By Alan Kravitz
Hello.
It’s one of more pleasant words in the English language. It conjures up beginnings and connections. And it was the only word Tom Cruise needed to win back Renee Zellweger in Jerry Maguire.
But when I was attending a recent marketing expo, I heard an interesting story. It goes like this. A copywriter was communicating with her client’s Facebook contacts. She introduced herself by saying “Hello” – and the client had a problem with that.
Why? The target audience was very young and urban. And according to the client, “Hello” sounded too formal. This audience was more likely to say “Hey.” Or “What’s up?” Or even ‘”'Sup!” The copywriter was advised to change her greeting accordingly.
Picky? Maybe. But this is a client that really knows its audience. And it stands to reason that the more you know your audience, the more you can target your content to reach them.
Now, would someone have flown off the rails simply from “Hello”? Probably not. But in marketing and communication, success is often measured in subtle ways. When the copywriter changed her greeting to “Hey,” she noticed that her response rates went up. When communicating with this particular audience, she’s been starting with “Hey,” or some other catchphrase thereof, ever since.
Effective content speaks your audience’s language – not necessarily yours.
What about you? Does your content have your audience at hello?
Alan Kravitz is a copywriter who specializes in writing customized web content, direct mail appeals and print materials for socially conscious organizations. Contact him at 617-697-7397, or alank@infiniteinkwell.com.
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