June is Pride Month. A month that reminds us all people deserve to be here and be themselves. A month to remember the importance of including everyone when you write content for your business.
One of the very first rules of all writing is that you should write to one person. I once read Ernest Hemingway wrote as if he was telling his mother a story.
In business writing, you want to write to a potential customer. That’s why marketers create personas.
Personas are imaginary people who personify your ideal customer. You want to go as far as naming your persona and giving them a face. Here is one example:
This is where things get tricky. You want to target but you also have to be careful to make your content inclusive.
Let’s say you run a heating and air conditioning business. You go out to homes and set up or repair systems. You write this persona:
- Name: Michelle
- Occupation: Housewife
Your ads and social media now address housewives exclusively. On your website, all images of service interactions show male employees helping women at home. What’s wrong with this picture?
Your company is now actively ignoring people who could otherwise use your services. Not all women are housewives. Not all your customers are women. Furthermore, you have employees who don’t look like the people in your images.
Stock images of people stand out in any piece of content. Customers can spot the pristine quality of paid actors in images and videos.
Go for authenticity without actually saying it — use your real people. Take time to introduce your employees to the public.
Inclusivity and authenticity as part of your core values will go a long way to help you stand out. Target your audience but work to remain inclusive.
Here are this week’s actionable steps:
- Create 2-3 personas that identify your target customers — think inclusivity
- Go through your website and identify stock images you can update with real pictures of your team in the field or sales floor
Your friend,
JC
