Getting to Know Your Audiences
When I first started my professional career, I was an automotive instructor at a proprietary technical college. I also conducted a series of mini-seminars throughout my city. Glossophobia is one of the most feared things people can experience. The symptoms of glossophobia can include intense anxiety leading to fight-or-flight sensations as well as physiological reactions, which may consist of nausea or panic attacks. I can honestly say that I experienced every symptom of glossophobia, but I continue to push myself to persevere by learning how to manage these emotions best. One technique I learned was getting to know my audience as they walked into my forum. By knowing who my audience was, I adapted to them rapidly and overcame my fears. This strategy I continue to use for selling, and after several years of successfully achieving several of my goals, I realize that knowing your audience is in everything I do today.
Why is it important to know your audience “KYA”?
Some of the best marketing messages are when the content makes people feel like you are reading their mind. Moreover, when you know your audience, you can pluck the words right out of your customers’ mouths and use it in your marketing strategies. When an organization understands its audience, this advantage leads to more customers, higher referral rates, and additional ambassadors promoting your product.
There are organizations in the industry who have perfected the notion of “Knowing Your Audiences.” These companies have prospered well year over year by continuously adapting to their audiences hence the idea of “KYA.”
Weixin Pronounced “way-shin” is an organization that understands its audience very well. They are a popular Chinese social networking app, with over 300 million active users in China, Southeast Asia, Europe, and America.
“Popularity is the easiest thing in the world to gain and it is the hardest thing to hold”
Wiil Rogers
So what helped Weixin become a popular product in under five years?
The answer is simple, thoroughly knowing its audience who are young and have a smartphone on them at all times. Moreover through targeting initiatives of this young smartphone user, an all-in-one solution and continual support of new enhancements/applications propelled Weixin to succeed overnight.
Also, keeping things simple is one of Weixin’s crucial focus. On average, people visit about 55 websites, 28 apps, and visit 44 sites via smartphone and use 14 apps via a tablet. According to comScore’s 2017 Cross-Platform in Focus report, the average American adult spends 2 hours and 51 minutes on their smartphone sifting through apps every day. That is about 86 hours a month! Further, an average person has 60-90 apps installed on their phone, using around 30 of them each month and launching 9 per day.
Weixin is an all in one solution thriving with its audience, so how did Weixin achieve its goal?
Mahoney & Tang, 2017
Keeping it Simple
“You are only confined by the walls you Build Yourself”
ANDREW MURPHY
Keeping its model of simple is king, Weixin audience engagement rarely needs to leave the app to open other mobile browsers. All-in-one solution app enables users to access any product or service all within Weixin’s application, which is extraordinarily convenient and efficient.
This capability spells Success!
How do Weixin’s features fit into their audience’s needs, tastes, and interests?
Having an open architecture environment enables Weixin to add, and perform upgrades very easy, thus keeping its audience engaged in new functions/campaigns. For example, in January 2014, just before the Chinese New Year, Weixin introduced the Qiang Hongbao campaign (Red Envelope Campaign). This traditional Chinese culture includes giving monetary gifts to friends and family during holiday seasons. Weixin made the app exciting and straightforward to the user to send money in a random selection of the sum of funds per recipient. Also, in 2014, Weixin introduced a cab reservation function called Didi Taxi. Through Weixin, a person could reserve a taxi and secure payment all through Weixin’s all-in-one solution app.
What was Weixin’s primary component of Success?
Weixin understands its audience’s needs and made a social media platform a part of their everyday routine and habit. 66% of the world’s population owns a mobile smartphone that is 5 billion of the 7.5 billion people in the world. Weixin made a social media product a part of people’s daily life, consequently helping people make behavioral changes easier toward purchasing decisions and positive social change.
Companies who are in business and have set their sights on long-term prosperity must consider how Weixin grew organically in under 5-years. Knowing your audience and providing a haven of applications all in one place, working seamlessly is the fastest way to build a business. Moreover, for numerous online services and other platforms, the launch is both an exciting moment and the most difficult. The only question is, how dedicated you are to succeeding by adopting proven models into your marketing strategies?
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