Context: The Missing Plug in Target Audience Conversion,

Target Audience Conversion in Marketing

 

The words ‘target audience’ has been so loosely used in marketing parlance today, that its true meaning has been overshadowed by the fanciful use of this term. It has become more than just a buzzword; it is almost like an entry pass to some marketing big boys club. This is, however, not intended to underestimate the importance of target audience in marketing, it is to say that just like rice and stew, there are other indices and factors equally important, if not more- in the success of a marketing campaign. Indeed, if it is solely omnipotent, why then does it seem like the people we term our target audience – who have been unjustly compelled to be the elixir of our business success, whether a service or a physical product– do not often convert. Please note that every business should have a buyer persona(s), if you don’t, then get down to it. 

This is very dicey, because conversion strategies can take many forms – going for a scheduled meeting with a potential customer, having dotted the ‘Is’ and crossed the ‘Ts’, after spending weeks crafting emails with appealing phrases that often ends in last-minute discounts. It might be a digital strategy, using mouth- watering offers and free webinars, e-books and copies to capture their attention and make them pay for a product, a course or a service. It might even be a marketing event, maximizing the benefits of trade shows and expos or VIP experiences- as part of your lead generation strategy. Whatever it is, there is perhaps one error you have omitted, and that is the error of Omission of Context.

Context is that hidden factor that is often more influential than personality in understanding why your exact customer target does not buy at a particular time. Take, for example, your sales team have been trying endlessly to clinch a deal with Mr Tijani Ibru. You finally get an email on short notice from the said client agreeing to meet in the next few hours. You cancel all other meetings and tell your driver to drive as soon as possible. You sight your favourite store on your way, with a notice that they have a limited offer of a particular product you have been searching for. No matter the juiciness of the offer and the enticement of the copy, nothing will make you stop and visit the store. In this regard, the context is that you were in a rush, even though interested.

Never sell anything when your customer is in a rush. Avoid communicating when people are rushing.

Those in a rush are distracted. There is a reason why deals are closed over lunch or dinner, and why companies have dinner meetings or breakfast meetings. Apart from the fact that food is always the least inhibition, and happiness hormones are invariable released, people who come for a meeting over dinner or breakfast are often not in a rush.

Take a look at the context of Habit. You are finally overjoyed at the prospect of reaching the exact customer audience you want. They embody the personality, are in the right channels and locality, they have the perfect income and motivation. You are happy, but sadly, they are stuck with some other brand, and no matter the ads you creatively dish out, the meetings you fix, and lead generation strategy your team execute, these people are annoyingly resolute to overlook your product. Sleepless night, urh?  I get it. You might need to change strategy and start asking the right questions - how do you disrupt behaviour and facilitate conversion when most of it is unthinkingly habitual? How do you persuade your exact customer audience to buy your brand if most of them are on autopilot? How do you shake them off this automatic behaviour and draw their attention to your brand?

Target communications to the moment or place this automatic behaviour happens.

If your customers are in the habit of visiting a particular store to get the same goods, can your marketing team design and execute a campaign in line with the store to disrupt this consumer behaviour? First, you draw their attention to that particular habit – a signboard, poster, etc. In most cases, these customers are not aware of the formation of these habits, or if there is even one. While this will mostly yield results in offline, traditional marketing, it can also be used by companies to dissuade staff from a particular habit and form or encourage new ones. For instance, putting a ‘wear your ID Card’ sign at the entrance of the office to encourage staff to always use their ID cards. Second, target communications at this exact moment of place this automatic behaviour happens. Habits are hard to change; hence your strategy must be done creatively and words selected carefully. Third, provide alternatives or options that can be explored. This is where you creatively introduce your product or service. For targeting online customers, your marketing copy or ad should draw their attention to the habit, and what they miss from this while imploring them to try something new.

It is important to note that resistance is bound to occur, and when it does, do not stop the message or communications. Seizing it means that you are allowing them to slip back, becoming even more difficult to change in the future. Instead, employ the use of subtleness, humour and creativity in driving down your message.

Another context will be to target events that make significant marks in your customers’ life. There are myriads of them- birthdays, loss of job, retirement, weddings, approaching 40, 30, 50... etc., end of the year and beginning of the year. These events can significantly change a person behavioural styles, habits and give room for self-reflection. For example, a single lady approaching 40, might be ready to try out make-up and switch up her looks. If you sell a make-up brand, ads targeted to this woman will most likely convert, or a man nearing retirement might be more conscious of his food habits and prefer more healthy food options. A healthy food delivery store might be apt to target retired people as their audience, along with other indices. This is a very tricky context, as it can work for or against you.

In essence, to optimize marketing strategy and communications, away from a spray and pray approach, exhaustively understand your customer audience, including contexts that might aid or repel against closing a sale.