How well do you know your online customer? The questions below are intended to be thought-provoking tools. Use these to assess your knowledge of website visitors, and also to think beyond the traditional limitations of web as a marketing tool.
Do you track visitors? A traffic analysis tool is a must for every website. Tools should provide information on who is coming to your site (Visitors), how they are finding your site (Referrals), keywords they are using, and more. Google Analytics and Live Stats are great tools to use for traffic analysis.
Are your customers loyal? Keep customers returning to your site with fresh online content and focusing both traditional marketing and web marketing on retention. Loyal customers bring multiple sales and sell for you through word-of-mouth. A good traffic analysis program will provide information on customer loyalty and number of visits.
Do you request feedback? Ask customers for weaknesses and strengths of your site, services or product offerings through surveys, checkout questionnaires, and email.
‘Who are you attracting’ versus ‘Who do you want to attract’? If small businesses are frequenting your site and your services are intended for Fortune 500 companies, what can you change about your website or your product offerings? Your site needs to cater to the market you are targeting and speak to them visually and via content in an appropriate manner.
‘What are you selling’ versus ‘What do you wish you were selling’? We all want to sell high profit margin services or products. There are strategies that can promote the sales or use of these services or products: feature them on your home page; suggest them through content in other services or products and plenty more.
You’ve made or are considering an investment in your website – use your money wisely. Ensure the success of your website by knowing your online target audience and creating a message through design, layout and content that is appealing to this audience. You can reinforce this message both online and via traditional marketing venues to capture your customer and keep them coming back.
See also: Speaking to your Online Customer