There are several key factors that will help define any brand or business’s success in the advertising realm, and one that cannot be overlooked is that of audience motivation. Knowing how your target audiences are motivated and what will encourage them to interact with your brand in positive ways can make a massive impact on your bottom line.
As one of the top marketing agencies in Salt Lake City, we at BWP Communications regularly assist clients with concepts like branding and research, and audience motivation is a key part of these programs. Here are some basics on why understanding your audience and their motivations is important, plus some common pitfalls brands fall into here and some best practices for this kind of audience research.
Why Audience Motivation is Vital
Firstly, let’s discuss why understanding audience motivation is such a vital element of any successful brand or business. Put simply, if you don’t know how to make your target audiences care about what you offer, then it’s almost impossible to get through to them.
Knowing the ‘what’ and ‘why’ behind their decisions – what product they need, why they need it, etc. – enables brands to understand the best way to approach them. It’s like telling a story – if the audience isn’t invested in it, then they won’t care about what you have to say or sell.
Common Pitfalls
When attempting to determine an audience’s motivations, one of the most common pitfalls brands fall into is not diving deep enough into their research. It’s not enough to simply know who your target audiences are and what they’re interested in; you also need to understand why that is – why do they have those interests, their stance on certain issues, the messaging that resonates with them?
It can be easy to overlook important details like this if you don’t take the time to truly get into the nitty-gritty of their opinions and preferences.
Finally, let’s discuss some best practices for determining audience motivation across our next several sections.
Know Pain Points
The term “pain points” refers to the problems that your target audiences face and what solutions they’re looking for. If you can identify these pain points, it’s easier to determine why they need your product or service – and how to make them take action.
By understanding their struggles, you’ll be able to tailor messages more effectively and ensure that they understand why what you offer is important to them.
Strive for Feedback
In whichever ways possible, try to get feedback from your audience. This could be done through surveys, interviews, polls – whatever works best for you and your target audience.
Not only does this give you invaluable insight into what they want and need from your brand or business, it also shows that you care about their opinions. That in itself can help motivate more people to interact with your company.
Be On Top of Common Terms and Jargon
Within your target audiences, there may be terms and phrases that they commonly use. And if you don’t understand these, it can be tough to convey a message effectively.
So make sure you do your research – consider reading industry-specific publications or joining local meetups to gain an understanding of the language typically used by your target audience. That way, when it comes time to craft messages, you’ll be able to do so in a way that resonates with them.
Value of Desirable Content
While this is only tangentially connected to your target audience’s motivation, it is ultimately related to the overall goal of engaging with them.
Providing valuable content that people find desirable – such as blog posts, videos, articles, infographics and more – can be a great way to draw in an audience and show them why you’re worth interacting with. This also helps to build trust over time, ensuring that your target audiences will be more likely to come back in the future and even recommend your brand or business to their friends.
Overall, understanding the motivations of your target audience is a core part of any successful brand or business. Knowing why they care about what you offer can help you tailor messages more effectively, increasing engagement and ultimately leading to more conversions. Utilizing methods like understanding pain points, seeking feedback from your audience, being mindful of terms and jargon they use, and providing valuable content are all great ways to understand and engage with them in meaningful ways.
At BWP Communications, we make sure to incorporate audience motivation into all the brands and businesses we work with around SLC. If you’d like help doing the same for yours, don’t hesitate to get in touch – our team is here to help!
