In writing this post, I was debating on whether it belongs in the category of building community, or if I should have this be the first post in a new category, titled conversions. For now, I’m placing it in the building community group- because you need to build community as a first step to monetizing them.
In working with my clients over the past few weeks, I’ve noticed that there is trend to shy away from specificity. Most of us are multi-talented and multi-faceted, and we find it very difficult to narrow ourselves down to just one idea. We fear that the potential client won’t “get it”- and will miss out on the ways we can help him or her if we don’t include all of them in a run on sentence that ends up sounding like we’re throwing ideas out there to see what sticks.
What I’m noticing- in both the search engines- and in focus groups- is that specificity drives responsivity. Stated another way, “The more specific your offer, the faster people step up to say Yes! when it’s right for them.”
From a purely technical perspective, the right keywords can help your site and business be properly categorized and found by the search engines. From a human visitor usability perspective, the right words can build rapport and assist your visitor in feeling that s/he has arrived at the right place.
When selling services from your site, for example, you want to be sure that you use specific languaging and phrasing that resonates with your target audience. Listen to the words they use to describe their problems, and do your best to utilize this in your own content offerings.
As the internet is getting more crowded, it is vital to utilize the concepts of specificity and relevancy to your maximum advantage. Two ways to do that are by using the same language as your audience- that’s the specificity part- and by using real examples of what they are struggling with and how you can help them- that’s the relevancy part.
When we are specific enough and relevant enough, we can almost instantaneously gain attention. This is the first step in any successful marketing campaign. In order to build the most effective marketing we can, we, as business owners, must be willing to declare- and take a stand for- what we do, and how we do it- and we must take responsibility for speaking in the language that our target market will respond to.
I’m noticing this in my own personal business evolution as well. The clearer I get about who I want to work with (purpose driven entrepreneurs who want to build their credibility and visibility and networks through the use of internet marketing strategy and tactics)- the easier it is for me to connect with people within my target audience. When I first started meeting these entrepreneurs, I was way too logical and left-brained. I needed to find a way to marry my intellect and intuition, because, after all, I was asking them to do the same, in terms of putting solid internet strategy and metrics behind their intuitive business approaches.
If you are investing in your marketing without enough response, you might try reworking some of the specificity and relevancy of your offers. Ask your best clients how they would describe working with you. Use their words in your marketing materials. Test for a better response rate.
Your target audience must know that you understand their struggles, and that you have specific and relevant solutions to assist them. This is one secret to building community, and driving conversions.
