HOW TARGETED TARGET USERS BOOST SALES

Successful web entrepreneurs are aware that every company should have a target audience, and ‘everyone’ is not an acceptable answer. A target audience is made up of a group of people you want to attract the most.  Accept the fact that no matter how perfect your website is, it would not be able to do everything for everybody, which makes it even more important to focus on the group that is most likely to be converted into customers.  One of the best things about the internet is the power it gives to website owners and designers to decide their target demographic and come up with ways to persuade target users to avail of their products and services. 

Researching is the first step to take before launching a business and building your website.  A crucial part of that research is determining your target audience.   Doing this would make it more convenient because it would prevent unnecessary revisions for the web designers and provide a more stable groundwork for target users.  To others, this might seem like a negligible step because it sounds so simple but it could yield very positive results:  

• Search engines use contents and links found in your web pages to determine which results to show when someone conducts a search - Designing a company website with target users in mind actually makes it easier for internet browsers and related websites to find you and add your website’s link to their own pages.  This, in turn, will help your company rank high on search engines, therefore increasing the potential of boosting up sales. 
• Business domain names that contain the main targeted phrase for target users also move up in search results.

Categorizing your target audience into different groups would help ensure that your web marketing strategies match the target users’ needs.  You could start with the basic groups and then branch out.  The technique is to divide the target users into types who have different needs and would be looking for certain factors in your site.  Stated below are some sample factors:

• Whether they have limited or extensive knowledge about your website topic
• Whether they are beginners or experienced internet browsers
• Physical/mental disabilities
• Operating system and internet connection speed
• Location, nationality, language
• Financial situation
• Political and religious belief
• Interests and hobbies
• Age and gender

The process does not stop with splitting your target audience into smaller groups.  In order to make your strategy more goal-oriented, it is highly recommendable to research about more factors:

• What are your target audience’s opinions on your products and services?
• Are you satisfied with their opinions or do you want to take them to a different direction?
• What are the most effective methods to attract your target audience and convert them into customers?
• Who are you competing against and how could you have an edge over them?

Choosing which among the factors mentioned above to consider would depend on the nature of the company you are promoting.  Target user categories that would work for one company might not be useful for another company.  For instance, it might not be necessary for you to consider the age, financial background, and location of the users because they all want the same thing regardless of those categories.  In another scenario, your website might have been designed for beginners so it would not be necessary to focus on the advanced users.   Of course, in cases like that, you should find a tactful way of informing your non-target users that your site is not designed to cater to them specifically and link them to related websites whose contents would be better suited for their needs.   One good way to do is by using the website title to clear out your intended audience (example: “A Tutorial for Adobe Photoshop Beginners”) and/or publishing a list of your website objectives with your target users specified.  Directing non-target users wouldn’t necessarily lose you potential customers.  It is also highly possible that those non-target users are connected to people from your target group and refer you to them.

Of course, while it is undeniably important to specify a target audience, you should also adhere to web standards in order for your website to be viewable by the majority of web browsers.  Web standards are a central set of standards for various technologies caused by the development of the internet.   As the internet grows, it is your responsibility to make sure that your website would continue to be accessible to the majority of users.  Just because your target audience is not everyone does not mean that other browser shouldn’t be considered.  Prioritize your target audience but be open to the possibility that everyone is a potential customer. 

In conclusion, determining your target audience before the website design process would help increase your company sales and save you a lot of time and money.  This step might cause a bit of a delay but in the end, it would be worth it.  If you rush the design process and just determine your target users as you go along, you would probably end up making a lot of modifications on the way which would delay you even more.   It would be more practical to start the web marketing process right and research about your target audience. 

References:
Making Websites: What's Your Target Audience?
Creating Good Websites
Determine Target Audience
Determine Target Audience - Planning a Website
Focusing on Your Target Audience
Identifying Your Target Audience