Before even deciding to start a blog for your small business, you should first identify the audience you want to reach with it. While most of the world is on the internet at this point, there are still groups of people that don’t have the resources or desire to spend much time online. If your audience fits in this category, you may want to skip blogging and find another way to reach these people.
On the other hand, if your audience is online, you need to identify them for other reasons.
WHY should you identify your audience first? – Different audiences have different tastes and habits. Your audience dictates the content and style of your posts. For example:
- Tech crowds prefer slang and reviews in their blogs
- Baby Boomers prefer a more cut and dry tone
- Seniors prefer larger font and more information
HOW to identify them – There are several ways to identify your audience. Some examples:
- Talk to past and existing clients and customers
- Use market research to see who would be interested in your blog
- Participate in forums or online answer services like Yahoo’s
WHAT to do now that you know your audience – Knowing your audience allows you to speak their language. Some things you can do are:
- Use the jargon they are used to or expect
- Include media elements that appeal to them like photos, videos and podcasts
- Focus on the products or services they are most interested in
