It’s easy to talk about “getting to know your target audience”, but what does that look like in practice?
We’ve listed seven tips below to help you get closer to your customers and make sure you’re delivering the relevant messages that they want to hear.
1. Gain customer insights through analytics
That’s what the team at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) did when they started to design for mobile devices as a priority.
CPRE’s analytics revealed that double the volume of mobile traffic had visited their website in just two years. That change in how users were choosing to experience their website couldn’t be ignored, so CPRE decided to begin their design process with mobile and then scale up, rather than starting with a website and making it work on smaller devices.
CPRE then used analytics to set up user journeys to reveal which stages people dropped off and abandoned a donation or other call to action.
The new design was clearer at every stage, which was well worth it. And the result? A 20% uplift in donations.
2.Focus on your target audience
Everyone has an opinion about what customers do and don’t like, and for every person who cheers you on, there will be another who doesn’t.
Remember: if someone isn’t part of your target audience, whether they like an idea or not is irrelevant. It’s only what your customers or target customers like and do that matters.
3. Your designer cares more about the design than about the audience
Your customers care about how easy it is to find the information they are looking for. This might not necessarily be the most snazzy design or layout.
The magic happens at the intersection between design and usability. Focus on the customer needs and experience first, then make the design beautiful.
4. Keep it simple
I could say this again and again.
When we work for an organisation that we care about, we know so much about it that we want to passionately tell our customers everything we know.
Instead, just focus on the information your customer needs to complete the action you want them to take. Cut out all the extra waffle. Only provide the facts they need to know so they can digest key concepts simply and quickly.
5. When it comes to simplicity, don’t miss opportunities to have real conversations
Pick up the phone rather than emailing where you can. Look for opportunities for dialogue and have face-to-face meetings. It’s often exchanges that come up in conversation that provide the best insight.
Simplicity should be a theme across your team too. You may want to ask the customer for as much information as possible, but this hunger for information is about the team’s needs rather than what’s best for your customer’s experience.
To manage expectations internally, as an organisation you must work together to get the depth of information you need in the most efficient way possible.
6. Listen in
What do your customers complain about? You should understand their pain points, their frustrations and what they would like to improve. You can do this by:
- Following conversations on social media (sometimes called “social listening”)
- Reading and responding to complaint emails and letters yourself (especially if customer complaints is not in your remit!)
- Setting up an internal feedback and insights process to make sure complaints are being passed to the right people at the right time.
By doing one or all of the above, you should be able to assess whether there are themes or recurring problems that indicate something broader that needs to be solved.
7. We are all multi-dimensional human beings
If a customer is truly passionate about your brand or cause, there’s a strong chance they will be receptive to your messages, but you still need to make sure you are meeting their preferences and using the channels they use.
For example, they might be more active on Twitter than on Facebook, or prefer a phone call to an email. Giving them the right message at the right time through the right channel offers a better experience of your services, brand and hopefully your products too.
Using multiple channels and providing relevant content will strengthen engagement and your relationship with your followers, and will make it more likely that they will continue to be your customer.
Do you have more questions about reaching your target audience? Do get in touch lucy@lucidity.org.uk or sign up to Lucidity weekly email.