Web 2.0 Influencing Your target Market Online
Web 2.0 sites are really causing an upstir lately. Mainly because of the influence on marketing strategies. The number of web 2.0 sites are on a steady increase and Google seems to favor them. For advertisers the influence on your target market can not be ignored and here's why:
2.0 sites include things like blogging, social networking, social bookmarking and much more. Basically, it includes everything that is non-static. Usual traditional websites have content that never changes, plus visitors cannot add their own content. Web 2.0 sites have content that may not change at it's core, but the supplementary content changes because users add comments, share the content with others, and sometimes even republish it. Now why does this affect your target market?
Well one way that Web 2.0 has influences your target market is that online customers are often very different from people who read newspapers and magazines. This isn't a reflection on the education level of social status of your target market, but rather that your market now expects different things. For instant, in the 90's, your online target market would probably have included only people who were very technologically savvy Today, your online target market has broadened greatly to include pretty much everyone. This means that their technical skills may not be as high today as it was a decade ago, which means that your website needs to be very user friendly.
Another reason is your online target market is much more comfortable buying over the internet.Years ago, most would not buy anything online because security features were not as advanced as they are now, plus the process of making a purchase was less streamlined. Today, most people trust the online buying process and are happy to pull out their credit card to make an online purchase. The key is to make sure that the process is not complicated and that their information is secure.
Last, Your target audience change has to do with their expectations. Their expectations have changed in terms of how you communicate with them. The first way that this has changed is that they expect you to do much more than just sell them stuff. You have to provide something useful for your audience. Free information, for example, something useful that could solve a problem,answer a question. The increased use of social networks has created a target audience that expects you to build a relationship with them. If you're only pushing sells in their face,you will eventually lose them.
Your target market expectations have also changed in terms of how you provide content. In a magazine, you design an advertisement and simply place it in the middle of an article. Online, your readers expect to see video, audio, as well as written content. Everyone has their own preference, which means that you need to provide them with every possible option in order to stay competitive.
Also be aware that your audience may also be international, In the past, if you ran a home based business, you probably wouldn't be creating advertising for a huge geographical audience, rather for your city or even your state. Now, as long as you are selling something online (either products or services) you automatically have an international audience.
As you can see,Web 2.0 is now a big player in regards to marketing to your target audience. Not only has it only expanded the amount of potential customers by making your business accessible across the world, It is a steady influence in changing your target markets expectations. You have to build relationships with them rather than throwing hard sells at them constantly. As far as traffic for your business,the numbers don't lie.The influence of these social sites on the web will continue to play a big role in the marketing trends.
2.0 sites include things like blogging, social networking, social bookmarking and much more. Basically, it includes everything that is non-static. Usual traditional websites have content that never changes, plus visitors cannot add their own content. Web 2.0 sites have content that may not change at it's core, but the supplementary content changes because users add comments, share the content with others, and sometimes even republish it. Now why does this affect your target market?
Well one way that Web 2.0 has influences your target market is that online customers are often very different from people who read newspapers and magazines. This isn't a reflection on the education level of social status of your target market, but rather that your market now expects different things. For instant, in the 90's, your online target market would probably have included only people who were very technologically savvy Today, your online target market has broadened greatly to include pretty much everyone. This means that their technical skills may not be as high today as it was a decade ago, which means that your website needs to be very user friendly.
Another reason is your online target market is much more comfortable buying over the internet.Years ago, most would not buy anything online because security features were not as advanced as they are now, plus the process of making a purchase was less streamlined. Today, most people trust the online buying process and are happy to pull out their credit card to make an online purchase. The key is to make sure that the process is not complicated and that their information is secure.
Last, Your target audience change has to do with their expectations. Their expectations have changed in terms of how you communicate with them. The first way that this has changed is that they expect you to do much more than just sell them stuff. You have to provide something useful for your audience. Free information, for example, something useful that could solve a problem,answer a question. The increased use of social networks has created a target audience that expects you to build a relationship with them. If you're only pushing sells in their face,you will eventually lose them.
Your target market expectations have also changed in terms of how you provide content. In a magazine, you design an advertisement and simply place it in the middle of an article. Online, your readers expect to see video, audio, as well as written content. Everyone has their own preference, which means that you need to provide them with every possible option in order to stay competitive.
Also be aware that your audience may also be international, In the past, if you ran a home based business, you probably wouldn't be creating advertising for a huge geographical audience, rather for your city or even your state. Now, as long as you are selling something online (either products or services) you automatically have an international audience.
As you can see,Web 2.0 is now a big player in regards to marketing to your target audience. Not only has it only expanded the amount of potential customers by making your business accessible across the world, It is a steady influence in changing your target markets expectations. You have to build relationships with them rather than throwing hard sells at them constantly. As far as traffic for your business,the numbers don't lie.The influence of these social sites on the web will continue to play a big role in the marketing trends.
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