Figuring out what your target market is thinking AKA their ...
Figuring out what your target market is thinking AKA their psychographics There’s a lot of ways you could go about this. There are a lot of ways you could research your target market’s psychographics. If you had the money, you could even hire a research company. You could conduct focus groups. You could do surveys. You could do a lot of fancy stuff. But the reality of the matter is that you aren’t going to do those things. You’re probably not trying to become a professional copywriter; you just want to sell your stuff, and learn how to write some damn good copy that will accomplish just that. So what I’m going to recommend is something a little different. Something that’s a simple, but effective test that’ll automatically help you glean the psychographic information you need-without jumping through all the hoops. Ready? There is no math. No formulas. No numbers. No calculations. It’s very simple, and I’m convinced it’s just as effective--it’s my go-to when my clients don’t have as much information as I’d like. Simply answer the following three questions: What do they do on Sunday mornings? What do they do on Monday mornings? Why?
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
If you can answer these three deceptively simple questions, you’ll gain more psychographic insight than you could ever imagine--and certainly much more than their basic demographic information. Let’s start with the first question: What do they do on Sunday mornings? You can tell a lot about a person by what they do on a typical Sunday morning. Do they go to yoga class? Are they out running? (Often a big difference between those two groups.) Do they go to church? Do they sleep off a beer hangover? Or do they sleep off a wine hangover? (Big difference there alone.) Are they gardening alone? Fingerpainting with the kids? Writing a novel? Catching up on their favorite TV shows? On their way to a baseball game? Or perhaps on their way to NASCAR? (Again, big difference there alone.) Lighting candles to communicate with the dead? (No judging.) Sleeping in until noon? Taking a spontaneous road trip? Volunteering in their community? At the art museum? Practicing with their underground metal band? Getting a new tattoo? Getting a facial? Going to an AA meeting? Cooking a big lunch for their in-laws?
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
Whatever they do on a Sunday morning says a lot about them. Someone who’s religiously in yoga class will respond to different copy than someone who’s religiously hungover. Someone who’s cooking a big lunch for their in-laws will respond to different copy than someone who’s on their way back from a spontaneous weekend in New York City. Because they’ve got different worldviews, and the activities they choose to engage in are a reflection of those worldviews. So who they hell are you writing for, and what do they do on Sunday mornings? Check. Now, ask the next question: What do they do on Monday mornings? Do they suit up and go to Wall Street? Do they put on sweat pants and go teach high school phys ed? Do they take their kids to school? Do they show up to work to serve other people all day? Or do they show up to work and sit quietly behind a desk all day? Do they spend their Monday mornings at the spa? Do they spend their Monday mornings sitting in lots of traffic? Do they bike to work? Do they carpool? Do they spend their days working from a laptop at home (like me?) Do they rush to the airport to catch yet another flight? Do they have the entire morning off because they work nights? Or do they stay in bed with their lovers? What your target audience does on a Monday morning says a lot about them, too, adding an extra dimension to what we already know about them, helping us get a clearer picture of what this person’s lifestyle is like. It says a lot about what they’re most likely dealing with on a brandgasm 101
copy - section one
regular basis, giving you a really good chance at guessing their daily frustrations, and being able to position what you’re selling in conjunction with those frustrations. It says a lot about how they view the world, too. Someone who’s a stay at home mom may have different values than a woman who spends 12 hours in the office. And last but not least? The third and final question you want to take a look at is...why? Because it’s the why behind behavior that’s really going to be most useful to you. I could sit here and tell you that I get up every single morning and work out, but unless you know why, it doesn’t give as complete of a picture. I might be getting up to work out because I’ve got body issues and I’m tired of being overweight. Or, I might be getting up to work out because I’m battling depression. Or, I might be getting up to work out because I’m in exceptional shape and I’m training for a marathon. Or, I might be getting up to work out because my doctor told me I’m going to die twenty years sooner if I don’t. Or, I might be getting up and working out because it’s the only time I can justify taking for myself, since I’m a workaholic. Whatever that reason is? Will help you get inside my thoughts, and position yourself as someone who GETS ME. So--who the hell are you writing for, what do they do on Sunday mornings, what do they do on Monday mornings, and...why? Think about your past clients. Who are they? What are they doing on Sunday and Monday mornings and why? If you don’t have any clients yet, envision your ideal client. What are they doing on Sunday and Monday mornings and why?
