Asking the Wrong Questions?

Too many marketers ask the wrong questions when undertaking a web project, whether a new website or a redesign. They wonder, ‘What should I say about my business? Or, ‘What should I say to my customers?’

As marketers we often get caught up in wanting to be understood when we should be spending our time trying to understand. We become too internally focused on ourselves and what we think is our all-important messaging: who we are, what we do, what makes us special or different from our competitors. It’s not that this data isn’t important, it is. But before you can answer those questions you need to research and understand your audiences.

So ask yourself these questions:

Who are my audiences?

Are there new audiences I would like to reach with my website?

What information is most relevant to each audience and how do they want it delivered?

Can I speak to my audience(s) using the same language I would use to communicate within my organization or my industry, or do I need to write my web copy in a different tone and use different language to be most effective?

Answering these key questions, and putting yourself in the place of your audience in order to better understand their needs will help you develop the most effective web strategy.