understand the lyrics of your target audience (3/5)

So, having discussed the Pyramid of Fandom model, from today through Thursday, I’ll be discussing the three key takeaways from Superfans. Let’s get started right away.

Key Takeaway #1 – Understand the Lyrics of Your Target Audience

Pat explains that the lyrics are nothing but the words you say that reach your audience at the right time and place. They create moments of activation that trigger the people who are just discovering you making them want to pay more attention to you. You might have the best product or service in the world, but unless you speak the language that resonates with your audience, you won’t be able to persuade them to buy it.

What you say and the language you use to say it is incredibly important. Pat references marketing expert Jay Abraham, who states that if you can define the problem better than your target customer, they’ll automatically assume you have the solution and you won’t have to sell very hard. Choose the words that are familiar to your target audience and they’ll think you’re the person they’ve been seeking all along.

In the book, Pat shares a story about his wife who became a huge fan of Backstreet Boys in the 1990s. Her fandom was triggered at age 15, when she heard the song “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” as she was going through a painful breakup with her boyfriend. Every single word in that song reflected exactly what she was going through in her life at that time, and she started paying more attention to the band. This example captures the significance of understanding the language your audience uses. 

One way to understand the language of your audience is to have conversations with them. Pat shares that each month, he selects 10 random people from his email list and gets on a Skype call with them. He is able to hear in their own words what’s working for them on the Smart Passive Income website, what they’re struggling with, what things they wish were there on the website, etc. Another alternative is to ask questions like, “What are your biggest struggles right now?” and “What’s your number-one biggest challenge related to ______?”, and then pay close attention to what your audience members have to say. The feedback and information that you get in return will be priceless and help you greatly in understanding the language of your audience.