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
Let’s take a look at an example: Let’s say I’m opening an online flower shop. (Just thinking of that makes me smile--can you imagine how good your home would smell all of the time, keeping all of the stock?) Let’s say I’m getting my website up, and I’m trying to write product descriptions that are going to: a) Set me apart from all of my competitors (you’re grimacing just thinking about 1-800 flowers) b) Make people order from me. Period. Simple. So if I haven’t taken Brandgasm, I’m going to go about writing these product descriptions the old-fashioned way: By describing the product, inch by inch. Because, it’s a product description, right? Wrong. (And by the way? We’ll be talking a LOT more about product descriptions later on in the Brandgasm class - but to illustrate our current point about intimately knowing our customers and using that knowledge to craft compelling product descriptions handmade, with love, for them.) So here’s an actual product and product description from who other than 1-800-Flowers themselves:
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
In case you can’t read that, it says: Serve up Spring with our beautiful blooming tulips! Sprouting from a charming, reusable white pitcher, our fresh gathering of vibrant yellow tulips is hand-designed by our expert florists to capture the sunny spirit of the season. s Arrangement of yellow tulips are hand-designed by our florists in our exclusive food-safe white handled ceramic pitcher; measures 7.75”H s Later, they can reuse the pitcher to serve beverages or to display more brandgasm 101
copy - section one
springtime bouquets s Large arrangement of 20 tulips measures approximately 15”H x 14”L s Medium arrangement of 15 tulips measures approximately 14”H x 13”L s Small arrangement of 10 tulips measures approximately 13”H x 12”L s Our florists hand-design each arrangement, so colors, varieties, and container may vary due to local availability Alright. Typical, right? Also typically boring. Is there anything in this product description that’s making you want this bouquet of flowers more than any other bouquet of flowers you’ve ever had? Probably not. And while you might be thinking that customers buy based on product images alone? You’re wrong. (Again, we’ll talk about this more when we learn how to write compelling product descriptions, but J. Peterman is my favorite example of this. Their copy is so compelling they don’t even need product images--they sell their products using only a sketch of the product. And they do WELL.) Customers might be looking for a certain item like flowers, yes, but which item they choose, and who they choose it from? Has everything to do with the copy--particularly when you’re selling online. Which brings me to the reason why I asked you to do task #2 in the copywriting prep to track which things you found yourself buying, and noting why you had selected that particular product instead of a competitor’s. It was an exercise in awareness, and for this exact purpose. Perhaps you found yourself noting things like: Because this one seemed more like me brandgasm 101
copy - section one
Because this one had cuter packaging Because this one just seemed better Because it was cheaper However, I’m willing to wager a bet with you and say that the things you bought because they were cheaper were most likely interchangeable commodities like toilet paper, dish soap, or bottled water. Weren’t they? Because those things are, more or less, the same. So since they’re the same, they can compete on price. But guess what? Whatever you’re selling online? Isn’t a commodity. And that’s good news. Because it means that you can give people other reasons to buy from you other than price. Reasons like “because it seemed more like me,” or “because it seemed better.” Those reasons? Are perceptions. And those perceptions are made because you’ve helped them formed those perceptions through your copy and your design. And that’s precisely why we’re here today--to learn how to fine tune that skill. Now maybe you’re thinking that, for all intents and purposes, your services are more or less the same as everybody else’s. Life coaches. SEO writers. Marketing folks. English teachers. So maybe you’re feeling a bit like a commodity, eh? Maybe you’ve thought to yourself, “How do I set myself apart in a sea of life coaches/SEO writers/marketing folks/English teachers?”
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
If you can answer these three deceptively simple questions, you’ll gain more psychographic insight than you could ever imagine--and certainly much more than their basic demographic information. Let’s start with the first question: What do they do on Sunday mornings? You can tell a lot about a person by what they do on a typical Sunday morning. Do they go to yoga class? Are they out running? (Often a big difference between those two groups.) Do they go to church? Do they sleep off a beer hangover? Or do they sleep off a wine hangover? (Big difference there alone.) Are they gardening alone? Fingerpainting with the kids? Writing a novel? Catching up on their favorite TV shows? On their way to a baseball game? Or perhaps on their way to NASCAR? (Again, big difference there alone.) Lighting candles to communicate with the dead? (No judging.) Sleeping in until noon? Taking a spontaneous road trip? Volunteering in their community? At the art museum? Practicing with their underground metal band? Getting a new tattoo? Getting a facial? Going to an AA meeting? Cooking a big lunch for their in-laws?
