Comments on: Communicating With Your Target Market

By: Aimee

Aimee — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 20:54:58 +0000

I would like to take this moment to say that the phrase “pear shaped”, besides being exceedingly self-explanatory, is generally very well understood in the US. Now, if you were using its synonymous term “pyriform”… well, that would most certainly be a different story…

By: Mitchell Allen

Mitchell Allen — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 21:48:38 +0000

MAC THE KNIFE

Caroline, I agree with Lindsey about Misleading Personae.
Even if it weren’t against the TOS, the effort that it takes to be something you’re not with a faked persona is just exhausting.

As a long-time community blogger on the now-defunct WritingUp.com, I was able to see past facades. The people who were true to themselves became folks that I enjoyed spending time with, online. I think that translates into the business of selling stuff on the Internet.

As you said yourself (Quoting Ed Dale), you need to think about the people you are marketing to. Those thoughts should include their perception of whom they are buying from.

Even discounting all of the above – managing multiple blogs, accounts, etc. could put you right back into the play dough scenario: outcome does not justify effort.

Of course, if you’re a proBlogger and you hire writers …

Cheers,

Mitch

By: Caroline Middlebrook

Caroline Middlebrook — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:38:16 +0000

@Emma, it’s actually proving more difficult than I thought to do this – I’ve had emails asking me what ‘pear shaped’ means. Apparently thats a British saying and I didn’t even realise!

By: Emma Middlebrook

Emma Middlebrook — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:17:49 +0000

I think you do need to stay in touch with your target audience. How many times do you find yourself dropping the occasional “u” from your words so that we conform to the majority of readers from the US? I’ve just been reviewing a book for a friend and he’s had the same problem. I didn’t pick up on the English slang where as reviewers from the US marked it down stating that it ruined the book for them.

Your example with Mac the mother of 3 probably would have gone down better if it had been Johnny a 16 year old fresh out of school wanting to be an Internet Entrepreneur selling a product to a mother.

For example, I recently had to buy a nit comb for my 2 year old and I went with the one that was designed by 3 mothers costing me a whopping �10 – jeez! Would I have bought it if it was designed by 16 year old Johnny? – I’d probably say no if it was me just reading the packaging alone, as it happens – the lady in the chemist (pharmacy) also recommended it, so that helped.

Emma

By: Lindsey

Lindsey — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 15:29:02 +0000

And Mac has broken the terms and conditions of Facebook and gets thrown off when she’s found out!
I suppose if the profit is the main thing it doesn’t matter that Johnny has been decieved, lied to in fact, just so long as he buys the product? And he’s just lucky that Mac’s a 42 year old woman not a 42year old man with very different motives? Where’s the line between a personna and a deception?