It’s hard to visualise just how big the internet has become and indeed just how fast it’s growing. However, there are companies that track the registration of domain names and what we can be sure about is that on average, around 150,000 web site domains are being registered every single day. This ultimately means that with so much competition, your digital marketing strategy has to be approached differently today to what it was say two or three years ago, in order to drive the right traffic to your site.
It is very rare to find a niche in this current climate where there is little or no competition. Therefore trying to be ‘all things to all people’ is not only costly, but pretty much impossible. The reality is that a digital marketing strategy is far more successful when it is laser targeted to a certain group of people within a particular niche. This is known as customer segmentation. To back this up, recent studies have shown that consumers are more inclined to purchase a product when it is targeted directly at them.
Some ways in which you can define a specific target segment in order to deliver your digital marketing strategy…
Demographic
This equates to a group of people that share the same common ground such as age group, gender, ethnicity, income, occupation etc. For instance, a life assurance product is more likely to be purchased by middle aged couples with children than say a single person. With regard to your digital marketing strategy, often given demographics can be targeted through particular sites, social channels, etc.
Benefits
A group of people who would share the same benefits from the product. For example middle income families who live in countryside areas may be more inclined to purchase a 4×4 than say a young professional who lives in the city. (or may purchase it for very different reasons)
Usage
When laser targeting your customer market think about who is more likely to use your product most, vs occasional buyers. Each could be potential customer material, but each group would need to be addressed differently.
Occasions
You may want to target people who purchase products at a specific time. For example flowers, restaurant bookings and personalised gifts are being purchased by couples around Valentines Day. When looking at your digital marketing strategy, tools like email marketing or pay per click can be very effective in targeting particular occasions.
The above are just some of the ways in which you can segment and target a specific group for your products and services and the aim is to find a well defined group of people that is still big enough to make the campaign financially viable.
When it comes to your digital marketing strategy, it really is all about knowing who your potential customer is likely to be. Therefore try to use tactics such as keyword research based around potential buyers’ behaviours, or a specific website design and layout geared towards your targeted customer base. Alternatively you may want to tap into social media channels and forums which are aimed specifically at your segmented demographic. In addition if you are unsure, before you dive headlong into an extensive marketing campaign, you may want to try split testing to different groups with measured results. This will enable you to find your preferred market.
When it comes to applying the right digital marketing strategy we at WSI are experts in this field. We fully understand the importance of customer segmentation in order to deliver the best results. If your online marketing isn’t getting the required results, then contact us today and we can provide you with a detailed marketing breakdown that will help to move your business forward.
