As marketing models go, STP is a classic.  Segmentation, targeting and positioning is customer focused and allows us to streamline and optimise communications.  For commercial efficacy it’s a winner as it helps a business to identify the most attractive segments, optimise the marketing mix to reach them and position products that will suit them.  For us in the world of PR, targeting is crucial. Our aim is to get your messages in front of the people you want to see them.  We don’t pick up a pen (or grab a laptop) until we have your customer target and key messages firmly entrenched in our mind.

It’s a Craft

Crafting a targeted blog, press release or feature response is a skill, and as well as grabbing people’s attention (see our other blog on content), it’s really important to remember who you are targeting and write appropriately whatever you are writing.

A Few Tips

So, how do we do it?  We ask questions.  Try asking the following questions before you pick up that pen to write your next blog:

Who are you?

What’s your business, your history, what makes you stand out, what’s your USP or your brand benefits, your competitive advantage, your personality?

Who are you talking to?

Are you B2B or B2C?  Segmentation will come in handy here. This could be as simple as:

Alex – works in hospitality in casual dining, busy food and beverage manager, wants to leverage the latest food and drink trends

Jo – works in a large school, needs to get a considerable volume of food out between set times, needs healthy and nutritious food

Sheila – manages a small symbol store in her local neighbourhood and wants to ensure that every segment of her shop floor is making as much money as it can

Nic – works full time, parent of 2 young children, likes cooking, loves to impress family and friends, time poor

You wouldn’t write the same copy for those four.  Three are B2B and one is a consumer target so they need different copy to appeal to them.  But if you don’t take the time to sit down and think about it, you’ll pick up that pen and write something that could be completely irrelevant to all of them!

What are you selling?

A solution or experience is what you are selling rather than a product.  It’s fine to write about the features of your brand-new machine but your target wants to hear how you will solve a problem for them whether it’s the fastest food delivery they’ve ever seen or the most delicious cake they’ll ever make.  Tell them what you can do for them.

What do you want them to do?

Make it easy, give them a phone number, website or email.  Do you want them to contact you, to download your white paper or order a sample?  They aren’t mind readers so tell them what to do next.

So, if we’re new to you and you’re new to us, we will ask you lots of questions, we’re not being nosey, we want to get as much information as possible so we can write targeted press releases, feature responses, blogs, social media posts, white papers etc.  Want to find out more about how we can help?  Call or click – we’re ready and waiting.