A quick note, know your clients or visitors.
I always tell people that one of the first things you need to do when you set up your web store or website is to determine who your target market is. You want to set up a website with them in mind. What do your visitors want to see on your home page? What is their purpose for visiting your site? Does your target market have a specific style or feel about them? You aren’t going to design a website consisting of victorian flowered wallpaper motif for a store that is trying to draw in the 20-something trend setters.
This also is true in other areas of your web presence. How about marketing? Where are you going to place your ads? Whether they are online or off line you want to spend your time placing ads where your target market is. Don’t exchange links just to exchange them. Don’t place an ad just because its cheap. Do your homework and find out where your customers hang out. Are your customers moms? Find parenting groups and other parenting websites that you can advertise on. How a bout a specific type of mom? Then refine your ad placement even further. You want to get the most bang for your buck.
What I said should be common sense, but I’m finding that more and more people are not researching their potential customers ahead of time. Why this little note today? I had an experience yesterday that really illustrated how many companies are detached from their clients. I’ll share for your entertainment.
I’m out with my kids taking a break from the day and I receive a call on my cell.
Caller: “Is this Kristine D?”
Me: “Yes”
Caller: “Hi Kristine, I’m x-y-z from a-b-c. (I was only half paying attention, lol) I offer web design and hosting services. Are you going to be doing any web development soon?”
Me: I’m very surprised at where this conversation is going and manage to say “Uh, No”
Caller: “So you won’t be redesigning your website anytime soon?” (So she knows I have a website, did she READ my website? lol)
Me: “Well, I AM a web designer.”
Caller: “So you won’t be redesigning your site?”
Me: “I design websites for a living.”
Caller: “So you don’t need web services?”
Me: “Uh… no.” It was incredibly hard not to burst out laughing.
I can only imagine that the caller did not do any customer research before making the call. My point is: don’t try to sell ice to the Eskimos.
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2 Responses to “A quick note, know your clients or visitors.”
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May 8th, 2007 at 8:50 pm
I feel your pain. I have web designers calling, wanting to design my website, domain registrars wanting to register my domains and web hosts wanting to host my websites.
Why can’t a maid service call me? LOL
May 25th, 2007 at 11:52 am
[…] I always tell people that one of the first things you need to do when you set up your web store or. (continues) […]