to? What do they
want? Need?

Go to your library or use the Internet to research just who and
how many people belong to your audience. Ask for the
reference books that have census and other information. All
agents and publishers will want this information from you. And
your Web site must target its promotion aimed at your particular
audience. The more narrow the target, the easier it is to sell.

Even if you publish a book or create your Web site yourself, do
some market research. My research helps my clients who write
books or have Web sites that sell similar products and services
as mine: 45 million readers read new age books, 70 million baby
boomers and 60 million seniors are out there. They buy online,
too.

So go ahead and create your audience profile. Keep it in a file so
you can add more qualities when you think of them.

Discover why you are your audiences' best choice and tell them!

Perhaps you are like me and don't feel competitive. Yet, you
need to let your audiences know why you are different and
better. How are you or your product unique?

When you know your audience, you'll be able to write
compelling copy that pulls your visitors to buy your product or
service.