Tighten the Seams: Tailoring your Content
How many followers and subscribers do you have, author? Do you know their demographics? If you don’t, hopefully the metrics and statistics options of your platforms will help you.
Catering to your specific demographics (age and gender identity) are some of your best marketing tools that you don’t have to spend money on.
Start with your newsletter. That is content coming directly from you to your fans’ inbox. If your subscribers are split by age ranges, consider putting out two newsletters. One targeted for your older fanbase, and one for your younger base. This is where you might alter your verbiage and highlights. What are your younger fans interested in versus your older fans? All information is good information when it comes to what your fans want from you.
Don’t be afraid to take polls on social media, or even in your newsletters, to figure out what their specific interests are in your work. Do your younger fans want more drama? More romance? Do your older fans want more character development? More conflict or miscommunication? This is an untapped keg of vital information that you can use to bolster your marketing (and perhaps your story arc!).
Catering to your fans on social media can be a little trickier. Since your followers see your posts, some posts might not perform how you want them to. But it’s all up to the demographics of your fan base. Consider one week you cater to the whims of your older fanbase, and the next to your younger fanbase. Many of these interests are going to overlap. Ideally you will improve on engagement each week but pay attention to what works best based on the demographics of your metrics.
Tailoring your content takes time and effort. This is much like a seamstress working on a gown. It will not be accomplished overnight, but will take many days, even weeks, to perfect the outcome. Do not be afraid to reach out to your followers for their input. The ones who want more will give you answers to your questions.
