There are several things you could say about our political leaders these days, and not many of them are complimentary.
We’re in even more of a mess now that Enda Kenny and Michéal Martin finally had talks about forming a government together, only for the proposals to be rejected.
Both their parties want to be in power, but the latest impasse shows again that to get what you want, you have to talk to the right people in the right way and at the right time.
That’s as important in designing a website or formulating a digital marketing strategy as it is in politics or anything else. So let’s leave politics aside, and think about how it applies to you.
Step 1 – Decide what you want to achieve
This may seem like a no-brainer. You want to boost your business and make more money, right? But there are several ways of doing that.
Website and digital marketing objectives are often categories according to the ‘5S’ model: Speak, Service, Sell, Save, or Sizzle.
- Speak: The aim here is to let people know you’re there, so they become potential customers. This could be most suitable if you’re the sort of business that needs people to actually come to you, like a restaurant or an optician’s. SEO is crucial, and running an effective Google AdWords campaign can pay dividends too.
- Service: The goals here are to provide customer service to existing customers, and to inform and even entertain them. Build an online community, so they come back time and time again.
- Sell: This for when at least part of your sales process can be conducted online. Objectives may be to find and pre-qualify sales leads, conduct e-commerce, and generate leads online for follow-up personal sales calls.
- Save: The aim here is to save money by using online tools to help you conduct your business. Consider how an insurance company encourages you to renew your policy online, rather than them having to pay a brokerage fee, or how Ryanair has you book your flights directly.
- Sizzle: This comes from the old saying of ‘sell the sizzle, not the sausage’. It means that in a crowded marketplace, you focus on what sets your products or services apart from the competition. Focussing on their benefits rather than their features is the key.
Step 2 – Determine your target audience
The next important step is to consider your target audience. Is it the general public or a particular niche in the B2B sector? Are they adults, teenagers, engineers, farmers, music lovers, car owners, company CEOs, or people just shopping for either a thoughtful gift or a treat for themselves?
Do they have specialist knowledge of your products or services, or do they need to be educated about them? Are they likely to make an immediate purchase online, or will they need detailed further information after making initial contact? Are there other factors to consider too?
Once you’ve considered all this, you’re ready for the next step – which happens to be the most important.
Step 3 – Talk to them in the right way
Make sure the overall language and tone of your website and other Digital Marketing content is geared toward your target audience.
If it’s the general public, don’t baffle them with science or bombard them with ‘business speak’. On the other hand, if it’s the B2B sector, keep things more formal and industry-specific. By speaking to your audience in the language they speak themselves, you’ll enjoy a far greater return.
We can help you determine your message and tone, or we can work according to a brief you give us. The more specific that brief, the better. It will help us to create the content you want more quickly, so that it can talk to potential customers sooner. We don’t want a delay of 40 days or more, like with Kenny and Martin!
The final step – Get in touch with us
Whether you already know your main objective and target audience, or whether you want help in determining them, just get in touch with our SEO Conultants and we’ll get to work for you.
Contact Us for an in-depth and no-obligation consultation on what exactly we can do for you in Website Design, SEO Services, and Digital Marketing campaigns.
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