You have heard it said of good sales people that they could “Sell ice to Eskimos” but just imagine what they could do if they were selling it to Ethiopians living in Dalol? (Yeah, it’s hot there… Average daily temperature is 41°C) They would be on the Fortune 500 list before you could say “I’ll have a club soda”.
No matter what your level of sales and marketing prowess, you can apply this concept to your business and website to make more sales.
You can have an amazing product, renowned customer service and strong traffic numbers to the website, but if you are marketing to the wrong people, that is a whole lot of wasted effort.
So, what do you do now?
IDENTIFY YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER
Identify several target market options, then test your theory. Find people that fit with that criteria and survey them. (Firstly, to make sure your assumption was correct and secondly to refine the product or service if needed.)
TELL YOUR WEBSITE
Now you know who you really need to target, there is a good chance your online image (along with the rest of your marketing) will have to change.
Contact your web services provider and get some recommendations on how to target your newly identified market. This will likely include:
- Redesign of your site to appeal to a new demographic,
- Content strategy to prioritise content for your new market
- Copywriting work to refocus your value proposition, benefits and calls to action.
Their recommendations could also extend to content marketing recommendations, like producing relevant ebooks, articles, videos or podcasts. In order for this to be effective you will also need to promote it in your digital marketing channels to expose your new market to your new focus.
LET GO OF THE OLD BUSINESS IDEAS
No matter how much you want to keep urging that dead horse onward, it is best to leave it alone and focus on your new horse. The people you used to market to are not a good fit for you, trying to serve customers who are a poor match will hurt your business and theirs, Don’t chase them for the sake of habit or nostalgia, pour your efforts into the right market.
KEEP TESTING
Finally, this is not a once only thing. Your customers will change with time just like you will, so it is important to regularly revisit this process if you consistently want the best sales and best website performance.
DO YOU THINK YOUR SALES COULD BE IMPROVED BY EXAMINING YOUR MARKET? IF SO, WHAT MARKET? TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.