Listen up Oshawa. Web Design is just part of the solution.
I was at a web design meeting in Oshawa recently. The organization was well established and well known in the community. It had a good staff with lots of ideas.
The issue: Marketing that worked before wasn’t as effective as it had been in the past. Their solution: a website that could tap into a new market. Knowing a thing or two about web design and Internet marketing I asked: “Who is the target audience?” The answer I received was vague. Since it’s important to have a coordinated marketing campaign for something as big as what they were planning, I asked to see their marketing plan. “What marketing plan?” I was told.
The lesson: Business websites are simply communication tools. Typically, when you write it’s one to one. You only have one face in the monitor on the other end. Before you begin any type of marketing it’s critical to know who you’re speaking to. What’s their age, what do they like, what do they read, how do they like to see information etc.? I suggest putting your ideal customer’s face on top of your monitor. All marketing needs to be coordinated to speak to that person. If you have more than one audience create a different website and marketing campaign.
The Internet is all about niches. Being clear on what yours is, knowing your target audience intimately and coordinating your marketing to appeal to them is what works. The days of closing your eyes and blasting your message out into the masses of the world have ended.