STEP ONE- You are at Step One
STEP TWO- Defining a Target Market.
STEP THREE- Strategies and Headlines.
This is actually more than a headline writing exercise. But it will illustrate what happens BEFORE you write a headline for any piece of communication you put out there for the purpose of selling a product or service. In this case, the end product will be a headline that defines a position for a product that will appear on a landing page on a website. It will engage the target market by hitting on something important to this market and sell the product as something that offers a benefit important enough to this target, they’d be crazy not to buy it.
By doing this challenge you learn a simplified version of the process of branding your product so that it sells to a particular market. You learn the value of positioning a product, establishing a strategy around which you can base all your communications and how to write headlines that engage the target and sell to the market that values the product and can understand the benefits. You learn something you can use for your very own benefit whether that is to sell something yourself or to learn more about how to be a better copywriter. Still others know the process and are sharing their expertise. Even if you can’t do clever, you can write a headline that offers a clear benefit to your target.
You don’t want the audience that will be hard to sell–an audience that would just as soon park their kids in front of a soap opera with a bag of cheetos. Or an audience for whom $45 represents most of their weekly grocery money. So here are the steps we’ll take.
- Define the target market
- Define a target marketing position (strategy). What is the selling position?
- Write headlines and subheads based on our market position and target market.
To kick this off, I’ll start with an explanation on what needs to be done and provide an example. Then you guys post your ideas. We’ll choose one or finesse one to make it a choice for the next step, defining the target market position and who they are. It will be a simplified process.
I chose a product that would be easy enough for a blog exercise. Certainly others can be more difficult and have hurdles to overcome. This is a real product being offered by a real person.
Product Description
Time For Dancing is a dance class experience DVD for 2-5 year old children to use at home. The DVD follows an ideal first dance class, blending activities and performances. The original soundtrack mixes music for ballet, jazz, hip hop and singing and was created by award-winning children’s composer Radha Sahar of UCA Music.
Children learn basic dance steps and develop coordination and confidence while having fun. The split-screen presentation allows them to see both the teacher and the students dancing, encouraging them to have a go! Just watch their love of movement and performance grow.
Here are additional details here The Website in which the product will be featured is here. Right now, they are featuring the actual classes on their web page. For extending the experience or in place of the actual class, the DVD will be offered on this website. Obviously, if you don’t live in New Zealand, you would buy the DVD.
STEP ONE: We start by defining the target market. For example, we know we want to sell to mothers who have preschool girls. But who are they? What do they like? What is important to them? What other websites do you think they go to?
We are looking SPECIFICALLY for those mothers willing to spend $45.95 (including shipping) for a toddler video that is supposed to deliver an enriching experience–one that doesn’t promote kids sitting and zoning out but rather one that engages kids in a positive and creative way. Would it be stay-at-home moms who would value this activity the most? Because we’re looking for that segment of the audience who would value this the most and why. So there is overlap in the positioning strategy and the target market.
You can throw out other potential target markets as well. Preschools? Grandmothers? Nannies? Dads?
You can cheat a bit and download the free target market document.
This is STEP ONE. Here is STEP TWO.
15 responses so far ↓
1 Veronica Davis // May 20, 2008 at 10:46 pm
This is a great idea! I don’t have time to sit down and carefully go through everything at this moment, but something did come to mind. Do many parents home-school in New Zealand?
If they do, perhaps those children aren’t exposed to as much outdoor playtime with other kids. Therefore, this would be a fun and creative way for their children to get in some good exercise. Maybe they could be another idea for a target market, or maybe I’m way off.
I hope we get lots of ideas, and I’ll likely be back with more as well.
2 Emma Sutherland // May 20, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Hi everyone - really looking forward to seeing suggestions on this… My thoughts are:
Define the target market:
Parents of preschoolers who value education and are willing to spend money on resources (like Baby Einstein market - but a bit further along the track)
Define a target marketing position (strategy). What is the selling position?
The benefits and joy of dance for your preschooler - at home and on tap
Write headlines and subheads based on our market position and target market.
“A first dance class - in your living room”
3 Marcie // May 21, 2008 at 1:38 am
You said “we know we want to sell to mothers who have preschool girls” - is it just girls dancing on the DVD? I see other products for boys/girls and more age ranges, are we just working on this one product?
Thanks!~Marcie
4 Paul // May 21, 2008 at 2:46 am
Hi Everyone,
While a dance DVD may appear to be for women with preschool children, there are several other markets to be considered, such as Homeschooling, Daycare and Preschool Teachers, Special Needs Teachers, special needs sensory activities for Autistic children, Music Therapists, promoting the DVD to affiliate marketers, students taking Early Childhood Education, Kindergarten teachers, the arts and college course students wanting something special to put on a resume, etc.
It appears to me that this DVD is aimed at promoting dance classes and is in essence a lesson plan for those classes; that being the case maybe an exploration of preschool lesson plans, child development and using music and dance to help in preschool child development could be a focal point.
As a headline what comes to mind is:
Time For Dancing will have your child/daycare/preschool/teachers steps ahead of the rest.
Time For Dancing a FUN movement based preschool lesson plan.
Time For Dancing quality family fun for preschool children.
