SEO and Internet Marketing
The Target Audience
 The content of a Website must be determined
by the Target Audience – and nothing is more important than quality content
in attracting customers.
Everyone will agree with this truism, however too many Websites have content that
is not directed solely at the Target Audience. There are also a large number of
Websites that fail to meet expectations because their Target Audience has not been
correctly identified.
Without knowledge of the Target Audience, the marketing effort of a company can
only be misdirected. And unless the Target Audience is correctly identified at inception,
the Website will soon have to be rebuilt when visitor numbers are subsequently unsatisfactory.
When the Target Audience has been identified, the Website may have to become narrower
in focus, in order to be more selective in attracting quality visitors. The content
of the Website should be directed only at the needs of the desired audience. To
do this, there must be an understanding of the needs of the Target Audience. This
may mean creating separate Websites for different customer segment groups with different
requirements.
Marketing Campaign
Marketing a Website is no different from any other advertising marketing campaign.
A well thought out plan and resourcefulness is needed to attract visitors and turn
them into customers. The Target Audience should be more specific than the "general
public" or "anyone and everyone". It can be people of a certain age group, gender,
marital status, country, etc.
The marketing campaign must ensure that the Website is found by the people most
likely to purchase a product or service – the Target Audience. It is essential
to have content that uses the language, style and phraseology of the niche market.
To be found on the Internet, the content must include information and Keyword Phrases
that the Target Audience will use to find what is on offer.
With well directed targeting, the return on the marketing dollar will be maximized.
Market Analysis
It is necessary to assess the potential market and who is being targeted:
- Brainstorm to identify potential customers and their needs.
- Make a list of people who are the Target Audience.
- Make a list of people who will be viewing the Website.
- Search the Internet to see what the competition is doing.
- Compile a list of Keyword Phrases that will be used when doing a search.
- Research possible trends and the demographics involved.
All this should be done before Website development commences. Knowing the target
audience and their requirements is essential in building a Website. The more the
content is persuasive, appealing and tailored to the desired visitor, the more likely
that the visitor will be converted to a customer.
Demographics
A Target Audience is determined by several demographic characteristics. These may
be age, gender, education, family status, education level, economic level, lifestyle,
career, country, urban or suburban, etc. What problem is there that needs to be
solved? What appeals to the Target Audience? What are their requirements?
With all this information, a clear picture should emerge of the Target Audience.
And unless there is clear definition of the Target Audience, a Website cannot be
created to appeal to that audience.
Building the Website
After determining the Target Audience, the Website designer will have enough information
to create the Website. The Website can then be designed appropriately for the Target
Audience, taking into account the appropriate:
- Age group
- Educational Level
- Technical Knowledge
- Degree of Sophistication
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