This morning, I had a funny yet insightful experience with my cat, Dodi. I offered him a banana, thinking he might enjoy it. Instead, he sniffed it, ignored it as food, and started playing with it as a toy.

Just like Dodi didn’t care about the banana as a snack, your audience may not care about your product if it doesn’t meet their needs. Even the best product can fall flat if it doesn’t match what people actually want. Here is why understanding & educating your audience is key to your marketing efforts.

Beyond Features: Understanding & Educating Your Audience Your Audience

Make sure your marketing really connects with your audience:

• List Your Product’s Features: Write down what your product does and what makes it special.
  

• Understanding Your Audience: Find out what your audience needs and wants. Use surveys, interviews, or analyze past customer data to gather this information.
  

• Show Benefits, Not Just Features: Explain how your product can solve problems or make life easier for your audience. Use simple language and avoid technical jargon.
  

• Educating Your Audience: Share useful information about your product. Create blog posts, videos, or how-to guides that help people see the benefits.
  

• Share Success Stories: Show real-life examples or customer testimonials that highlight how your product has helped others.
  

Checklist:

1. Feature List: Have you clearly listed how each feature benefits your customers?
   

2. Audience Insight: Do you know what your audience wants and needs?
   

3. Educational Content: Are you creating content that explains the benefits of your product?
   

4. Effective Channels: Are you using the right platforms to share your educational content?
   

5. Customer Feedback: Are you listening to feedback and adjusting your content accordingly?
   

Aligning Offerings

Make sure your product or service is what your audience really wants:

• Research Your Audience: Learn about who your customers are and what they need. Look at demographics, interests, and buying habits.
  

• Create Customer Profiles: Develop profiles that represent different groups of your audience. This helps you tailor your product to meet their specific needs.
  

• Check Out Competitors: See what other businesses are offering and how they’re positioning their products. Find ways to stand out or offer something better.
  

• Test and Improve: Try different approaches and see what works best. Use feedback to make improvements.
  

• Align Your Message: Make sure your marketing message matches what your audience cares about and needs.
  

Checklist for Aligning Offerings, Understanding Audience Needs:

1. Audience Research: Have you gathered detailed information about your target audience?
   

2. Customer Profiles: Have you created profiles to guide your product development and marketing?
   

3. Competitor Check: Have you analyzed competitors to see how you can stand out?
   

4. Testing: Are you testing different strategies and using feedback to improve?
   

5. Messaging: Does your marketing message address your audience’s needs and interests?
   

In summary, the next time you think about your product or service, ask yourself if it’s truly what your audience wants. Make sure your approach aligns with their needs and preferences, and you’ll see better results. Just like Dodi prefers toys over bananas, your audience will engage more with products that fit their true desires.