When you are stuck on how to drive more customers to your site, the first thing you should do is make a list of characteristics of your ideal customer.
You can figure out what type of customers you are trying to target by answering the following questions:
*What age group are you targeting?
*Is your audience primarily male or female?
*What is your target audience’s average household income.
*How computer literate are they?*Will they be more likely to access your website from home or work?
*Are they likely to have a high-speed or dial up Internet connection?
*What are their hobbies?
*What part of the country are they most likely to live in?
*Are they single or married?
*Do they have children?
*What is their education level?
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The clearer the picture in your head, the better the appeal of your offering will be to your customers. I would go as far as to say, that imagining your audience’s day from their perspective gives you the best insight. From the time the person wakes up what kind of things does he read, see and listen to on the way to work. Does he have routines he follows? Ex: same coffee shop every morning, the people he talks to through out the day. At work how does he spend his time? What are his needs in terms of the stage of life he is at right now? How does he spend his free time? How much free time does he have? Thinking of your potential customers what else do you know about them that would help you fine tune what they need? The goal is to define the need first. ONLY than can you see where your product or service fits within that scale. Following through with this exercise of brainstorming will dramatically increase your success in delivering a clear, innovative message to a highly targeted audience.
Pause for a moment here, and take some notes on ideas that come to you no matter how trivial it may be. I would suggest getting a sticky notepad and assigning each idea on a separate page. We are all visual and such seeing things on a larger surface will allow you to clarify and group your ideas in a more streamlined manner as you proceed with making a marketing plan for your website.
What women look for on the Web
According to Women Trend, a Washington consulting firm, 80 percent of all household purchases are made by women, and since the year 2000 more than 52 percent of online shoppers are women. Women account for more than 50 percent of all stock ownership in American and Canada alike and control $7 trillion in consumer and business spending. The “because I’m worth it” slogan started in the cosmetics industry has spread well into other more affluent items like cars, home ownership and investments: advertisements that are geared specifically to women. The number of women who own their own businesses is on the rise, and they are now the primary purchasers of electronic equipment online (Wegert, May 2006).
Large corporations have realized this long ago. McDonald added healthy salads and wraps which far outsold their Big Mac combo, purchased usually by men. Home Depot added a design center to all its locations to meet the need of home decorators across the country. This is not to say that the male segment of any market should be ignored. But when you are thinking of where to focus your marketing efforts, thinking from a woman’s perspective could come handy in improving your bottom line.
There are some common trends confirmed by multiple studies about how women in general use the Internet. Women of all ages primarily use the internet to save time and money. They see the value in 24Hr availability and speed in comparing prices in the absence of sales pressure. Which could be, the reason why car and financial sites are now thriving!
Women also enjoy a sense of community. There is a reason that community-centered sites such as BabyCenter.com and iVillage.com are so successful. These sites not only give women a sense of community and comfort, they also help women with everyday life problems. The number of women who visit education, health and family sites is dramatically higher than the number of male visitors.
Pause for a moment and list 10 sites that you think a woman would visit, keeping your specific target audience in mind.
Using “Life Stages” to Find New Customers
We’ve all gone through major events in life that move us from one demographic to the next. During these major shifts in life stages, consumers are most open to trying and accepting new brands, which makes putting your brand or product in their viewing field critical for finding new, loyal customers. Think about the life stages that your target audience may go through and than put your product/service in their pathway at the appropriate time. Offering a free sample or other incentive to get this audience to try your product at this crucial time is key. Combine that with customer reviews and testimonials they can trust, and you are on your way to building a long-term relationship with a new customer. Once they have considered giving you a try, look for ways to get them to talk about it, in an honest way, to influence new customers. After all, chances are they are surrounding themselves with other people who are going through the same life stage.
Local Marketing Strategies with Search Engines
The Search Engines That Matter: Submitting your site for free to these four search engines will cover about 90% of the natural search market.
Studies have shown that the overwhelming majority of online buying happens locally. The transaction may be made online, but the product or service is actually attained or originates from a nearby location. Typically, an online shopper will use a search engine and type in the specific product or service along with his or her city. This also signifies that he or she has sufficiently researched the product and is now close to making a final buying decision. Therefore ensuring that your local business shows up on the search engines when a consumer is ready to buy is essential.
As with the local technology itself, a majority of the available listing options and ad buys are also still in beta-testing phase. A “city”+”service” search one day on Yahoo! Or MSN can provide completely different results a week later. Local search markets are still in a flux. If you don’t have first hand experience in search engine optimization, get an expert who can help you keep up with the trends in the local search market. Hire that someone NOW! Getting on local search engines is likely to get more expensive and more competitive as more businesses realize the importance of these targeted searches. Consumers have a way of getting used to things, and since buying happens locally: Local search features are an extremely valuable gateway to a larger, more targeted audience.
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