One of the most important aspects in creating a new website project, which I see people neglect over and over is becoming all too common. It is a simple word that means so much to success. This word is called “research”. If you don’t thoroughly understand what your customers really want, who your customers are, and how they speak you are setting yourself up for disaster (Not to mention wasting a ton of time, money and potential sales).
Testing can save you time and money.
If you are thinking about building a site that gives away a free e-book some simple testing could go a long way and it could only cost a few hundred dollars. If you want to launch a blog in a specific marketplace you would benefit a ton before hand by researching and connecting with bloggers before your launch. While this seems like common sense you would be surprised on how many people overlook these simple research methods.
Know what your customers are looking for.
An older man cares about losing weight and feeling better about himself. A twenty-something young man wants to look good so he can attract the opposite sex. The same product could have an entirely different appeal and meaning to consumers depending on the age group.
A lot of time you can figure this out by doing a simple survey. We use specific software here for TM, but other services like SurveyMonkey will suffice. Also, reading between the lines when you speak with customers is imperative. What I have learned is that people will be honest with you most of the time and tell you why at twenty years old they really want to get in to shape. However there is also probably an underlying motivating factor that is similar, which will push them in to action. This factor is usually an irrational reason, but as a potential sale this is what you are looking for.
Finding this irrational reason is not easy but it is worth the research. Knowing it can help you connect with your customers internal ideals and make selling to them much easier.
Speak your customer’s language.
Since I’m using weight loss as an example we will continue on this. If you are selling your product promising six-pack abs to a woman it probably has a very small audience. Like the 1% that compete in national bodybuilding contents. You need to take a look at the covers of women fitness magazines and browse the articles. See how those authors are speaking to their demographic.
The women fitness magazines will use terms like “lose belly fat” while a men’s magazine will state “get rock-hard six-pack abs”.
These are things that just a few hours of research can tell you. And it’s the difference between a profitable project and one that does nothing but keep you wondering “what went wrong?”.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
In hindsight whether you’re launching a new company website, selling an e-book or selling your own product and services, you need to make sure you do your research. Studying and understanding everything you can about your potential customers allows you to directly position your message with them. Even if you cannot afford a full study a few simple hours of research in blogs, forums and a fast survey can do you wonders when launching your next site or campaign.
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