Think of it like this — Have you ever noticed that who you’re talking to really affects what you say? 

Imagine explaining cancer treatment to a med student vs. an oncology patient and their family. Think about talking about your local food bank to a potential volunteer vs. someone who would benefit from its services. Your wording would be really different (or it should be, anyway).

A lot of marketing fails because it isn’t worded in a way that connects to the intended audience. 

The best tool to overcome this disconnect is to go beyond a basic demographic understanding of your audience and create a customer persona to address specifically in your writing. Speak to their needs, their goals, their pain points… Don’t just try to sell a product or service – tell them how you’re going to make their life better.

We created this free Customer Persona template to get you started:
click here to download

Once you work through and create a customer persona, practice writing an elevator pitch just to that one “person.” 

Writing a Kickass Elevator Pitch

The premise for an elevator pitch is always the same. In the time it would take you to ride an elevator (30 seconds) or less, can you explain what your business does and call the listener to action? 

A simple approach is to follow this format:

1. Introduce your business

2. Explain what you do

3. Tell them why you do it

4. Give a call to action

As you’re answering these questions, think about your target persona and approach the format this way:

1. Introduce your business

2. Explain what your services mean to your Customer Persona

3. Tell them how your products make their life better

4. Give them a call to action

So, instead of saying something generic like:

“We’re Avadel, a Facebook advertising agency. We manage digital ads and content creation for other brands to help them grow. We’re invested in our clients’ success and work tirelessly to grow their bottom line. Can we set up a time to chat about how we could work together?”

If I’m speaking to a Customer Persona who’s a small brewery that’s struggling to grow in a saturated market, I might say:

“We’re Avadel, the top Facebook advertising agency for breweries. We’ve managed digital advertising and content creation for tons of other brewers. We’re well versed in the alcohol industry, we’re craft beer enthusiasts, and we’re digital marketing experts. We know the struggles you’re facing in a saturated market because we’ve been there. I’m confident we can help you increase your market share and sell more beer. Can we set up a time to chat more?” 

Writing to a Customer Persona sets you up for great copy that actually connects to your audience. Connecting with your audience is the first step towards growing your sales.

If you need help working through this, feel free to reach out. Until then, happy persona making!