Build a Blog: #2) How to Target Your Audience

Build a Blog: #2) How to Target Your Audience

EXTENDED-CARE MARKETING EDITION

Now that you know why a blog is a great, often under-used marketing tool, it’s time for the how-tos.  Whether you’re enlivening a news page, reviving a blog or starting from scratch, let’s consider the fundamentals, starting with your audience.

It’s important to target your audience, both those who may already be reading and those you want to be reading. Why? By targeting your audience, you will create blog entries that are interesting and relevant to readers, thereby building loyalty and the next step, potential referrals (including self-referrals).

Here are three steps for how to target your audience:

1. Create reader personas with names and faces and detailed profiles so you have a vision of exactly whom you are talking to when you’re building your blog. Like characters in a play, your reader personas serve as a shorthanded way of thinking about which entries appeal to which reader. For instance, if you are especially interested in gaining self-referrals and building relationships with families, your blog’s target audience is probably adult children. But push that further. What does that adult child look like? She is more than likely an adult daughter. Let’s call her Gabby Grown Daughter. How old is she? Where does she live? Where do her parents live? Does Gabby work? Have children? Is she married? The more you flesh out who Gabby Grown Daughter is, the more you’ll be able to target your blog’s content and your marketing to her in a meaningful way.

2. Focus on actual people, not just organizations. You might want to target instead important referrers, such as discharge planners at your local hospital, for instance. By naming your reader—Debbie Discharge Planner—you keep your focus on the warm-blooded human, not the organization she represents. That being said, consider your reader’s position in the organization. What is Debbie’s department? Her title, role and responsibilities? Build her character and then build a few more for other key potential referrers.

3. Make notes on what your reader would find useful. What are your readers’ concerns? What do they care about? What do they want to do better? What might they search the Internet for? Gabby Grown Daughter might be concerned about balancing the opinions of her siblings when it comes to Dad’s care. Debbie Discharge Planner might be concerned with reducing her hospital readmissions rate. When you encounter real-life examples of Gabby or Debbie and hear their concerns or their questions, jot them down in your “blog topics” file.

> If you need help building a blog or targeting your audience, give Lazzaro Designs a call or shoot us an email.
> Coming soon: Ways you can “bump up” the effectiveness of your blog: writing and design tips, how to use photos and infographics, as well as setting yourself up for an e-marketing campaign.

Posted Under: Blogging, E-Marketing, Extended Care, Social Media, Tips

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