Your web site is where the online internet world meets the bricks and mortar world, and your website is your storefront and represents your company’s brand and image. The first thing you need to do with your web site is to make sure that it meets the expectations of your visitors and encourages them to make return visits. A website is like a brick and mortar store in the sense that you won’t last long if people only stop in once and don’t come back.
So how do you give your visitors what they want & need and at the same time increase the frequency of their visits? Unfortunately there is no secret or magic potion that will do it. The main this to make sure your website meets the goals of your business and provides content that encourages visitors to return. We are going to answer six (6) questions in this series: 1) How do I define my target market?, 2) Where do the reside online?, 3) What are the goals for your website?, 4) What does a visitor expect?, 5) What to you want the visitor to take away from your site?, and 6) Why should a visitor return to your site?
How Do I Define My Target Market?
By defining your target market you can develop content that speaks to that audience. The better you know your market and what they are expecting when they visit your website, the better you can develop content that is relative to them. Many companies build sites that are generic packages that don’t speak to the uniqueness or individuality of the company. They look like every other site. You need to stand out and look like you.
Defining your market is an exercise every business should go though, otherwise, how do you know who you are selling to and what they want. Are they moms between 25 and 45, are they computer programmers, are they wanting to write a book? How to they like to receive the information they find on the internet – articles, blogs, how-to, videos or seminars? Once you know, how do you satisfy them?
The definition is much more than how old they are, what gender they are, what is their education level and income. You need to see what they are talking about, what they are watching, etc. It can be a daunting task, but one that is of utmost importance for the success so of your business both online and off. Knowing your target market is the only way to provide relevant content in the way your target market wants to receive it. Get to know them better than your competitors, because that is the only advantage you have over your competitors online.
There are research tools to help you with your definition, some of which are free and some are paid. The easiest way to do it is to hire a company that does this for a living to help you with your definition. It will save you lots of headache and you will get an accurate image of your target market.
In our next article in the series we will look at the second question, where does your audience reside online.
