Web Success Diva

Do you really know the demographics of your market?

January 15, 2008 · Online Business

I mean really. To know they are women coaches, is not enough. You’ve got to know and understand how your market will find you - in order to make effective use of your online marketing efforts.

Here’s an example to think about, to illustrate the point I’m trying to make:

I recently signed on a client who had spent over $30,000 in the past year marketing online. Her costs included staff and costs associated with her various efforts. Not a-typical of the rough average, unfortunately.
Her online marketing efforts included: article marketing, pay-per-click marketing through Google AdWords, search engine optimization, and website development.
In the year that she implemented this marketing plan, there was little effort made to check and track conversions, traffic results, etc.
At the time we spoke, she was convinced her market included women, ages 35-55 (she was after all 45), and within high income bracket ranges. Every decision she made came from these “assumptions.”

After providing me with detailed reports, historical data from her marketing efforts, and a breadth of research on my end as to where she was and where she wanted to go — the culprit to her online marketing failures became self-evident.

She knew not who her market really was.

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It was that simple. Here she was, marketing in all the “standard ways” outlined across the Net, but never really reaching her market. A good look at her offerings, competitive analysis, and an analysis of her traffic/conversion results — any legitimate internet marketer could outline just who her market really is. And given that information, her entire marketing arsenal would have changed.

Turns out, her market? Well, its the exact opposite of what she thought it was.

Given the traffic patterns, and history in her marketing efforts, we were able to determine her market was actually a very online-savvy, interactive, younger age group of women who were finding their resources (services and products she offered) in areas she would never have considered given her prior market assumptions. They were blogging and interacting heavily on social media networking sites. They were an adventurous group of women who were also tight knit, hanging out at such sites as Twitter, MySpace, and Digg. They also maintained an active level of participation in audio and video formatted content - such as YouTube, podcasts, and video tutorials.

Now, imagine… if only a year ago, she had come to realize that really knowing your market shouldn’t happen as guess work, but with real research and consideration into who they are, what they do, and where they go online.

Just some food for thought

To Your Success!

Maria Reyes-McDavis

The Web Success Diva

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my all-new Internet Marketing Safe Zone, we are slowly building the safest place online to find real internet marketing tools that get real results!

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