Time For Dancing stepping towards your child’s success.
In my opinion, choosing a specific purpose or intent for the DVD will help clarify choosing a specific target market; which will in turn help eliminate and focus some of the suggested headlines.
In other words is the DVD for child development, a fun movement based activity, a lesson plan for dance studios, a parent child cooperative experience, something better for concerned parents than having kids just watching TV, a child’s first exploration of dance activity?
Paul in Calgary.
The Child Development Guy.
5 annemoss // May 21, 2008 at 3:13 am
Yes, we are working only on this product. I meant to do one product to make this simple enough.
Good ideas guys. While I think boys might be interested, I’m not sure we’d market to them as I don’t think parents are as likely to buy it for a boy because of girls with tutus on front.
I think the moms are people who want their kids to express themselves creatively. They want to know there is a developmental benefit to this to validate their role as a good parent. This is what a good, responsible parent buys their kid instead of a Barney video because it offers more development opportunities. It’s worth the extra money because it engages, interacts and offers something friends can do together to laugh and have fun.
6 Paul Gooch // May 21, 2008 at 5:35 am
My initial thoughts are something like `Maximise your child’s potential!’ or `Steps to maximise your child’s potential’ or `Take steps to maximise your child’s potential!’
But I’m new around here - I haven’t written sales headlines for the Web before, although I’ve written them for ad. features in print journalism before.
I wonder if the words `maximise’ and `potential’ are too long for a sales headline, whether they would deter some people.
7 annemoss // May 21, 2008 at 2:31 pm
I rather like the “Unlocking your child’s potential” sort of direction, too. It’s the kind of thing that adds value that the target can understand.
8 gjabiz // May 22, 2008 at 1:19 pm
HEADLINE: Give your girl the gift of confidence that will last her a lifetime.
Subhead: Successful and accomplished women… begin as confident little girls.
These might be flipped too with the Subhead being the headline.
This appeal is targeted toward the Parent (especially Mom) who understands how important confidence is in the world. It gives MOM a hook to hang her purchase on, she’s helping her daughter for a lifetime. Of course, the copy that follows this approach will reinforce this “do it for your daughter’s future” focus.
It puts the buying focus on future welfare of the girl, and gives a reassurance that this is an investment, rather than an expediture.
Thanks AME for the challenge.
gjabiz
9 Paul // May 22, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Hi Everyone,
Unlocking a child’s potential sounds good to me also.
the other thing to consider is that dance is movement and sensory based, and should apply to both girls and boys; which would mean a change in the girls in tutus graphic to include boys as well.
As a matter of fact, as a parent, if I had a preschool son I would rather have him involved in dance for the socialization, whole body coordination, sensory development and other benefits, than say have him watching wrestling, or participating in violent sports.
From personal experience I have given my daughter (who is a mother of a two year old) copies of my child development storybooks, but she has not used them due to moving, decorating the new house, taking care of a puppy, her son and numerous other tasks a preschool parent has to manage.
My point is, that some parents while concerned may not have time to share this type of product with their child?
Which brings us back to, “what is the intended market?
My thinking is:
Do stay at home moms have time to use the product with their child?
Would a child use the product with some guidance from a busy parent and then self-direct?
Would a working parent buy this product and give it to their daycare, Preschool, child caregiver, or someone else as a developmental activity for their child?
Would preschool teachers, homeschoolers, therapists etc be more likely to use this product as a developmental tool than a fun parent child activity?
Would dance schools, Libraries, community centres, daycares be a better market?
Just some thoughts to help clarify the market
Have a great day.
Paul in Calgary
The Child Development Guy
10 Paul // May 22, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Hi Everyone,
I did a quick google “allintitle: dance/preschool dance/daycare dance/child development dance” and it brought up quite a lot of interesting markets and a broad overview of possible suggestions for headline keywords.
I will post some of the data later; have an errand to run first.
If you want to try this technique just type: allintitle: plus your keywords
into the google search bar
I used the keywords dance and some others; obviously the results would only help us formulate our own headline and sort out a viable market.
Paul in Calgary
The Child Development Guy.
11 annemoss // May 22, 2008 at 7:08 pm
I just wanted you guys to know that gjabiz is a top level copywriter. I feel honored he has stepped in to participate. Thanks G!
And thank you to you Paul. Good research words.
Step two is on this page. STEP TWO
12 Emma Sutherland // May 22, 2008 at 9:17 pm
Just responding to a key question posed by Paul
“Would a child use the product with some guidance from a busy parent and then self-direct?”
The DVD is designed to guide the child through the dance class by using a commentator” (a child’s voice) and split-screen demonstrations.
The parent can either watch and participate with the child or let the child explore the experience independently.
13 Step Two. Headline Challenge Countdown: Personality of the Target Market. // May 23, 2008 at 2:37 am
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14 Step Three. Headline Challenge Countdown: Nailing a Strategy, Playing with Headlines. // May 28, 2008 at 2:50 am
[…] STEP ONE- Intro STEP TWO- Defining a Target Market. STEP THREE- Strategies and Headlines- You are at Step Three […]
15 Step Four. Headline Challenge Countdown: Narrowing the position strategy and finalizing headlines. // Jun 9, 2008 at 2:12 pm
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