By 
What I am about to share with you is something that many, many people overlook. And frankly, it’s the first place to start when preparing to write copy.
You must define your tribe and know who you are writing to before writing a single word of copy.
If you have followed me before, this process will be familiar to you. But remember, KNOW and DO are two different things. These 3 steps are also the steps to create your TARKET!
The word “target” comes from combining the words “target” plus “market”. I coined the term because it is CRITICAL to think in the singular, not the plural. The target market sounds like a mob. The target is a person..
- “Target” + “Market” = “TARGET”
- The target market is plural
- OBJECTIVE is Singular
When you write your marketing copy and can imagine yourself sitting in the same room with a real human being, your words will come to life.
Step One: Reveal the Problem You Solve
This part of the process is about you doing the inner work of what you really offer that is unique.
- Have a clear idea of what you bring to the table
- Research offerings for other similar products or services in your industry
- Discover what makes you unique
Part of Step One is identifying your area of expertise and putting it into a category. Even if you have many areas of expertise (or know a little about each of these topics) focus on selecting just one for the purposes of this exercise.
What is your general area of expertise?
- Health and nutrition
- creative arts
- Healing and energy work
- Business and wealth creation
- love and relationships
It is critical to bring your AWARENESS to your area of expertise. You have to be able to narrow your focus and bring clarity to the picture so your tribe (or target market) knows how you can help them.
Think back to the old days when there were still bookstores. When looking for a specific book, I would find out which section it would be filed in and then go to that specific section. You usually don’t find “children’s” books in the “history” section. You also don’t find “psychology” books in the “reference” section. Do you see where I’m going with this concept? You must be relentlessly precise in defining your own experience so that there is no room for confusion. Make sense?
Step Two: Complete Your Tarket Checklist
It’s important to dig in and find as much information about your target as possible. The important thing to remember is that you are writing to ONE PERSON, even though others may read your copy with many different qualities. Your copy is most powerful when you focus on ONE PERSON. Trust me this time.
So here are some qualities to get you started. The more details you can think of, the more connected your copy will be and the more sales you will make. Period.
- age
- Gender
- Marital status/history
- Kids
- Older parents/grandparents
- Religion
- Education
- activities
- farts
- training level
- physical attributes
You can also ask yourself other questions like:
- What are your psychographics, like what magazines, books, or movies do you like?
- What is your true financial picture?
- What is a normal day like for her?
- What are your values and priorities in life?
- How much does she use technology?
- What is it that you ultimately seek in life?
Step Three – Create Your Marketplace Story
This is where you can get super creative. But it’s also the most important piece of the 3-step formula. When you bring your target to life, she becomes an ally in your copy, every time you sit down to write. Here is mine:
Gabrielle “Gaby” Anderson is 44 years Y divorced. has a 13 year old son daughter named Jessica who has severe food allergies, so Gaby keeps tabs on everyone nutrition. They both eat clean and often. raw (but not always: Gaby likes to splurge on wine and cheese from time to time). Gaby is a masseuse and works on clients in it 3 bed 2 bath house in a busy little suburb of Studio City, California, while Jessica is at school. She earned approximately $143,000 last year. Gaby loves yoga but he only goes twice a week. She is a avid student personal development and tarot card reading. Gaby has a group of 5 close friends but she keeps her free time for her daughter. She believes in giving back and volunteers (along with Jessica) one weekend a month at the Animal Shelter. She’d like to take advantage of her dollar-per-hour model so she’s not so tied to the massage business, but she’s not sure how to get started.
(Notice that I’ve bolded Gaby’s qualities that are relative to my copy.)
The feedback I always get when doing this exercise is how simple yet powerful it is. Even if you’ve done it before, there’s value in updating your marketing and doing it again. It’s like rekindling a romance… the love of your community.