For each and every one of your target markets, you need to determine
- Their needs
- Their wants
- Their expectations.
For each and every one of your target markets, you should also try to
determine an appropriate “WOW” factor.
What can you provide for them on your Web site that will WOW them?
Your objective should beto exceed the target market’s expectations. Your main target market might be your potential customer, but other target markets might include existing customers, or the media, or those who influence the buying decision for your potential customers, associates, or affiliates.
When you look at—really look at—potential customers versus existing customers, you realize that what these two groups want and need from your Web site are probably different.
- Someone who is an existing customer knows your company. Your products, your business practices, and the like are not a priority for them on your site.
- A potential customer needs these things before giving you their first order.
“Customer” is such a huge target market; it needs to be broken down into segments.
Every business is different. If you were a hotel, for example, your customer target market might be broken down further into:
- Business travelers
- Vacation travelers
- Family travelers
- Meeting planners
- Handicapped travelers
- Tour operators
- Groups.
You get the idea. You need to segment your customer target market and then, for each segment, you need to do an analysis of needs, wants, and expectations.
If the media is part of your target market, make sure you plan to have a media center or if you want to reach potential investors,make sure you have an investor relations page.
If you intend to market children’s products, your Web site should be colorful and the text simple and easy to understand in keeping with what appeals to your target market. Chances are, fun-looking graphics will be used extensively on your site to draw children further into it.
If you market financial services, your Web site requires a more professional approach. Your graphics must convey a clean appearance, and the text should be informative and written in a business like fashion.
As this example demonstrates, the content and tone of your site must be tailored to your target market. After all, this is the best way to attract the attention of the people who are interested in purchasing your product or service.
Another aspect to consider when designing your Web site is your target market’s propensity to utilize the latest technologies and the configuration they are likely to be using. An online business that markets custom, streaming multimedia presentations expects its clientele to be technically inclined.
These clients are more likely to have the latest software, advanced Web browser technologies, and faster machines.
On the other hand, clients of a vendor who sells gardening supplies online might be less likely to have fully embraced the latest technologies.
Most people looking for these products are connecting from home rather than from their workplace.
- They might have a slow dial-up connection to the Internet, slower machines, and older software.
- They might still be using the Web browser that was originally installed on their system, simply because they are uncomfortable downloading the latest version of the browser, are unaware of the more recent version, or are uninterested in downloading a large file.
If your target market includes this demographic, be careful with your use of Java, Flash, and large graphic files.
What does this mean for developing and designing your Web site?
Well, streaming multimedia developers can design their Web sites with more graphics and dynamic multimedia effects because their clients expect to be impressed when they visit the developer’s site.
If vendors of gardening supplies designed their sites similarly, many of their clients might be alienated because the site would be too slow to load. They might take their business elsewhere. The gardening supplies site requires a more basic design with less concentration on large graphics and multimedia effects and more focus on presenting information.
Courtesy of Optisage
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