Online Success Tip #3 – Creating a website that sells by knowing your target audience

No matter what your business is, you need a website. These days it's not a luxury, it's a necessity. When you're in business people expect to be able to learn more about you on the internet. You may be thinking that in order to have an effective website you need to be ready to fork over thousands and thousands of dollars for the latest technology and high-end customized graphics. This is absolutely not true!

I'm not against technology or graphics; in fact I utilize them quite extensively on my own site. BUT that's not where I invest most of my time, resources and energy and neither should you.

My focus is on communicating with my visitors because that’s where the money is. People do business with those they know, like and trust – this is true online and offline. Which is why I spend my time on articles, blog posts, video and audio recordings – mediums that allow me to communicate my message.

Effective communication doesn’t require thousands of dollars, the latest technology or high-end graphics. So, what do you need to communicate effectively?

Step One - Determine your target audience and how you can help them.

When you're writing copy for your website you need to be very specific about who you're speaking to. Who's that ideal person you want to attract? Man or woman? What age group? Are they parents? What level of education? You get the idea.

Also, get in mind how you can serve this audience. What is their big challenge or problem that you can help them solve? Put yourself in their shoes.

Copywriting Strategist, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero uses an interesting technique she calls the TARKET FACTOR. When she writes copy rather than writing to a group of people she writes to a single person – her "tarket" – who is a representative of the majority of her ideal customers.

Spend some time analyzing your target market – or tarket – (target market) and watch for my next post about the next two steps to creating a website that sells.

(If you would like more in-depth training on any of the tools I’ve mentioned in this article visit the Online Success Toolkit.)

This blog is part 3 of a 4 part series of online success tips.