Did you know that the Content Strategy class of the FH Joanneum Graz has set up its own platform? A knowledge base that addresses relevant topics around Content Strategy and related disciplines as well as provides insights into the course content. From literature reviews to lecture reports etc. The list is long and above all: it is constantly growing.
Why am I sharing all this here? And what does it have to do with the title “Know your audience”?
Well, to keep the site growing, it is the students’ task not only to write new articles, but also to develop new formats for the platform. One of the new formats will be the “Quote of the Month”.
I thought it would be fun to also share one of these quotes from the new format collection here. So, here is one of my favourites — or let’s say one, that for content strategists this quote probblay belongs like the amen in prayer.
Know your audience. And I don’t mean make assumptions about your audience. I mean go out and spend time with them, talk to them, get their feedback. Do polls, do surveys, do smart research, know who they are. … and serve them!
— Kristina Halvorson
This quote by Kristina Halvorson, widely recognized as one of the most important voices in content strategy and coauthor of “Content Strategy for the Web” describes best one of the key essentials of content strategy.
Knowing one’s target group is enormously important for the success of the content strategy. If a company does not know its target group, it will not be able to address its audience in a targeted manner and via the right channels — so in content marketing, thus content strategy, you can never get around this step.
Questions that should be considered are: Which target group should be addressed by the content? What are their needs and on which platforms are they most active? Within the target group analysis, so-called “buyer personas” or just “personas” are finally created.
Personas are practically the representation of ideal customers, which help to better empathize with the target group. The information and characteristics of the buyer personas are based on surveys and interviews, for example of existing customers — target group analysis therefore always also means market research.
Depending on the size of the company and the content marketing objective, sometimes up to 10 personas are created within a content strategy, but anyone just starting out with such methods should initially define fewer such personas.
The characteristics that are determined in this analysis are, for example:
- Geographic characteristics: District, state, residential area, regions.
- Sociodemographic characteristics: Age, gender, education, marital status, occupation, income
- Psychographic characteristics: Attitude, lifestyle, personality, values
- Behavioral characteristics: Media usage, demand, brand choice, price behavior.
Only by accurately defining and sifting through your target audience can you create and publish appropriate content that addresses the exact needs and issues within the right channels.
The master’s program Content Strategy at the FH Joanneum prepares its students, among other things, exactly for such an analysis.
If you are interested into this topic and want to read more, here are some great blog posts I came across here on Medium:
3 easy and effective ways to get to know your audience as a writer
Know your audience — what does that even mean?
And if you are curious about which other quotes the students talk about on the plattform or if you would like to read more about Content Strategy and get to know the student program at FH Joanneum Graz better, you should definately check out www.contentstrategy.at.
Have fun reading and let me know what you think :)
