Our previous posts in this series have taken a look at branding and messaging as they relate to your book. It helps to examine what you can conjecture about your ideal reader in detail so you can maximize your chances of “speaking their language,” both in their book and in your marketing of it.

Your Ideal Reader in Detail:

Some branding experts suggest that you need to know details about your ideal reader that might even include the kind of toothpaste they use (yes, there are times when that could be important!). But, generally speaking, here is what will be helpful to know:

• Demographics
The people who are creating content (or logos or book covers or websites) on your behalf need to know as much as possible about your target audience.
Specifically, you want to know their:
o Age
o Gender
o Education
o Occupation
o Income Level
o Status: married, single, widowed, childless, etc.

• Geographic and Lifestyle Factors
How do the people you are trying to attract live – and where?
o Are they rural and have to drive everywhere?
o Or do they live in cities and take transit to work?
o What kind of weather is typical for the area?
o Are they spenders, or are they conservative with their money?

• Customer Needs
What does your ideal reader need? What pain are they in, and why? For example, is training important to them? Or regulatory compliance? Spiritual practices? Exercise?

• Behaviours
Look at your readers’ behaviour over the past few years. Can you see any trends? Do they sacrifice quality for price in some areas, or vice versa?

• Psychographic Details
Are there any personal traits typical to your ideal reader? Are they early risers? Fans of one sport over another? Do they favour Android or iPhone? Do they get their news on TV still or via the internet? Outlook or Gmail?

Once you’ve found answers to all of this information, you can start to put together a detailed profile of your ideal customer. In marketing-speak, we call this a “Persona.”
Some marketers call them your “Avatar.”

Developing Your Persona

Keep that persona in mind while you are writing your book, every time you develop online content for your business or consider attending a networking event. Is your ideal reader going to understand what you’re saying here on page 35 or do you need to put it in language that will resonate more deeply with them? Given who your ideal reader is, do you need to write more academically? More colloquially? Are you using expressions your ideal reader will understand? Do your anecdotes reference places your ideal resonate will resonate with? There’s a big difference emotionally between Sedona, Arizona, and Wall Street, NYC. Which one would you reader like better?

Your persona may be relevant when it comes to choosing your publishing options and, of course, your marketing strategy. It will help you find ways to express your brand.

Just like in days of yore, you want your brand to help people instantly recognize your book – so that you can stand out in any field.

How About You? Who is Your Ideal Client?

Next Steps on the Ideal Client Front
Now that you know who your ideal readers are, and what challenges them, think about the kind of marketing strategy you will need to follow to reach them.
We mentioned earlier that the best marketing creates a highly targeted campaign for an ideal reader, that is, a specific individual with specific problems and needs. You want to build your business relationships—both on-and-offline—around those people, and make it clear to everyone you meet who you are, who you serve and how you help.

What pain is your ideal reader experiencing when it comes to books that you can alleviate or eliminate? And what specific results can you deliver that will take them out of their pain? What relief do they yearn for in their lives, that you can help deliver? The answers to those questions are key.

Your referral sources and partners, and your suppliers, will be grateful for all of this information They can share this knowledge with their networks. And possibly even create referrals for you. But most of all you will be appealing to your ideal reader using language that resonates with them.

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