An entrepreneur will attempt to achieve a variety of targets before selling a new product. Central to the process is market research, who will use it and how will this affect advertising campaigns? Once this is under their belt how and where will you approach your chosen audience? Thorough research is of upmost importance and desirability when structuring an effective marketing strategy, but its high cost (often a figure ranging from $2500) often detracts startups from performing the necessary amount.
The question is: how much does this process differ with a product that isn’t so tangible? And the answer I guess is not so much. If you’re marketing a website, you can definitely cut the costs and approach research differently but the fundamental ideology should remain consistent. You still need an understanding of your target market to pinpoint how and where you will be reaching them online. Here are some points to focus on:
- Give a very general description of your audience, whether this is dependent on age, occupation etc.
- Expand on this to find your audience’s interests. Through social media extract what is being shared, read and viewed and which channels are being used to do so.
- This previous step will give you hints on where and what to advertise. Build on content that is relevant to both you and your audience and post it regularly on the social media channels where potential readers gravitate. With this link you are likely to create content that will attract, appeal and stand out amongst competitors. Maintain this connection by regular posts and new concepts.
- Finally reaching your audience is largely dependent on your website’s layout and the nature of your landing page. It needs to be easily navigable and professional looking, if it doesn’t look legitimate, readers won’t think the content is either.
- Above this, my priority would be ensuring a webpage is mobile friendly. 64% of American adults now own a smart phone compared to 35% in 2011. I am constantly frustrated by webpages that leave me scrolling in both directions on my phone to retrieve the information I’m looking for, and even more so when some logo obstructs half the article. We live in a lazy but fast paced generation and fitting into it is key. With a source of information quite literally at our fingertips we have no patience for complex sites. Don’t forget that the typical individual on their phone is not looking for dense text but for a short concise answer. So remember stay fast paced, mobile friendly and to the point.
Market research is at the heart of reaching a cyber audience. Analyze their virtual behaviour to manipulate your content and marketing strategy. Once this is found and maintained, keep fast-paced and contemporary; the more you understand the needs and wants of your target audience, the closer you will get to the bullseye of going viral.
