Your Audience Is Not a Metric
Sometimes, the biggest shift in your marketing strategy is not tactical. It’s philosophical.
When we start seeing people as metrics, the marketing suffers.
The audience becomes an abstract dashboard of CTRs and impressions. Copy starts to feel robotic. Campaigns get built around spreadsheets instead of real emotions. And slowly, something gets lost: trust, interest, attention.
People are smart. They know when they’re being “targeted” versus when they’re being spoken to. They feel it in a tone of voice. In the difference between a salesy call-to-action and a helpful suggestion. Whether you show up in their feed to sell something or to say something.
So what happens when you stop treating your audience like a data point and start treating them like people?
They respond better.
They stay longer.
They convert more.
They remember you.
Here are a few ways to build your strategy around people, not numbers:
1. Write like a human
Drop the jargon. Ditch the over-formal intros. If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a friend or client, don’t write it that way online.
2. Listen before you post
Instead of rushing to fill the feed, spend some time observing what your audience is actually saying. Not just in the comments. In Reddit threads, in Amazon reviews, in the way they search. Real language. Real concerns.
3. Use data to understand, not just to chase
It’s easy to get caught up in performance data. But the goal isn’t just to “get the numbers up.” It’s to understand what those numbers are telling you about your people. Why did they bounce? Why did they click? What do they actually care about?
4. Add small touches that show you see them
Whether it’s a personalized email subject line, a reply to a comment, or a niche meme your specific audience will get, these small acts add up. People want to feel seen.
5. Stop shouting. Start helping.
Every piece of content doesn’t need to convert. Some can educate. Some can entertain. Some can just be a reminder that you’re there.
A strong campaign starts with empathy. Not urgency.
So next time you're planning your next launch, newsletter, or ad, ask yourself: are you talking to people? Or are you just talking at them?
Marketing is more effective when it’s more human. Always.
