Before you write a word of sales copy for your next marketing campaign, you must know who your exact target is. In fact, creating a thorough description of your target audience is essential. 
The reason? Because your target audience may not be as obvious as it appears to be.
For example, when writing medical marketing content for surgical devices, you might think the people making the buying decision are the physicians and surgeons who will use the device.
In many cases this is true. However, depending on the product you are selling, those making the buying decision may be:
- Physicians or surgeons
- Nurses
- Office managers
- Group purchasing agents
If a company markets multiple medical devices, their research may determine that medical copywriting for one device should be targeted to surgeons, while sales copy for another device should appeal to office managers—even though surgeons will ultimately use the product.
Not only do you need to know who makes the buying decision, but you also need to know what stimulates their decision.
Back to my medical example. If you are targeting urologists, you’ll need to know that a large majority of them are men. If you are targeting nephrologists, you’ll want to consider that many of them are attracted to sales messages that showcase statistical proof, and less attracted to medical marketing content that centers on features and benefits.
Purchasing agents, on the other hand, may put a big emphasis on price. If price is about equal among competitive products, they may be stimulated by the ease of your online ordering process.
Writing romance novels? You’d better gear all your marketing copy towards women. And you’d better focus on your book’s emotional hooks—not a summary of your plot.
The primary takeaway here is that when you write a description of your target audience, look beyond the obvious. Dig deep and do your homework. Be thorough. No shortcuts!
Get an exact, clear picture of who really influences or makes the buying decision. Find out what turns them on and makes them tick—and then write all of your sales copy accordingly.
Remember, if you don’t aim straight, your great marketing content isn’t going to hit anything.
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