What steps do you take to listen to your audience?
Just the other day I had lunch with a large group of people from my target audience. In two days, I’m driving an hour and a half to spend time with an even larger group.
I have two goals, both essential to my task.
First, I simply want to establish rapport. Call it platform building. I want my readers to see me as one of them, someone they know and trust.
Second and more important, I want to hear from them. What are their concerns, their aspirations? By knowing those, I’m better equipped to provide them the content they want.
While I’m a member of my target demographic, that’s not enough. If I want the words I produce to connect, I need to make sure as often as I can that I’m connected as well.
There’s no point in writing only to myself.
