So you’ve spent thousands of dollars in marketing. You’ve created banner, print and radio ads. You’ve built up your SEO, and you’ve even redesigned your entire website. Now is the moment to release the culmination of months of work to the world.
But weeks go by, and nothing happens. No clicks. No calls. No conversions. You did everything right—how is this possible?
There’s a chance that your audience isn’t even seeing your message. You can spend millions on marketing materials, but if your message isn’t reaching the right people in the right place at the right time, you might as well be shouting into the void. To successfully reach your target audience, your marketing must be relevant.
What Does It Mean to Be Relevant?
Relevance is all about knowing your audience and predicting how they’re going to react, even before they know. Always remember: relevance and value isn’t about you. It’s about your clients.
Think about your target market for a moment:
- Who are they?
- What are they looking for?
- Who do they want to become?
- Where do they want to go?
- How old are they?
- Who influences them?
- What are their needs, challenges or frustrations?
- How do they think?
- What drives them to act?
- How can they be reached?
Once you understand those core concepts, the hard part is done. Now you have to make sure your messaging aligns perfectly with who you want to communicate it to. Attention spans are shorter than ever. Your content must be relevant and engaging, or nobody will stick around long enough to read it.
Here are a few ways to remain relevant in your marketing efforts so you can produce pertinent and meaningful messaging that resonates with your ideal prospect.
1. Have a Vision for Your Brand
Perhaps the most important part of communicating your message to the world is knowing what that message is—knowing who you are as an organization and as a brand.
Your brand, voice and tone should all be “3 Steps to Building a Great Brand clearly defined before you put your first marketing piece into play. Once you know who you are, remain committed to your ideals. Be authentic. Every word you use should reflect your specific personality and promote the message you want to convey.
2. Ask Client-Centered Questions
The easiest way to find out what really matters to your audience is to ask them.
There are plenty of ways to go about doing that—email the masses, conduct focus groups or keep it intimate with one-on-one interviews. Just make sure you gather enough information to provide a relatively large sample size and paint a clear picture of who you’re talking to.
Get your audience’s opinions on your messaging:
- Is it relevant to them?
- Has it provided any value?
- Does it identify a problem they have?
- Does it offer a solution?
- What do they like about it?
- What don’t they like about it?
- What ideas do they have to improve it?
Bonus: this shows your audience that you care about them. You put the time into learning what concerns them and understanding their point of view. That’ll help you stand out from the crowd and identify you as a trusted source.
If they can relate to you, they’ll be loyal. Simple as that.
3. Start a Conversation
Think of marketing as a relationship channel. It’s not just about disseminating; it’s about listening, too.
Your goal is to convince potential clients that you’re the best in the biz, right? Then what better way than speaking to individuals? Generate content that is so intriguing, so inspiring, so controversial that readers don’t have a choice but to comment. Then respond to keep the conversation going.
This conversation can only result from relevant content. When you hit the nail on the head, you’ll get a dialogue going, and soon more people will join in.
4. Be Bold and Innovative
Excite prospects by showing them something unexpected and draw them in by offering something valuable. This allows you to engage and connect with them in new, meaningful ways. Presenting clients with a fresh experience establishes you as an industry leader and a resource that they can turn to in the future.
5. Never Stop Evolving
Marketing relevance relies on continuous self-examination and reinvention. This growth can only happen by gaining an edge in technological advancements and keeping communication lines open with your audience. Continuously test what resonates with your prospects and clients. Use what works best, then retest.
There’s no stopping point—you must evolve as your client base does. If you remain relevant, you’ll be rewarded with loyal, engaged clients.