One of the biggest mistakes we internet marketers make is thinking we’re selling to ourselves. Have you ever thought to yourself that because you like something, your buyers will too? More often than not, your buyers will have a different opinion. Shocking isn’t it??
Next time when you catch yourself saying that you don’t like how those colors go together or that the intro music that automatically plays when a potential buyer lands on your site is awe-inspiring, remember that it’s not about what you like, it’s about what your buyers will like.
Understanding the Internet Landscape
- The internet is a global system of interconnected networks that allows billions of devices to communicate with each other. It has grown from a small US military and academic network to a worldwide infrastructure.
- The internet connects a variety of devices, networks, services, infrastructure, protocols, technologies, standards, companies, industries and users together. This makes it a sprawling and complex ecosystem to understand.
- At the core of the internet are the internet service providers (ISPs), telecom companies, backbone networks, undersea cables, internet exchanges and data centers that power internet infrastructure and enable connectivity.
- There are many kinds of content, services and applications riding on the internet including the World Wide Web, email, social media, video streaming, online gaming, ecommerce, VOIP, cloud services and more. New applications continue to emerge powered by the internet.
- There are standards bodies and governance organizations that help establish technical standards and policy frameworks for how the internet functions at national and international levels. These enable interoperability and coordination.
- Major technology companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook and others play a huge role in shaping products and services that define how people and businesses use and interact with the internet.
- Security, privacy, digital rights, censorship and government control are important issues to consider regarding access, governance and use of the global internet. Debates continue around striking the right balance.
- Understanding the key components, stakeholders, governance, technologies and issues impacting the global internet helps one better grasp the overall landscape and complex ecosystem that powers our increasingly digital world.
Here are 3 quick tips that will help you avoid making this mistake again:
1) Ask –
One way to find out what your buyer likes is to ask. Ask them what it is precise that they expect from you. You would be surprised at how much time and money you can save when you start asking buyers what they need and don’t need. For example, you may spend large amounts of time and money on something important to you, only to find out that it isn’t that important to your buyers, and it’s not the reason they visit your website, use your service, or buy your product.
2) Measure –
Measuring is another way to understand better how you are not your buyer. Do you know how to use your Google Analytics? Google offers excellent analytics 101 courses that will help you learn the basics. Once you have mastered these skills, you can take one of their advanced classes and feel what your buyers are doing on your website. Various tools will help you measure your buyer’s needs, such as heat maps. They do a great job of showing you what people do the most on your website and give you the insight you need to convert that visit to a sale!
3) Experiment –
In the internet marketing world, we have a saying…..…” if you don’t know, test it.” A/B testing can open your eyes to understanding your buyers like never before. You don’t have to do a LOT to understand what works and doesn’t, but you can always explore. You might try adding a video, switching your ads from the bottom to the top of your site, or merely changing the color of your call to action. There are all kinds of things you can experiment with to see what’s going to work for you and your website.
Once you ask, measure and test, you will have a much better understanding of what your buyers like, want, and need from you. If you would like help learning about your target market and what they like, ESage IT web audit can provide you with the information you need to optimize your website to meet your buyers’ needs, so please give us a visit at www.esagedigital.com to get started.