The basic premise for creating a successful blog is to have a well-structured strategy and a precise idea of the goals you want to achieve, but even before that, you need to carefully identify the audience you are targeting.
The choice of the public is very important and when you start writing you must not pretend to do it for a very large group of readers, also because it would be counterproductive. Most users, in fact, prefer “specialists” in their field of interest rather than referring to experts who propose solutions and theories in various fields.
This user approach is part of the irrational behaviors that we all practice without being aware of it, even in areas other than the web. Let's say you need a suit for your wedding, would you go to a bridal or groom suit shop or any clothing store? The question is rhetorical.
Readers act in exactly the same dynamics that when you write, you do it to attract a specific niche of people, thinking about them and their interests. In this way, you will become an industry benchmark and quickly gain even more authority.
If you need to understand who your target audience is, I suggest you ask yourself these simple questions and write down your answers in black and white, only in this way you can create a real identikit of your potential reader.
Here are the questions you should ask yourself to create your ""typical user"" profile
Is my target male or female?
You may need to write for a male audience only or a female audience only.
If you write a blog about the automotive industry or about men's watches, do it thinking you're talking to a man. Conversely, if you write an aesthetic or women's fashion blog, you assume that women will read your articles. Do not be misled by a large and poorly defined audience, it would be a mistake. What matters is to be as precise as a goldsmith!
How old could my reader be?
Knowing the age of your target audience is very important as it will determine the language and tone of voice that best suits your typical reader. If you write about video games or rap music it is very likely that your average user is very young and you will have the opportunity to write in a more confidential and less formal way. If, on the other hand, you were to write articles on classical music or theater, you could certainly use a more distinct and refined language.
What does your typical user do?
When you write, do you want to turn to experts in your own sector or to people who are approaching the issues you intend to deal with for the first time? If you want to write for a novice audience, you should definitely use simple, clear and immediate language. If, on the other hand, you want to contact people who are already competent, you could use a language that is certainly more technical and sectoral and address issues of in-depth study of concepts already known and recognized.
Identifying what your “typical user” is working will also help you understand what times they would prefer to read your articles. If your target were employees or people who perform office tasks, then you should consider that they will most likely read your articles between 8 and 10 in the morning.
What are the best days and times to post on the blog?
Here it is important to do a little insight. Several studies have identified the best times to write on social networks such as Twitter or Facebook but the blog question is different as we are talking about reading articles that will then be shared on social networks. An activity that certainly requires greater involvement on the part of the user.
It may sound strange but the day social posts get the most shares is Thursday, followed by Wednesday, Friday and finally Monday. Paradoxically, Tuesdays and weekends are really underperforming and users are more interactive on weekdays and in the second half of the week.
If we consider the display of the pages, however, the scenario changes and becomes more linear in the sense that the first day of the week, Monday, is the winning day, followed by Tuesday, Wednesday and, finally, Thursday. Does this sound like a nursery rhyme? We assure you it is not!
As for the timetables, however, in both cases the morning hours are always the best to obtain good results. In fact, most readers read articles between 7am and 1pm, and social users share more between 8am and 12pm. It goes without saying that, to get a blog with large traffic and very social-shared, it is advisable to publish on weekdays and as soon as you set foot in the office ... when you say that ""the morning has gold in your mouth"" you are never wrong !
But let's go back to the identikit of your ""typical user""
When writing for him, ask yourself how much he could earn monthly
This information is useful if you intend to sell product info on your blog. Let's say you want a video tutorial or a high-level training course, it won't be difficult if you turn to a professional who earns at least a thousand euros a month. On the other hand, it will be a very difficult undertaking to sell even just a 10 euro manual or guidebook to a student. So, think carefully about who your target audience is and what your blog's ultimate goals are.
What are the problems of your ""typical user"" and what are the advantages of reading your blog?
The choice of topics to cover in a blog is never as simple as it might seem. In fact, when drafting an editorial plan it is very important to identify the needs and questions that your typical reader is asking. Only in this way will it be easier to attract his attention by choosing topics of interest to him for your blog. The web is full of articles and information that can easily distract the reader and there is a lot of competition. This is why a simple but functional strategy in choosing the themes is to carefully observe and study your competitors, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, so as to understand how and in what way to distinguish yourself from them, emerging from the crowd.
Conclusion
Before starting to write your blog articles, take a few minutes to identify your target audience. The choice of the ""typical user"" is the fundamental premise for creating a successful blog starting from the right perspective. Your blog will be the connection point between the virality of social media and your website, be precise as a sniper in choosing your target!
