TOC #166: I would get canceled for this
(February 27, 2024) What we can learn about target audience development from Slutty Spice
I won't lie to you, I do consider myself a bit of a bully.
If you've been subscribed to my newsletter for a while, though, you'd know this already.
You'd also know that I typically use the term “aggressive pep talker” because I really only ever use my bullying skills for good.
…unlike Slutty Spice.
👀
A couple weeks back, I posted a video on TikTok about the things I won't be spending my money on in 2024 — spending money is a huge ick this year, in case you haven't heard — and it got a good amount of views.
…and when a video gets a good amount of views, it also gets a good amount of comments.
Typically, this absolutely ✨ delights ✨ me, because my entire TikTok strategy is essentially just making videos with the comment-reply feature.
(You should try it. It works really well. I just hit 12k.)
(Someone should bully me to post more so I can reach my 365-video goal.)
I usually get pretty lucky with my TikTok feedback.
Meaning: no one really comments negative things on my videos. I don't even really get people disagreeing with me. It's a blessing 💅🏼
On this video, though, obbbbbviously that was not the case.
My first thought when I saw her comment was:
“Oh, perfect! Now I can make a video about a very common objection to saving money, and discuss the reason why I'm being so serious about saving this year. I've been meaning to do that.”
So, that's what I did.
I'd received a few other comments about how people weren't down for my ~spending money is an ick~ philosophy, and I was waiting for a quality comment to use to discuss how, just because you see something on the Internet, that doesn't mean it applies to you.
(You know the kind of comments I mean. The “but what if I don't like potatoes? can I use rice instead?” on a recipe video type shit.)
Now, there's nothing really wrong about Slutty Spice's initial comment.
She doesn't have to save her money this year. Sick. I love that for her.
I actually even said that in my second video (where I replied to her comment), and I was being genuine. That was me in 2023. I made money, so I spent money.
But, in 2024, I'm preparing to buy a beach house, so. No more spending for ur gurl.
She graciously — or sarcastically, I'm not too sure — replied and said:
& that was the end of my interaction with Slutty Spice.
…my followers, though? Not the case.
People didn't like her energy on that first video, I guess, because she got a lot of replies disagreeing with her.
Aaaaand she kinda came in hot defending herself and her position.
Naturally, I sprinted to the Sarahs group chat — composed of the 3 biggest yappers on the planet: me, Sarah Kleist, and Sarah Burk — and told them to go stalk the comments on my video.
Slutty Spice had mentioned that she's self-employed.
Huh.
One of the Sara(h)s (probably me, but it could've been Kleist, I get us confused) said something to the effect of “I would get canceled if I did that," which brought on a whole convo about how online business owners have to be super careful about how they interact with people on the Internet, because one bad Google review could tank your reputation.
And that convo led to one of the Sara(h)s (probably Burk, she's the stalker of the trio) to do some research and find out more about Miss Slutty, to see what exactly she does for work that allows her to, apparently, not give a flying fuck about what she says — or who she pisses off — online.
The answer made it very clear:
She's a top 8.5% OnlyFans creator.
Oh.
Of course she doesn't give a single shit about what she says in the TikTok comments of some random girl's “spending is an ick” video.
Her target audience isn't anywhere NEAR there.
(And thank God for that.)
Here's what we can learn from Slutty Spice: it's important to know what your audience does and does not care about, and where they spend their time online.
Understanding these two things will not only help you craft a specific message, but also make sure you're not wasting your efforts marketing in places where your target audience isn't present.
Now, let's talk about a few more ways to get to know your audience.
Developing Your Target Audience
Last week, in the first edition of my new Back To Basics series, I shared with you how necessary it is to know certain details about your target audience before marketing to them, and gave you a list of questions you should be able to answer about your ideal client or customer.
Let's recap:
→ Who are they?
→ What are they dealing with?
→ What do they want?
→ What do they really want?
→ How can you give them what they want?
Did you do your homework, First name / friend?
If you did, you'd have answered all of the above Qs about your target audience already, meaning you know them pretty dang well.
If you didn't, you get an F in Back To Basics class.
(JK. Nothing is graded. We're all just bags of bones living on a floating rock.)
Answering questions about your target audience can be difficult, though — especially when some of them are so open-ended, like “who are they?” — so, I've decided to do you a favor and flip the script a bit.
Here are 3 questions you can answer about yourself and your brand to understand your audience a bit better:
→ What do they gain from working with me? How does it improve their life?
→ What’s the alternative to not working with me?
→ Why am *I* the right fit for them, out of all the people they could choose?
Once you answer those, you'll find answering “what should I say?” gets a whole lot easier.
If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hi! I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:
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