American Express

Posts Tagged ‘customers’

Understanding your target market also affects “how” you target your customers. It’s one thing to know whom you are targeting, but if you get them to the front door and they are unable to open the door to see what’s inside, what is the point? For example, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 22 percent of American citizens 65 years of age and older use the Internet—a 47 percent increase between 2000 and 2004. This is a significant increase and will only continue to grow as more and more seniors embrace the Internet.

Now if you have a business that is targeting customers who fall into this category, you need to make sure that all of your customer touch points appeal to this market segment. This could be as simple as using appropriate font sizes on advertisements that you place on the Internet so that users with
poor eyesight can easily read your offer and visit your site, but this is just the
beginning. Once the user gets to your site, you have to make sure that everything on the site is accommodating, as many seniors will encounter different usability issues due to disabilities or sheer lack of knowledge of how the Internet works.

At the same time, your Web site needs to speak to your existing client base. This can include self-service tools and other customer service–oriented Web site components, special offers that are applicable only to clients, and other Web site elements that will keep your brand and your offerings in front of your existing clients. As the old saying goes, it’s much easier to keep an existing client than it is to get a new one! It’s a competitive world out there, and the Internet is one of the most cost-effective ways to communicate with your clients, so make sure you keep this in mind when developing both your Web site and your different online campaigns.

In addition to your current and prospective clients, you also need to step back and think of the big picture. Anyone can visit your site to learn about your organization, so it’s important to think about all of the different market segments that you could touch with your Web site; this extends beyond your customers. For example, if one of your online marketing objectives is to generate increased awareness for your organization, the brand, and your product/service offerings, then the inclusion of a robust media center or press room should be included on the Web site. The content found within this section of your Web site should be framed toward the unique interest of the press and should make it easy for the press to prepare a story on your organization.

As important as it is for you to understand what you are trying to accomplish online, it is equally important to thoroughly understand with whom you are trying to communicate. Who is your target market online? The typical response is “our customers.” Even in today’s connected business environment, people don’t step back to think about the different segments of your target market who could visit your Web site. Of course you’re trying to communicate with your customers—that’s a given.

Like most businesses, you probably have different segments of your customer base. It can be as simple as segmenting existing customers from prospective customers. Once you bring a prospective customer to your Web site, you have to ensure that everything is in line from a branding perspective, that the content on your site speaks to the needs of this customer group, and that you can easily walk them through the buying process—whether it be to buy online or to complete a task of some sort to display their interest in your product or service (e.g., download a white paper on your product).