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
Whatever they do on a Sunday morning says a lot about them. Someone who’s religiously in yoga class will respond to different copy than someone who’s religiously hungover. Someone who’s cooking a big lunch for their in-laws will respond to different copy than someone who’s on their way back from a spontaneous weekend in New York City. Because they’ve got different worldviews, and the activities they choose to engage in are a reflection of those worldviews. So who they hell are you writing for, and what do they do on Sunday mornings? Check. Now, ask the next question: What do they do on Monday mornings? Do they suit up and go to Wall Street? Do they put on sweat pants and go teach high school phys ed? Do they take their kids to school? Do they show up to work to serve other people all day? Or do they show up to work and sit quietly behind a desk all day? Do they spend their Monday mornings at the spa? Do they spend their Monday mornings sitting in lots of traffic? Do they bike to work? Do they carpool? Do they spend their days working from a laptop at home (like me?) Do they rush to the airport to catch yet another flight? Do they have the entire morning off because they work nights? Or do they stay in bed with their lovers? What your target audience does on a Monday morning says a lot about them, too, adding an extra dimension to what we already know about them, helping us get a clearer picture of what this person’s lifestyle is like. It says a lot about what they’re most likely dealing with on a brandgasm 101
copy - section one
regular basis, giving you a really good chance at guessing their daily frustrations, and being able to position what you’re selling in conjunction with those frustrations. It says a lot about how they view the world, too. Someone who’s a stay at home mom may have different values than a woman who spends 12 hours in the office. And last but not least? The third and final question you want to take a look at is...why? Because it’s the why behind behavior that’s really going to be most useful to you. I could sit here and tell you that I get up every single morning and work out, but unless you know why, it doesn’t give as complete of a picture. I might be getting up to work out because I’ve got body issues and I’m tired of being overweight. Or, I might be getting up to work out because I’m battling depression. Or, I might be getting up to work out because I’m in exceptional shape and I’m training for a marathon. Or, I might be getting up to work out because my doctor told me I’m going to die twenty years sooner if I don’t. Or, I might be getting up and working out because it’s the only time I can justify taking for myself, since I’m a workaholic. Whatever that reason is? Will help you get inside my thoughts, and position yourself as someone who GETS ME. So--who the hell are you writing for, what do they do on Sunday mornings, what do they do on Monday mornings, and...why? Think about your past clients. Who are they? What are they doing on Sunday and Monday mornings and why? If you don’t have any clients yet, envision your ideal client. What are they doing on Sunday and Monday mornings and why?
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
Let’s take a look at an example: Let’s say I’m opening an online flower shop. (Just thinking of that makes me smile--can you imagine how good your home would smell all of the time, keeping all of the stock?) Let’s say I’m getting my website up, and I’m trying to write product descriptions that are going to: a) Set me apart from all of my competitors (you’re grimacing just thinking about 1-800 flowers) b) Make people order from me. Period. Simple. So if I haven’t taken Brandgasm, I’m going to go about writing these product descriptions the old-fashioned way: By describing the product, inch by inch. Because, it’s a product description, right? Wrong. (And by the way? We’ll be talking a LOT more about product descriptions later on in the Brandgasm class - but to illustrate our current point about intimately knowing our customers and using that knowledge to craft compelling product descriptions handmade, with love, for them.) So here’s an actual product and product description from who other than 1-800-Flowers themselves:
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
In case you can’t read that, it says: Serve up Spring with our beautiful blooming tulips! Sprouting from a charming, reusable white pitcher, our fresh gathering of vibrant yellow tulips is hand-designed by our expert florists to capture the sunny spirit of the season. s Arrangement of yellow tulips are hand-designed by our florists in our exclusive food-safe white handled ceramic pitcher; measures 7.75”H s Later, they can reuse the pitcher to serve beverages or to display more brandgasm 101
copy - section one
springtime bouquets s Large arrangement of 20 tulips measures approximately 15”H x 14”L s Medium arrangement of 15 tulips measures approximately 14”H x 13”L s Small arrangement of 10 tulips measures approximately 13”H x 12”L s Our florists hand-design each arrangement, so colors, varieties, and container may vary due to local availability Alright. Typical, right? Also typically boring. Is there anything in this product description that’s making you want this bouquet of flowers more than any other bouquet of flowers you’ve ever had? Probably not. And while you might be thinking that customers buy based on product images alone? You’re wrong. (Again, we’ll talk about this more when we learn how to write compelling product descriptions, but J. Peterman is my favorite example of this. Their copy is so compelling they don’t even need product images--they sell their products using only a sketch of the product. And they do WELL.) Customers might be looking for a certain item like flowers, yes, but which item they choose, and who they choose it from? Has everything to do with the copy--particularly when you’re selling online. Which brings me to the reason why I asked you to do task #2 in the copywriting prep to track which things you found yourself buying, and noting why you had selected that particular product instead of a competitor’s. It was an exercise in awareness, and for this exact purpose. Perhaps you found yourself noting things like: Because this one seemed more like me brandgasm 101
copy - section one
Because this one had cuter packaging Because this one just seemed better Because it was cheaper However, I’m willing to wager a bet with you and say that the things you bought because they were cheaper were most likely interchangeable commodities like toilet paper, dish soap, or bottled water. Weren’t they? Because those things are, more or less, the same. So since they’re the same, they can compete on price. But guess what? Whatever you’re selling online? Isn’t a commodity. And that’s good news. Because it means that you can give people other reasons to buy from you other than price. Reasons like “because it seemed more like me,” or “because it seemed better.” Those reasons? Are perceptions. And those perceptions are made because you’ve helped them formed those perceptions through your copy and your design. And that’s precisely why we’re here today--to learn how to fine tune that skill. Now maybe you’re thinking that, for all intents and purposes, your services are more or less the same as everybody else’s. Life coaches. SEO writers. Marketing folks. English teachers. So maybe you’re feeling a bit like a commodity, eh? Maybe you’ve thought to yourself, “How do I set myself apart in a sea of life coaches/SEO writers/marketing folks/English teachers?”
brandgasm 101
copy - section one
