Boost Sales by Understanding Your Brand's Audience
Boost Sales by Understanding Your Brand's Audience
Is your ecommerce copywriting falling flat? Here’s how to identify your ideal customers, research their needs, and tailor your writing.
I recently helped a Tokyo-based retailer of dolls launch the long-awaited English version of their ecommerce store.
When you think of dolls, you might naturally assume children as the target audience. Then, if you learned that the dolls were, in fact, regarded as exquisite collectible works of art with vintage anime influences, you might think of eccentric men over 40 as their main customer base.
Actually, it turned out that most of the customers so far had been women in their 30s. While they still appreciated the dolls as collectibles with gorgeous aesthetics, what they really loved about them was their whimsical nature and the incredible storytelling behind them. Purchasing a doll opened up a whole fantasy world that they could escape into. If I hadn’t taken the time to properly research, I would have totally botched the copywriting for this project!
As an ecommerce copywriter, understanding your target audience is one of the most crucial steps in crafting irresistible product descriptions. Knowing who you’re writing for allows you to tailor your language, tone, and messaging to resonate with your ideal customer.
Identifying Your Ideal Customer
The first step is to create a clear picture of your ideal customer, otherwise known as developing a buyer persona — a fictional representation of your perfect customer based on accurate data and market research. You’ll want to consider factors such as:
Demographics: Age, gender, income, education, location
Psychographics: Values, interests, lifestyle, personality
Pain Points: Challenges, frustrations, goals, desires
In other words, once you understand the “who, what, where, when, why, and how” of your ideal customers, you can better communicate the value of your products in a way that will be meaningful to them.
Researching Customer Needs and Preferences
Once you have a general idea of the target audience, diving deeper into their specific needs and preferences is essential. This research will help you create product descriptions that capture their attention and convince them to purchase. Here are some methods to consider:
Conduct Surveys and Interviews: Contact your existing customers or potential buyers to learn about their experiences, opinions, and expectations regarding your products or industry. In the example above, the client had existing customer data, which I could draw upon.
Analyze Customer Reviews and Feedback: Look for patterns in the feedback you receive from customers, both on your website and on third-party platforms. Pay attention to the language they use and the features they highlight. If you’re struggling to get your hands on such feedback, Amazon can be a gold mine — even if you’re looking at reviews for competitors’ products.
Social Media: Snoop around to see what your target audience says on social media platforms to gain insights into their interests, concerns, and purchasing habits. X, Reddit, and Quora can be particularly helpful in this regard.
Study Your Competitors: Analyze how your competitors address their target audience and identify gaps or opportunities to differentiate your product descriptions.
Adapting Your Writing Style to Your Audience
Armed with knowledge about your ideal customer, it’s time to adapt your writing style to communicate with them effectively. This involves adjusting your tone, language, and messaging to create a connection and build trust. Consider the following tips:
Use Your Audience’s Language: Incorporate the words, phrases, and terminology that your target audience uses when discussing your products or industry. Adjust your level of sophistication — are they competing to sound more sophisticated than each other, or are they barely sounding like high school graduates?
Adjust Your Tone: Your writing should align with your brand identity and resonate with your target audience. For example, a conversational tone may work well for selling casual fashion items. In contrast, a professional, authoritative tone may be more appropriate for selling products with a higher price point and expectations of long-term reliability.
Address Their Pain Points: Demonstrate how your products solve your target audience’s challenges and frustrations. Show empathy and understanding to build a connection with your readers.
Highlight Relevant Benefits: Focus on the product benefits that are most important to your target audience. For example, if your ideal customer values eco-friendliness, emphasize your product’s sustainable features and materials.
Use Storytelling: Craft product descriptions that tell a story and create an emotional connection with your audience. Use relatable scenarios and examples to help readers visualize how your products fit into their lives.
Key Takeaways
Understanding Your Target Audience: Knowing your audience is crucial for effective ecommerce copywriting. It allows you to tailor your messaging to resonate with your ideal customer.
Identifying Your Ideal Customer: Develop a buyer persona by considering demographics, psychographics, and pain points. Understanding these aspects helps you communicate product value in a meaningful way.
Researching Customer Needs and Preferences: Use surveys, interviews, customer reviews, social media, and competitor analysis to gain deeper insights into your audience's needs, preferences, and language.
Adapting Your Writing Style: Adjust your tone, language, and messaging to connect with your audience. Use their language, address their pain points, highlight relevant benefits, and incorporate storytelling to create an emotional connection.