Defining Your Audience
Carefully defining your audience before conducting any
marketing or advertising efforts can save thousands of
dollars and hours of wasted efforts. Audience research and
awareness also helps you organize and design your website
to appeal to this demographic. Your audience is anyone who
uses your site - from reading it to ordering on it and
navigating through it.
Start by defining personal aspects of your audience to
reach specific answers that can further your business.
Identify the following:
1. Their sex (percentage of male and female)
2. Their age (the dominant age range and categories)
3. Their technical ability
4. The number of years they've used the Internet
5. Their primary language
6. Their buying motives (economy, efficiency, durability,
performance, labor- or time-saving, construction,
operation, ease of repair or installation, availability,
quality craftsmanship, etc.)
7. What emotions cause them to buy (need for security or
convenience, curiosity, pride of appearance or ownership,
prestige, fear, need for individuality, need for
recognition, etc.)
8. How much money do they earn each year, and how much of
this is disposable?
9. How much money do they spend each year on products
similar to yours?
10. Where do they live?
11. Do they shop online? If so, how often?
12. Do they watch television, read the newspaper or search
online?
From these questions, you can deduce the most effective
means of advertising and promotion. You'll also identify
the best way to reach into their pocketbooks using the
right copy, design and user navigation. Will they see a
Google AdWord ad if you started a campaign? Do they want a
hip, creative or bare bones design? Will your site be
compatible with their browser? The answers should unfold.
When you're just starting out, your audience demographic
data is often based on your own instinct and research. As
you develop your business, conduct user surveys to
fine-tune the actual figures. Then repeat this step every
one to two years to ensure you're always marketing and
selling toward the right clientele. Stay tuned for Part
Four: Setting Your Business Structure in this ten part
series.
Developing a Sales, Marketing and Business Plan
Though it may seem like wasted time, careful business
planning is a critical task when launching any new
business. Your sales, marketing and business plans force
you to develop action items that can propel your business
to the next level. Further, If you need funding, investors
will need to see where your business is going - and how you
plan to get there.
Your business plan describes your company, its competitive
landscape, operational structure, possible threats to its
success and plans to avoid these threats. You'll also want
to tell investors and other interested parties where your
business capital lies, along with offering projected
finances for five to ten years out. This plan typically
includes an Executive Summary, Business Description, Market
Strategies, Competitive Analysis, Development Plan,
Operations Plan, Management Background or Bios and a
Financial Overview section. Business plans typically range
from 20-50 pages, with some even longer depending on the
amount of detail you want to include.
Once you've created your business plan, research your
audience and create a similar plan for your marketing and
sales objectives. Carefully determine who your customers
are, what their buying habits are and where they shop.
Estimate their income and education level. Outline
distribution channels, suppliers and competitors. Once you
have firm insight into your sales objectives, you can plan
a winning advertising campaign.
Revisit your plans annually to adjust figures, forecasts
and strategies. You'll be surprised, looking back, at the
progress you've made and the accomplishments you've reached
in just one year's time.
----------------------------------------------------
Clinton Douglas IV, writes E-Business articles for people
who want to achieve more online success. Learn Today, "How
to Start an Online Business in less than 30 Days starting
from Scratch"! Free Special Report - Limited Time! Plus,
weekly newsletter from Online Empire Secrets (A $400
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